30 Basement Bathroom Ideas To Help You Plan and Design

Considerations for your Basement Bathroom

Plan Carefully

Think over the plan of your future bathroom carefully; find out where you want to place a bathtub, where you’ll have a shower cabin, a toilet, or a steam room. It’s wise to draw out plans for your bathroom prior to diving in. Carefully consider where you want the layout of everything, and if needed, consult a contractor if you are going the DIY route. It can’t hurt to get a professional opinion first.

White Herringbone tile with gold faucets bowl sink showerhead — Photo Credit: Apartment Therapy

Next up is plumbing, and once that is done, you can’t make any changes to the layout, so think over your layout and make sure it’s well thought out.

Insulation And Plumbing

Insulate the basement bathroom correctly otherwise, you won’t be able to go there during cold months. Do the plumbing properly; if you hesitate that you can do it, it may be wise to hire a professional.

white subway tile farmhouse basement bathroom with wood vanity toilet grey slate floor tobacco basket hanging on wall basket of rolled towels — Photo Credit: Yamini Designs

You will also need to consider if your house is newer or older because this changes things. Typically, older homes won’t come with a rough-in. If your basement isn’t set up to include the necessary systems like drains and plumbing vents, you will need to have them added.

In the case of a drain, it means routing piping below your floor, which in most cases means breaking up a portion of your concrete to add a drain, not to mention regarding the slope so that the water actually flows into the drain. You may even need to install a special upflush toilet, depending on where your main drain line is found in the home.

basement bathroom white tile wall with heart free standing tub brown chestnut wood vanity with shelves gold faucts — Photo Credit: Built Design Collective

Ventilation

An exhaust or ventilation fan is a crucial addition for basement bathrooms so that moisture can be removed.

You’ll need to install the proper vents for a basement bathroom if your home isn’t roughed in. This is going to mean cutting into concrete, drywall, and other building materials to direct that exhaust safely out of your home.

black and white bathroom basement idea pattern floor tile black frame glass shower black vanity — Photo Credit: Sita Montgomery

Bathroom exhaust fans are a critical part of your bathroom. They stop odors, improve indoor air quality, and terminate moisture and humidity, which can lead to structural damage, mildew, and mold growth. Bathroom vent fans are required by most local building codes for any bathroom that doesn’t have a window that can be opened. In some areas, ventilation fans are required even if your bathroom has windows.

Flooring

Generally, you’ll see the tile in a bathroom- which is a good choice for your basement bathroom, but you must consider what goes under the tile. This is an important consideration that should not be overlooked.

farmhouse bathroom with glass black frame doors wood vanity with subway tile black frame mirror — Photo Credit: J Kurtz Design

Installing an uncoupling membrane between your concrete and your tile is important to prevent cracking. Because of temperature fluctuations, the concrete substrate expands and contracts naturally. Installing an uncoupling membrane between your concrete and your tile keeps the two materials separated so that when one moves, the other doesn’t move with it, which stops the major cause of cracks.

Lighting

Space in your basement bathroom may be at a premium – so don’t waste it. Your basement ceiling may already be fairly low, so be careful when picking out your lighting fixture.

basement farmhouse bathroom with pot lights glass shower wood vanity white countertop open shelving — Photo Credit: Jacyln Peters

Recessed or pot lights are a great choice for a basement bathroom. These lighting choices will provide enough light without taking away valuable headroom. To add enough lighting, you can even have them installed inside the shower. But these lights have to be rated for use in a wet zone. When they’re installed correctly, with a good quality trim that resists water and vapor, it’s completely safe.

Here are some quick tips for better lighting in a basement bathroom:

Layering is the most suitable technique for enhancing bathroom lighting in your basement. You may rotate between bright light for cleaning and gentler levels for a pleasing ambiance, thanks to layers of light regulated by dimmers and individual circuits.
Consider the three main types of lighting – ambiance, accent, and task.
- Ambiance – the room’s overall lighting
- Accent – used to highlight a specific area
- Task – lighting for essential daily tasks, like applying makeup, shaving, etc.
Used pot lights or recessed lighting so that you don’t take up any headroom in a small bathroom
LED Lighted mirrors or light-up medicine cabinets can add extra lighting
Under cabinet or strip lighting can help illuminate the floor and make the room appear brighter
Vertical wall sconces are a refreshing change from the traditional overhead vanity and are great for small bathrooms. They will provide a unique modern look to your bathroom, take up little space, and are best for casting an even light across the face.

Decorate Your Basement Bathroom

After the most difficult part of work is over, decide what colors you want in your basement bathroom. Decorate according to the style you’ve chosen, but when it comes to a basement, it is better to opt for some light or neutral shades because they visually enlarge your bathroom and reflect the lights.

white bathroom tile glass shower door black fixture finishes hey tile design — Photo Credit: Michelle Berwick Design

You may try many styles for your basement bathroom: modern, minimalist, rustic, industrial, retro, farmhouse, rough stone, and so on – it’s totally up to your style and tastes. Add accents according to the style chosen: brass for retro bathrooms, pipes and industrial metal for industrial bathrooms, and rough wood and stone for nature-inspired ones.

