Bathroom Style Spotlight

Scandinavian Bathroom Design: Simple, Warm & Beautiful

Welcome to our latest series, Bathroom Style Spotlight! Each month, we'll pick a different bathroom design style to highlight. We'll discuss the design elements that make each style unique, what kind of bathroom layout each style works best with, and how to get started transforming your bathroom into a space you'll love.

I have a vested interest in bathroom design because I just redid my downstairs half bath, and now I'm planning the redesign of my master bathroom. I've spent a lot of time pouring over designs, styles, and trends. I've scrutinized every part of my bathroom, from the floors to the tub to the lighting and everything in between.

Seriously, I have a folder full of hundreds of vanities on my computer. I may require an intervention.

We're going to cover many different styles and trends in the coming months including:

• Modern Farmhouse
• Japandi
• Coastal
• Mid-Century Modern
• Spa Style

This month we're going to look at one of my favorite styles and the one I'm using as the basis for my own master bathroom, the Scandinavian Style.

I love this look because it's uncluttered (my current bathroom looks like I just walked into a junk drawer) and simple without being visually boring. Let's take a look at the core design concepts that define Scandinavian bathroom design.

Hallmarks of the Scandinavian Style

The Scandinavian style is defined by simplicity, natural materials, and practical functionality. You won't find elaborate embellishments or busy wallpaper here. Instead, Scandinavian style greats you with clean, calm lines alongside a subtle neutral color palette composed of natural tones and accented by black, white or dark grey. Let's dig into some details.

Natural wood and Stone

Use lighter shades of wood such as white oak, beech, ash or birch. Wood can be used in a variety 0f places, from the flooring to vanities to shelving, benches, accent walls and even the ceiling. That's right. Scandinavian bathrooms can include wood ceilings or slatted wood accents that give the entire room a warm, natural feeling.

Stone, meanwhile, is used in two different ways. The first is to contrast the wood and light color palette with dark grey, blueish-grey or black stonework, often used in flooring or shower walls. The second approach is to use lighter stone colors that blend with the wood and pale walls but introduce rougher, varied textures or patterns. This creates visual contrast without introducing a completely different color.

Very Little Ornamentation

The simple lines and minimal visual clutter of Scandinavian create a very orderly feel that can be punctuated with just a couple simple accent pieces such as a plant (greens compliment this style very well) a stool, woven basket or a simple solid-color woven rug. The key word here is restraint.

Textures and Patterns are Key

Because this style depends on similar warm, neutral colors, texture becomes an important way to differentiate surfaces and create contrast. A vanity with wooden slats, gently textured backsplash, natural stone patterns, or wooden chevron patterns all add visual interest without introducing jarring colors

Functionality and Form

When it comes to storage, I find there are two directions you can take with Scandinavian design.

The first is to hide almost everything in concealed cabinets, drawers, closed jars, and hidden mirror cabinets. This helps keep the clean, relaxing, spa-like sense of calm that surrounds this style. The last thing you want is to create a calm, minimalist bathroom and then cover the counter with bottles, combs, makeup, and toiletries.

The second option is to use open-air storage such as floating shelves, open vanity shelving and woven baskets that can organize items into neat little pockets. This approach lets items such as neatly folded or rolled towels become part of the decor while still remaining functional.

The Bath and Shower

Walk-in showers are popular choices for for Scandinavian bathroom design, particularly when paired with simple glass enclosures.
Clear glass keeps sightlines open instead of visually dividing the room the way a shower curtain or heavily frosted enclosure can. This helps the bathroom feel brighter and more spacious.

Freestanding tubs and soaking tubs also work beautifully with this style. Their simple shapes help maintain the open feeling of the room while creating a strong focal point and introducing another smooth texture against wood, stone, or tile.

Fixtures are Perfect for Subtle Contrast

Simple matte black faucets and handles can stand out beautifully against warm wood, pale walls, or white textured tile.
Bright white vanity tops and sinks can create a similar contrast against wood cabinetry. The effect should be subtle but noticeable.
Personally, I like vanities with black metal accents or legs paired with matching black shower door hardware.

