How to Choose Bathroom Fixtures to Complement Your Home's Style

Bathroom fixtures can underscore the style of your home or serve as a neutral backdrop that can be changed based on the accompanying accessories. Here are some tips.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Bathtubs/showers
• Cabinets
• Faucets For Sink And Tub
• Showerheads
• Sinks
• Toilets
• Towel Racks

1. Consider (or ask the dealer) whether a given fixture or collection is modern or traditional. Modern fixtures are often very angular or ultra-streamlined and fit well with modern, high-tech and minimalist environments. Traditional fixtures often have more embellishment that reflect classic styling. They go better with country, antique, colonial and similar environments.

2. Notice the embellishments: Modern pieces might have a geometric or swirl design; traditional pieces might have fluting or floral designs.

3. Look at the tub. A tub with claw feet or an elongated pedestal base is classic in design, as are most sunken marble or Roman-style tubs. A curvy whirlpool or rectangular tub with a square-tile surround fits better in a more modern environment.

4. Study your sink options. A streamlined pedestal sink or one that shows off the plumbing below gives a modern, high-tech look. Marble and marble-look sinks (especially those that hint at seashell shapes) are more traditional, as are many vanity-sink combinations and sinks with embellished pedestals.

5. Check out the shower doors. They can be plain glass; frosted or beaded; or stained glass made in Arts and Crafts, Victorian, or another style.

6. Take stock of toilets. Wall-mounted and low-profile commodes fit well in modern interiors. Taller and antique-style models, with oak seats and tanks that mount high on the wall, give a traditional look.

7. Go with plain styles and neutral colors if you like to switch your decor frequently or have eclectic tastes. A good combination: a basic porcelain-over-cast-iron bathtub, a porcelain toilet and a porcelain or cast-marble sink.

8. Choose faucets and a showerhead that complement the fixtures. Porcelain-brass combos are typically traditional, while gooseneck and waterfall faucets look modern. Basic faucets - even chrome-brass combinations - work nicely in neutral bathroom schemes.

9. Remember that bathroom colors can date quickly. Many people go with white, whether their style is traditional or modern. It's a safe choice for every decor.

Tips & Warnings

• Choose towel bars, hooks, medicine cabinets, cabinet hardware and other metal fixtures that coordinate with your faucet sets.

• If you're building or remodeling and plan to stay in your home a long time, consider making the bathroom fully functional for someone with physical disabilities, ranging from arthritis to paralysis. Accessible bathrooms can be great looking; they just require additional planning.