Small bathroom features white and blue mosaic floor tiles leading past a tan oak washstand and a white porcelain toilet to an open shower accented with blue scale wall tiles. — Photo Credit: HW Interiors

Be creative with décor, use various materials and textures that fit your style: wood, metal, various cool tiles, and rough stone, and make a calming oasis in the basement. Find out where you’ll place the lights and attach them, don’t forget to protect them from water – it’s not only the water after taking a shower; the basement is often a bit damp.

A two light bronze and glass sconce is mounted to a blue wall over a frameless vanity mirror hung above a small white single washstand. The washstand is accented with an oil rubbed bronze pull and a marble countertop holding a polished nickel gooseneck faucet in front of a marble backsplash. — Photo Credit: Zoe Feldman Design

Lights should be bright enough for you to feel relaxed, and again it’s a way to expand the space, don’t forget that basement often lack natural light, so it won’t be enough.

Small white bathroom features a white washstand under a frameless mirror alongside a gray marble herringbone tiled floor. — Photo Credit: Scott McGillvray

The basement bathroom is a useful room that is often treated as a purely practical space. Often this room lacks natural light and is located out of sight of the main part of the house — given these factors, it is often overlooked. But inspirational home renovators and interior designers increasingly see this room as a decorating prospect.

Small white bathroom features a frameless medicine cabinet mounted to a white wall finished with white grid porcelain lower wall tiles accented with blue border tiles. The medicine cabinet is located above a small white bath vanity fitted with a slatted shelf, nickel knobs, and a carrera marble countertop holding an oval sink with a polished nickel faucet. Beside the bath vanity, a toilet is positioned beneath a polished nickel towel bar. — Photo Credit: White Arrow

If you’re starting from scratch or renovating an existing bathroom, there’s no reason to waste an opportunity to make a basement bathroom the space of your dreams. Calming, relaxing, and serene environments are totally achievable in a basement bathroom.

White and black contemporary bathroom is clad in white and black penny floor tiles positioned beneath a washstand boasting chrome legs and a white porcelain sink paired with a chrome backsplash mounted faucet kit. The sink vanity is located in front black beadboard trim, beside a chrome towel ring and beneath a round white mirror hung from an upper wall covered in eye pattern wallpaper. A small black cabinet sits beside the sink vanity. — Photo Credit: Black Lacquer Design

Like a good-looking basement kitchenette, a basement bathroom offers the chance to have a little joy with the design and to go bolder than you might in a room in a more visible part of the house. At a minimum, the interior design of your basement bathroom deserves the same care and attention as every other room in the house.

White and blue wallpaper is accented with white vertical shiplap trim, as a smal blue art piece hangs over oil rubbed bronze towel hooks. — Photo Credit: Pure Salt Interiors

Here are some more bathroom ideas in a variety of styles and sizes that show this often ignored space a little love.

Classic Subway Tile

Blogger Quinn from Quinn’s Place completely renovated the dingy, dated 70s-style basement bathroom of her 1912 house to create an updated and practical space. After a DIY gut renovation, she converted it with bright white paint, classic white subway tiles with graphic dark grout, black penny tiles on the floor and shower pan, and a clear sliding glass shower door to keep sightlines clear and produce a sense of space in the snug room. It’s a simple, neutral, attractive design that looks as good as any other bathroom in the house.

subway tile in basement bathroom walk in shower with glass door — Photo Credit: Quinn’s Place

Simple Elegance

This charming basement bathroom from Kaemingk Design is endowed with a small window that brings a fraction of natural light into the shower area. The designers have created an airy feel throughout by using a superior ceiling-mounted shower head and a drapery-like shower curtain mounted flush with the ceiling. Light natural stone and tile throughout, a rich walnut vanity, vintage brass sconces, and a vase of cherry blossoms give the space an understated refinement, and organic feel that advances the concept of a basement bathroom to an inspiring effect.

elegant white basement bathroom walk in shower with vanity — Photo Credit: Kaemingk Design

Add Some Drama with Dark Floral Wallpaper

Using dramatic wallpaper is a go-to move for adding a dose of class to a powder room, and this basement bathroom from Construction 2 Style is no exception. They used Hunter Green paint by Benjamin Moore for one wall, while a bold accent wall using a dark floral wallpaper from Rebel Walls adds style without overpowering the small, low-ceilinged room. Black penny tiles cover the floor, and bright white trim adds contrast.

basement bathroom with floral wallpaper green wall pedestal sink and toilet — Photo Credit: Construction2Style

bright floral wallpaper navy blue wainscotting decorative bathroom basement glass shower black frames white subway tile gold and marble sink — Photo Credit: CM Natural Designs

Creative Nooks

If your basement bathroom has a small space for your sink and vanity, get creative with this space. Just because it’s small doesn’t mean that it can’t be awesome. Munger Interiors created a stunning Moroccan-style alcove in this basement bathroom that perfectly fits a small sink and gorgeous gooseneck wall sconce.