Lighting

Scandinavian design thrives on light. The style amplifies natural light, bouncing it around the warm color tones and filling the bathroom with warmth. Without ample light this style can come off feeling cold or sterile. To aid natural light or if your bathroom doesn't get a lot of natural light, use LED lighting that can be set to a warm tone. I like to use backlit mirrors to supplement natural light and overhead lighting without adding bulky fixtures.

Other Considerations

There are, of course, plenty of variations within Scandinavian design.
Beyond neutral tans, off-whites and greys, bolder colors can be used as an accents. For example sage greens, deep blues and darker woods can be used for contrast. Another common material in Scandinavian design is concrete which is often stained or finished in a variety of grey tones. It's natural "grain" creates an interesting pattern that plays well against the simpleness of the design aesthetic.

Subway-style tile and ladder shelving also fit naturally into Scandinavian bathroom design: simple rectangular tile keeps the look clean and timeless, while a slim wood ladder shelf adds practical open storage and a touch of warmth without making the room feel crowded.

Will the Scandinavian Style work well with my bathroom?

This style is very versatile and can work with a bathroom of almost any size or layout. The biggest consideration is lighting. A very small half-bath with no windows or little light can struggle to bring out the calm and relaxing simplicity this style engenders. Additionally, a walk-in shower or freestanding tub are recommended for this style. A traditional shower/bathtub combo with a shower curtain can break up the open feel, visually cutting off part of the bathroom.

My bathroom is a small 8-by-8-foot space with a 32-inch vanity and one window. One of the reasons I'm using the Scandinavian style is to open up the space, declutter it and add lighter tones to reflect the natural light. This makes the space feel bigger than it is, especially once the shower curtain is taken down and replaced with a glass enclosure to ensure nothing breaks up the sightlines.

Getting Started

There are two big decisions you can make early on when designing a Scandinavian-style bathroom that will help get the ball rolling.

1. Decide on the Shower - If you're going with a walk-in shower, it will become an important part of the overall design. Because the shower walls won't be hidden behind a shower curtain, you'll need to make sure the shower pan, walls and fixtures all integrate well with the rest of the room.
2. Choose your Wood Tone and Placement - The other big decision is what wood tone you want and where you want to use it. White Oak flooring or an Ash vanity? A light birch accent wall or a slatted oak ceiling? These choices are going to dictate where a lot of the other pieces fall. For example if you have a light wood accent wall and vanity you may want to go with darker greys for the floor. Mixing wood tones? You'll need to decide if you want a light wood floor with darker wood furniture or vice versa.

Cost Savings

If you've read this far and shuddered at the thought of paying for natural wood and stone, don't worry. Modern technology has your back. As soon as I decided to go with this Style the first thing I did was look for wood and stone alternatives- materials that look like wood or stone but don't come with the hefty price tag.

The good news is that there are several options. Luxury vinyl flooring has come a long way in recent years. There are many products that convincingly mimic real wood. What's great about these is that they usually waterproof making them perfect for the bathroom. Gone are the days of fake looking wood vinyl.

There are also engineered stone and stone-look wall panels available for bathroom and shower applications. Construction varies by product, but these systems are designed to recreate the appearance of materials such as marble, travertine, and natural stone while offering surfaces better suited to wet environments.

One example is PuroStone, which uses large wall panels to create the look of natural stone in the shower without relying on traditional stone slabs or extensive grout lines.

That makes it particularly interesting for Scandinavian design, where natural-looking materials and low visual clutter work together beautifully.

Wrap Up

I hope this gives you a useful starting point in your search for bathroom remodeling ideas.

If you're anything like me, one of the hardest parts is figuring out how to create a bathroom that doesn't look like a collection of random pieces plucked from Home Depot and dropped into the same room.

Blogs like this, image galleries, material samples, and vision boards have really helped me wrap my head around interior design and see how individual choices work together.

Now I can't wait to get started on my own master bathroom. I have flooring samples arriving next week!

As Bathroom Style Spotlight continues, I'll link these articles together so you can easily explore different designs and find ideas that work for your own bathroom. Next up is another one I'm really excited about (because I grew up a country boy) Modern Farmhouse!

See you then.