Unusual Bathroom Reno Ideas That Will Be Popular in 2025

Cocoons — the inspiration for this contemporary bathroom design trend — are the perfect environment for growth, supporting the process of transformation.

While the poetic roots of this modern bathroom idea are evocative, breaking down its shoppable design elements is also important. Fluted or narrow-planked wood combined with dark, veiny marble and low, moody lighting is needed to get this nested and well-rested effect.

In 2025, subway tiles will still be a modern-bathroom design staple — but with a (literal) twist. Now stacked vertically (versus a horizontal, offset brick pattern), tops-to-tails subway tiles feel fun and fresh (extra style points for an unconventional colour).

If looking for smart, small bathroom ideas, this is a top-shelf tip… vertical grout lines give the illusion of taller walls.

ÄNGSJÖN and BACKSJÖN Sink and Drawers, Ikea, $589.

Looking ahead to 2025, one of the most unusual (and unexpected) bathroom decorating ideas could also be the cheapest item on your renovation material’s list — second-hand or antique art.

Scour the local thrift stores or visit a nearby antique market to haggle for a one-of-a-kind art piece that calls to you. The investment is so small that a little steam damage won’t put you into a design-budget deficit.

Smart bathroom design ideas optimize available square footage to match up to the functionality of daily life. By inserting a stacking washer and dryer directly into the bathroom, you can cut down on travel time between home zones (and, therefore, unnecessary domestic labour).

This “unusual” bathroom renovation idea has already become the norm in Europe, with laundry neatly tucked behind cupboard doors in the bathroom, kitchen or hallway. So, in 2025, we’re taking a page out of their bathroom-design manual and getting extra efficient.

Next year, as people embark on their bathroom renovation journeys, keep your eye on that bathtub… it may wander off. Bathtubs in the shower, bathtubs in the bedroom and heck, maybe even bathtubs in the living room!

Designers are giving bathtubs their own standalone design moment. No longer banished to the bathroom alone, tubs are taking up space… anywhere we want them.

As Nordic spas — with their circulation-improving, hot-cold circuits — continue to pop up across the country, so too do new bathroom design ideas. Why pay a spa entry fee when your own bathroom doorway could be that point of entry?

The runaway wellness trend of the cold plunge may push people to finally take the home-renovation plunge and install their own ice pool and infrared sauna. Spa day every day does have a nice ring to it.

Featuring unusual bathroom vanities is a key component to these atypical-yet-trending bathroom decor ideas. The more uncommon the silhouette, materials and colour of the vanity, the better.

Here, the designers on Farmhouse Facelift repurposed original hardwood farmhouse floor boards and cast-off quartz to construct a truly unique bathroom vanity as the show-stopping centrepiece of the main bathroom renovation.

If regularly scrubbing tile grout grinds your gears, maybe it’s time to scrap tile altogether and opt for one of the most unusual bathroom renovation ideas for 2025 — plaster.

Seriously, by replacing shower tile with sealed plaster you not only reduce maintenance but also maximize the space. Taking out tile can add centimetres to the square footage, which can actually feel quite significant, especially in a small bathroom.

Ranging from soft white to dove grey to red ochre, add natural pigments to get just the right dusty hue. This smooth, sleek wall treatment has the design power to transform a tired bathroom into a luxurious, spa-like space.

When it comes to playful, contemporary bathroom design, traditionally powder rooms have had all the fun. Bold wallpapers, bright colours and quirky tile choices were neatly contained in those tiny, semi-public toilets. But, no longer!

The design fun times have broken through their powder room borders and crossed into bathrooms throughout the whole home. So, in 2025, make a playdate with colour, pattern and unconventional material choices.

White marble will always have a place in the bathroom-design pantheon, but next year, bold, vibrant natural stone will take the podium.

Quality materials with dramatic veining, patterned inlaying and unexpected colour — think green, blue or red — layer together for a luxurious, jewel-box feel.