Bathrooms are a place you have to use every day, so you might as well make them a place you enjoy being. Whether it’s beginning the day with a refreshing shower or calming down in the evening with a gentle bath, spa-themed bathrooms are in and for good reason. They create a sanctuary in your home that invites you to unwind, refresh, and pamper yourself after a long day.
Although most people think of tile, hand towels and toothbrush holders when they consider design elements, plants are an often underrated additions to the look and feel of your bathrooms. The humidity created by hot showers helps create an almost tropical environment, and the indirect sunlight found in countless bathroom designs is more than enough for many flowers, ferns and other types to get all they need.
Plants can do more than brighten your room. Many plant species help purify the air and even provide medicinal benefits. They can also be great accent pieces to a clean and modern design. If you’re looking for an easy way to maximize your bathroom space, check out the accompanying infographic for plant species that will love being there.
Whether you’re looking to design a new home or update the bathroom you already have, we have some tips on how to design a green bathroom you’ll be glad to spend time in.
Set a Neutral Palette
Plants are a great accent to neutral bathrooms.
A neutral palette in your bathroom creates a soothing atmosphere and lends to a clean, organized appearance. Whether you share a bathroom or get it to yourself, it also allows you to put a personal touch on the space that can change as you do. Plants can easily be used to add pops of color as different flowers come into bloom. Begonias are a great choice if you’re looking to add some bright color accents since they do great with fluorescent lighting.
Open Concept Floor Plan
The open floor plan allows the room to feel more spacious and cohesive.
We’ve seen this becoming more popular throughout the home, but in recent years, the open floor concept has expanded itself to include the bathroom. A seamless divide from bathroom to bedroom will leave both rooms feeling more spacious and create more flow as you move between the spaces while getting ready. Most designs invite a center privacy barrier, which can be a great focus piece whether it’s a full length mirror or a stone wall. A unique and green spin on this would be an indoor green wall of living plants. Snake plants, which will help absorb toxins and purify the air, or philodendrons, which will help absorb the steam from your shower, keeping the humidity to the bathroom, would both be excellent options.
Exposed Shower
For more shots of this bathroom, check out our gallery for the Milnes Project
Open showers provide plenty of room and can be a great investment for those hoping to age into a home. Without a shower dam, these barrier-free showers are as easy to enter as taking a few steps closer to the showerhead. If you wanted to really take this up a notch, you could create a bamboo wall on one side of the shower, a great, easy-to-care-for plant that doesn’t require any soil. Just make sure to keep too many suds from going on them!
Full Length Glass Shower
This glass shower door gives the appearance of a larger bathroom by allowing the eye to include the shower space.
If you’re not ready to commit to an exposed shower but want some of the same perks, a great alternative is a full length glass door shower. You’ll have a clear view of a large bathroom space, but still feel like you’re in a distinct shower space. To add some extra natural distinction, you can easily turn this type of shower into your own personal tropical waterfall experience by surrounding yourself with humidity-loving plants (Chinese evergreen are a great option here). Unlike the exposed shower, you’ll have a natural barrier from suds so you can be plenty enthusiastic with your loofa karaoke.
A Staple Bathtub
Who wouldn’t want to relax in that bathtub?
Clawfoot tubs have seen a resurgence in popularity in recent years and have paved the way for other staple bathtubs to come into fashion. Having a large, gorgeous bathtub as a focal piece in your bathroom, rather than a tucked away bath/shower combo in the corner, can add a sense of ease to the atmosphere of your bathroom whether or not you’re actively soaking in some bubbles. A clean white porcelain tub has proved to remain a classic piece in any bathroom, extra points if you make room to have your favorite candles and fresh flowers next to it.
Source: ModernBathroom.com
Curious about other ways of making your home green? Check out our tips on designing an energy efficient house.