How to Rock a Transitional Bathroom

It’s a style that’s not too cold, not too ornate, not too rustic, and not too formal. It’s not too far from mainstream, though. And you can freshen it up as you see fit. We’re talking about transitional style, that look halfway between contemporary and traditional that Realtor.com says is one of the hottest bathroom trends for 2018.

So what does this mix of décor style trend mean for new or remodeled bathrooms?

It means tossing the rules out the window and creating a look both feminine and masculine. It means meshing traditional features such as wainscoting and wood cabinets with modern, clean-lined furnishings—frameless mirrors, sleek metal sconces, or contemporary plumbing fixtures. It also means muted color palettes of white, gray, taupe, and sometimes blue are taking a background role, allowing other components to take center stage. Transitional bathrooms are also defined by limited accessories and lots of texture. Timelessness is always a given.

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Stanton in Polished Chrome from Hardware Resources Elements Collections
Interior design by Distinct Hardware Co. and Cabinet Solutions USA
Image by Roberth Bragau

Take this transitional master bath, for example—a collaboration between Distinct Hardware Co. and Cabinet Solutions USA. Classic Shaker-style cabinets wear steel-grey paint as well as a white quartz-surfacing countertop enhanced by contemporary Stanton pulls in Polished Chrome from the Hardware Resources Elements Collections. Adding texture are the travertine backsplash tiles in shades of greige. Reminiscent of a fireplace surround, the travertine backsplash might be seen as traditional, but here reads as contemporary. Twin frameless mirrors enhance the vanity while reflecting the open, airy look of the shower’s oversized tiles in shades of sky blue and white behind glass. The overall effect is clean, soothing, and cohesive—the latter adjective being an especially important component for skillfully done transitional style.

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Interior design by NVS Kitchen & Bath
Image courtesy of Ashley Lapato
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Royce cabinet pull from Jeffrey Alexander in Polished Chrome finish

We also admire the vintage-meets-contemporary vibe of this transitional pool-house bath. Traditional Shaker-style cabinets topped with white marble team up with contemporary faucets, frameless mirrors, and a frameless glass shower without missing a beat. Our favorite touch? Of course it’s the angular Royce pulls by Jeffrey Alexander from Hardware Resources that attach contemporary style to the cabinet doors and drawer fronts. Those gleaming streaks of polished chrome brighten the matte-finish grey cabinetry without jarring the serene neutral palette.

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Interior design by Jessica Connor Design & Interiors
Image by Jessica Conner
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Harlow knobs from Jeffrey Alexander
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Harlow glass sphere cabinet knob from Jeffrey Alexander in Brushed Oil Rubbed Bronze finish

What kind of interior design style would you attach to this beautiful powder room from Jessica Connor Design & Interiors? The room features white-painted Shaker-style cabinetry and traditional antiqued-brass finishes on the mirror’s frame, as well as plumbing fixtures. But the slab-style drawer front, asymmetrical white sconce, and Harlow knobs from Hardware Resources suggest that traditional style has met its contemporary match. The dynamic geode-pattern wallpaper is a showstopper, adding verve to every other component in the room. What do you think? Is it transitional? Contemporary? Traditional? Something else? Why?

Please jump in on this discussion and upload a transitional bathroom here. Tell us about the cabinetry, materials, fixtures, and accessories you chose to create this particular style.

  1. Regarding the bathroom with the geode wallpaper: I don’t think you can call it transitional, although it is beautiful. According to the adjectives you’ve used up above, a transitional room should be “clean, soothing, and cohesive.” That wallpaper pattern is pretty striking, so the design doesn’t read as soothing in my opinion, anyway). Maybe eclectic would be a better word? Does anyone disagree?

  2. Could you please tell me the specific brand/name of the geode-pattern wallpaper? It is stunning!

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