The Top 5 Bathroom Makeovers of 2022

Suzanne Ennis offers a great wrap up of the bathroom makeover trends seen in 2022.

A well-designed bathroom is often the result of months of planning, designing and construction that involves homeowners and a team of remodeling professionals. Our Bathroom of the Week series tries to capture a snapshot of that process with profiles of beautiful bathrooms and the details remodeling pros used to make those spaces look and feel good. To see what kinds of bathroom styles and features resonated most with homeowners in 2022, check out this countdown of the five most-read Bathroom of the Week stories of the year. Browse the collection, then click the link to each article to learn more about the update.

5. White, Wood and Marble for a Serene Space

The “before” version of this bathroom had a basic double vanity with minimal storage, a bulky and nonfunctional jetted tub and blah finishes — all of which made it far from the modern, spa-like sanctuary its owners were after. So they hired designer Kate Freund and the wife’s father, builder Patrick Sexton, to create this warm and modern “after.”

Without changing the basic layout (and with inspiration from Houzz), they added a new custom walnut double vanity with lots of storage and appliance pullouts. They also installed heated marble hexagonal floor tiles, a streamlined freestanding tub and a marble-lined steam shower that makes them say “spa-ahhhh.”

4. Clean, Contemporary Style for Empty Nesters

A couple worked with interior designer Sharon Kory to create this contemporary bathroom in their new-build home. Among the features that lend it a crisp and elegant look are a large built-in soaking tub, a gray double vanity with high-gloss acrylic drawer and door fronts, and large-format marble tiles on the main floor and walls.

Functional elements include a low-curb shower with 3-by-3-inch marble floor tiles that match the main floor tile but offer better grip, as well as a handheld shower within grasp of a built-in bench. Plus there’s a pocket door that opens to a toilet closet. A linen closet had been in the design too, but they retrofitted it to create a built-in coffee niche, a perk of not needing much storage.

3. A Curbless Shower Adds Accessibility

One of this bathroom’s owners uses a rollator walker and crutches, so their cramped, obstacle-filled original bathroom needed an overhaul with accessibility in mind. To that end, design-build pro Sean Onal removed a shower stall and jetted tub and created an expanded curbless shower with a built-in bench, grab bars and a mosaic-tile floor with good grip. The main floor has large-format tile with a white nonslip finish.

To improve maneuverability, Onal installed floating sinks and widened a narrow entrance. At the same time, he gave the bathroom’s style a major boost with a timeless white-and-gray color scheme.

2. New Style and Layout in 75 Square Feet

Tasked with turning a bland, awkward bathroom into a stylish and functional shared family space, designer Jen Montague Clark completely rethought the layout. She eliminated a tub and tiny shower stall in favor of a shower-tub combo with a hinged frameless glass panel. That freed up room to replace a single-sink vanity with a cool midcentury-industrial-style freestanding double vanity.

The old shower stall plus a sliver of an adjacent closet became a water closet with a pocket door, and plenty of recessed lighting brightened the space. Then, starting with patterned blue-green porcelain encaustic floor tiles, Montague Clark added warm, textured finishes. Now the bathroom can accommodate more than one person at a time and has a welcoming “affordable luxury” look.

1. Storage and a Spa Feel in 65 Square Feet

The most popular bathroom makeover of 2022 is also the smallest of the bunch, though it’s still spacious by most standards. And thanks to designer Amy Herbert — and design inspiration from Houzz — what it lacks in square footage it makes up for in style and efficient use of space.

Herbert replaced a shower-tub combo, impractical vanity and bulky radiator with a roomy glass-enclosed curbless shower, heated floors and a floating bamboo vanity and storage towers. The shower’s textured blue tiles complement the warm bamboo tones and enhance the room’s calming yet personality-filled vibe.