Last Updated on 09/05/2022 by hortonteam
Most homeowners know that a bathroom remodel is one of the best ventures you can undergo to increase the value of your home, but what features are buyers looking for? Take a minute to examine our seven favorite bathroom renovation trends for 2022 in Vanderburgh County!
1. Black to the Future
It’s no secret that neutral colors are a huge buyer preference when it comes to the main areas of your home. The same can be said for the bathroom of your home. People have been using neutral colors for quite some time, and many buyers still prefer this option inside the bathroom. However, one of the many bathroom renovation trends gaining popularity not only in Evansville but throughout the country is the use of black. Most of these bathrooms use a matte finish, which makes for a smooth, creamy appearance rather than the shininess that a glossier shade of black produces. Modern buyers are looking for modern homes, and these bathrooms offer a highly contemporary look. If you can’t get on board with the all-black spa look and would rather feature white as the primary color, there’s no need to worry—there are plenty of bathroom accessories and fixtures that you can find in a matte finish that will perfectly compliment a white primary.
2. A Splash of Color
Featuring an all-black bathroom or even something dominantly black and white isn’t for everyone. If this isn’t one of your favorite bathroom renovation trends and you would prefer a bit more color, we have good news! Another popular style renovators are fusing into their bathroom remodels is the addition of a bright, powerful accent color. Of course, this doesn’t mean you should paint your entire bathroom red or pink. Many homeowners opt for a single color-intensive feature to grab your attention from the rest of the unified appearance of the room. Some of these items may include the cabinets, flooring, tub, towels, or other accessories found throughout the room. If this splash isn’t big enough for you, you might be more interested in what’s known as a statement or accent wall. A statement wall is generally a single wall in the bathroom where your creativity gets to come alive. Whether made of backsplash tile, marble, or simply a bright yellow or peach, the main component of a statement or accent wall is that it offers a drastic contrast to the main color scheme of the room. These walls are most commonly found on the side that holds the sink or tub, but follow your creativity to decide which wall you’d like to renovate.
3. Installing New Countertops
One of the most popular bathroom renovation trends for quite some time has been to replace your sink countertop with a higher quality material. This trend continues on in 2021 and 2022 with an emphasis on marble. Like we mentioned before, modern buyers are looking for modern features, and marble is one of the most contemporary styles found in the Evansville real estate market, especially on newly constructed homes. Some buyers are even electing to use marbles on the walls throughout the entire bathroom. Even if you just decide to add marble countertops, the price can quickly escalate. If marble is a little out of your price range, there are several other popular materials you can use that may look just as nice, or sometimes even better! Depending on the design and color scheme of your remodel, some of our most preferred alternatives to marble are granite, quartz, stone, concrete, and even wood in some cases!
4. Proper Lighting
As with other parts of the home, prospective buyers are looking for well-lit bathrooms with attractive lighting features. Gone are the days where a simple panel or fishbowl-style light would suffice for potential buyers. Nowadays lighting is an essential part of a room’s presentation, and buyers will be quick to spot fixtures or other sources of light that look out of place. We love the trend of adding modern lights to the bathroom! Of course, which type of fixture or light style will depend greatly on what the rest of your bathroom looks like, so it’s difficult to recommend any specific style. That being said, you can find all kinds of modern light features that may compliment your bathroom perfectly. Some of our favorites include pendant lights, recessed lights, lighting sconces, and even repurposed lights! Along with picking a style that matches your bathroom, it’s also important to select a variety of light bulb that is both energy efficient and create a great ambiance in your bathroom. Other popular bathroom renovation trends include adding lighting built into a vanity or even the use of natural light through a window. Many bathrooms don’t offer a window, but some home buyers elect to build their sink countertops in front of a window for a source of natural light. It may sound a bit goofy at first, but this method produces great natural light for getting ready in front of the mirror!
5. Updating the Shower
If you are updating a full bathroom, there’s a good chance that your shower will be the centerpiece of the renovation, or at least large enough to immediately catch the attention of a potential buyer. Modern buyers prefer large, open showers, and anything enclosed will probably count against your home during their selection process. If your bathroom is large enough to allow it, we suggest adding a stand-in shower, preferably one with a nice interior made of something like tile or porcelain. The options for this style of the shower are endless, but be sure the scheme you land on matches the rest of your bathroom. The type of shower door you go with is also important if you have a door at all. Buyers interested in shower doors prefer full-length glass doors, especially those that blend seamlessly into the framework of the shower itself. The frosted glass used to be popular, but clear glass is now definitely the way to go. All that being said, what may prove to be even more attractive is an open shower without a door. This type of feature might not be possible depending on your plumbing or the size of the room, but modern buyers go crazy for these types of showers. If you’re feeling a bit too exposed, you might add a half wall on the front side of the shower, which could also double as a great shelf for soap and shampoo containers!
6. Emphasize Storage Space
The inclusion of storage space transcends our list of favorite bathroom renovation trends, as most (if not all) modern buyers prefer to have diverse storage options throughout the entire home. If you’re thinking about selling your home, you may want to work on adding more storage throughout, but within the bathroom is as good a place to start as any. Back in the day “storage space” in the bathroom mostly just meant the medicine cabinet or underneath the sink. Those opportunities still exist, but today your options are much more vast, and many of them don’t take up much space inside the bathroom. Buyers will always love cabinets and drawers, especially those that are built-in and add functionality to the space. Anything compact or concealable will also be a plus, as getting the most storage out of a single space is the main objective here. Don’t forget to consider overhead storage options as well, including shelving or any leftover space above wall-attached cabinets. If your bathroom happens to already have a linen closet, don’t stop there! You can still customize a pre-made closet by modifying shelves or adding even more compartmentalization.
7. Incorporate Smart Devices
What list of modern bathroom renovation trends would be complete without the mention of a smart toilet!? If you’ve never seen one of these devices in action, it’s something you must experience! All jokes aside, there is plenty of research that shows buyers (especially those between the ages of 20 and 45) have a strong desire for smart technology in the home they plan to purchase. While some of the most popular smart devices are found throughout the rest of the home, you can still find applicable and functional devices to incorporate into your bathroom redesign. Some of our favorite bathroom-themed smart devices that fall onto our list of best bathroom renovation trends include:
- smart toilets
- smart showers
- smart speakers (separate or as part of the shower)
- smart lights
- smart or heated tile flooring
The best part of these tools is that all of them can be controlled via your computer or smartphone, and ownership is easily transferable to whoever decides to purchase your home. Whichever devices you add, you can bet that doing so will boost your bathroom and your home’s overall value and attractiveness.
Just like a kitchen remodel, a bathroom renovation can sound like a huge undertaking. That may be true, but making the right choices and basing your selection on the most popular bathroom renovation trends of 2021 and 2022 is the perfect way to increase functionality and enhance your chances of selling when the time comes!