I know you’ve been there. You walk into a bathroom and suddenly feel like you’re in a doctor’s office, not your own home. Yes, those bathrooms: all white tile, bright lighting and sanitized-looking surfaces that make you wonder if there’s hand sanitizer dispenser tucked away somewhere.
They’re ubiquitous because despite good intentions, everyone designs white bathrooms the same way. Which is a problem when you actually LIKE white bathrooms! I’ve spent more time in my fair share of generic white bathrooms and let me tell you: They scare me away.
White bathrooms have a reputation for being boring and, frankly, sterile. I fell into this trap for years until I helped design my sister’s en-suite renovation last year.
She was set on everything being white (“It’s timeless, Claire!”) while I was urging her to add color.
We compromised, kind of. She got her white bathroom; I got my styles. The trick to designing a white bathroom isn’t avoiding white (that’d be nearly impossible).
Instead, it’s mastering how to layer different whites together. Remember how snow in real life is never flat and blah? Texture, shadows, warm light reflecting off snowdrifts, different levels of white and depth.
You can apply that same concept to a bathroom with tiles, finishes, and fixtures instead of snow. Bear with me. When I renovated my first flat I learned this lesson the hard way.
I painted every wall bright white, slapped on basic subway tiles, installed chrome fixtures, and topped it all with a white vanity. Finished! Except it didn’t feel homey and relaxing like the pretentious white bathrooms I’d seen on Pinterest.
My bathroom felt cold, sterile, and very, well, cheap. What did I do wrong? Every surface in my bathroom was reflecting light in the same way, creating a flat, boring space with no contrast or warmth.
Here’s where temperature mixing comes into play. No, not hot and cold water (!) I’m talking about mixing warm whites with cool whites, matte finishes with glossy finishes, rough textures with smooth. For my sister’s bathroom we painted the walls a warm white (Benjamin Moore Cloud White, to be exact) but installed cooler white tiles for the shower.
This subtle contrast keeps every surface from melting into one flat wall of white. There are tons of texture and temperature mixing opportunities with materials. Case in point: My friend group is full of people who believe that marble=automatically luxe bathroom.
But some of the most inspiring white bathrooms I’ve seen play around with high and low materials. Think: Painted brick walls alongside high gloss white quartz countertops. Or rough plaster walls with glossy white subway tiles.
Pairing different materials will create shadows and depth that all-white everything can’t achieve on its own. And of course there’s lighting. When I renovated my current bathroom I installed those dimmable LED bulbs I mentioned earlier and it makes SUCH a difference.
White paints and tiles look dramatically different at 2700K vs 4000K. Warm white light in the evenings make everything feel cozy instead of clinical; bright whites with daylight bulbs keep your space from feeling cave-y in the morning. Details that aren’t white are key to breaking up an all-white bathroom.
I don’t mean crazy green accent walls or hot pink towels (…although I love those too). Think small splashes of color that add personality to a room. Swap out chrome for brass hardware.
Add natural wood elements (this can be as simple as a wooden soap dispenser or opt for a full bamboo bath caddy). Flowers, duh. Your bathrooms will never look like a doctor’s restroom if you fill it with plants.
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I kill plants. In bathrooms. But hear me out.
Snake plants, it turns out, actually can live in low lighting. Ask me how I know. Hidden storage is another thing white bathrooms have going for them.
White built-ins vanish into white walls, creating beautifully simple lines that seem intentional rather than harsh. I designed the floating shelves in that first photo to match the walls exactly. From a distance they blend in, but are obvious when you need them.
Cute? Yes. Until my sister pointed out that white shelves full of white towels she couldn’t see.
Bummer. We grabbed some woven baskets and called it a day. White tile floors are tricky, and one of the reasons I’ve never gone pure white on the floor.
Everything shows. Dirt. Hair.
Cat fur. The vacuum speaker. You get it.
But when you add pattern or texture to white bathroom floors, magic happens. Go for white subway tiles with dark grout. Or white marble with natural veining.
Hell, even painted white floorboards with just a hint of wood grain. Don’t be afraid to mix things up down below. Don’t forget about the shower.
If your shower is small an all-white enclosure can feel…cold. Ilandless, actually. I made this mistake on a rental refresh I worked on where we were on a tight budget.
We went with white subway tiles for the shower walls but added one horizontal row of similar white tiles with little dots raised from the surface for texture. Minor change. Major upgrade to the feel of the space.
Speaking of showers: Don’t forget about the mirror. Rectangle mirror resting atop white cabinets?
Been there, done that.
But go for a round mirror with a thin brass frame or something vintagey that adds personality. Mine was only £20 at a flea market and is probably my favorite detail in my whole bathroom. Pro tip: White bathrooms can go out of style quickly.
Hang onto small jewelry like that mirror or soap dispenser that you can change every few years to keep it feeling fresh. This can be as simple as swapping out boring white plastic drainstop for a wooden one, or bright white overhead lighting for warm golden side lights. White bathrooms aren’t boring or sterile.
No one designs a white bathroom the same way (well, now that you’ve read this post maybe a few people). Once you start mixing different shades and finishes of white you can build a bathroom that feels calm and inviting without mimicking a hospital. Because at the end of the day, white bathrooms are the backdrop for your mornings brushing your teeth and your nights relaxing in the tub.
They’re not the star of the show. You are.