A Moroccan silhouette bathroom nook boasts a honed marble sink vanity fitted with a square vessel sink mounted under an antique brass vintage style faucet mounted to blue and gray mosaic wall tiles. Above the vanity, a small round brass mirror is illuminated by a Boston Functional Library Light. — Photo Credit: Munger Interiors

The beautiful blue wallpaper elevates the space with a bit of flare and provides gorgeous eye candy. Everything in this space was executed with style and beauty.

A small alcove space for the vanity was not wasted here, either. A nautical look is done here in this small space with a simple shiplap allowing the beauty of this blue wall-mounted sink to take center stage.

Small white and blue beach style boys' bathroom boasts a woven towel basket placed beneath a blue Kohler Brockway Sink finished with stain nickel vintage style faucets. The sink is mounted to a white tongue and groove wall under a round rope mirror hung between nickel and white glass sconces. — Photo Credit: Diana Sawicki

Small, luxurious powder room is styled with an oblong mirror hung from a wall clad in cream and blue mosaic wall tiles between brass sconces and over a French marble wall mount sink with an antique brass cross handle faucet. — Photo Credit: Kitchen Lab Interiors

Add Bold and Bright

Black, white, and red are combined to create this stunning space in a basement bathroom. The red light and stool add a bold pop of color to break up the monotony of the white and black making this a fun space that anyone could enjoy.

Farmhouse styled powder room with shiplap walls, small trough sink, and a barn red stool accent table. Black and white striped wallpaper adds a stylish dimension to the bathroom above the shiplap trim displaying a barn red vintage barn sconce above a round black vanity mirror. — Photo Credit: Change & Co.

Make Use of Mirrors

In a small dark space like a basement bathroom, mirrors aid in creating and reflecting light. This designer chose a mirrored vanity to help reflect and bounce light around in this small basement bathroom.

Lovely girls' bathroom features a small mirrored washstand boasting a round sink with a polished nickel faucet fixed to a marble countertop. The washstand sits on marble triangle floor tiles beneath a bras and glass vintage shelf mounted to white glass brick wall tiles beneath a polished nickel inset framed medicine cabinet. An additional medicine cabinet is fixed over a floating toilet, and both cabinets are illuminated by glass and brass sconces. — Photo Credit: Liz Caan

Go With a Freestanding Tub

Freestanding baths are undoubtedly one of the most attractive elements to include when designing a new bathroom. Placing the tub in the middle of the floor – and adding LED wall panels as in this example – provides a luxurious finish inspired by boutique hotels and makes bath time fun for young children.

Bathroom design displaying honed white marble grid floor tiles fitted with an oval bathtub joined with a vintage handheld tub filler against a wall showcasing botanical art in gold frames. — Photo Credit: Zoe Feldman Design

Although be sure to choose suitable flooring for the splash zone.

A Dark Bold Vanity

If you want to add a dark, dramatic color but you’re afraid of making an already small space feel smaller, try just painting your vanity a dark contrasting color from the light white walls. This will give you that bold look that you are after without overpowering the space.

Oil rubbed bronze and white glass sconces flank a round black mirror hung over a gray industrial washstand adorned with oil rubbed bronze hardware and an oil rubbed bronze faucet mounted to a black quartz countertop. The washstand sits on small black hexagon floor tiles. — Photo Credit: Lindsey Black Interiors

Small Basement Powder Rooms

Maybe all you have room for is a basement powder room, but this doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice style. You can use creativity and taste to make a small powder room an explosion of color and style or a simple and elegant environment.

Clad in gray geometric wallpaper, this small chic powder room features a silver leaf beaded French mirror hung between facing Vendome Single Sconces and over a nickel and porcelain sink vanity. — Photo Credit: Kerrisdale Design

This chic white and black contemporary powder room is accented with a small floral skirted sink vanity finished with a polished nickel faucet kit and fixed under a black arch mirror. Walls are half clad in white and black trellis wallpaper and finished with white subway tiles complementing white and black vintage floor tiles. — Photo Credit: Studio Ten 25

Go For A Fun, Useful Element

Basement bathrooms don’t have to be just for humans. This modern basement shower room designed to keep canines clean is dressed up enough to make dog owners happy. If you have the space, use it for something fun and practical that you know you make good use of. This homeowner decided that they wanted their basement bathroom to be a space where their dogs could clean up.

dog shower in basement bathroom grey subway tiles shower head black door framed wall art — Photo Credit: Tiffany Leigh Design

Elegant Marble

This clean, modern bathroom from Sarah Richardson Design uses marble, metal, and glass variations to create a streamlined, elevated feel despite the basement location. She used marble on only one wall of the shower and carried the look through with custom marble vanity. She created a custom sconce by cobbling together pieces of leftover lighting and spray-painting it in a cool pale gray.

mixed marble textures basement bathroom long mirror silver accents walk in shower — Photo Credit: Sarah Richardson

White and black mosaic floor tiles lead past a wall clad in black stacked tiles to a small walk-in shower boasting a frameless glass door and a brushed gold shower kit fixed to white subway staircase pattern surround tiles. — Photo Credit: Mandy Cheng Design

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