2022 Bathroom Trends from Decorilla for the Perfect Bathroom and Shower

It’s “All About the Shower” as the Decorilla piece points out when highlighting the popularity of walk-in showers and wet rooms. First, a few definitions:

• Walk-in shower: A walk-in shower has no swinging or rolling door panel. Instead, the entrance is left completely open. Glass and/or tiled walls are present, but one section of the stall is left unenclosed. Leaks are prevented by the walls as well as proper floor slope and correct placement of the drain and shower spray(s). 
• Wet room: A wet room is a bathroom built to withstand exposure to water. The shower is part of the bathroom rather than a separate compartment, so all walls and floors are covered with tile or another suitable material. A wet room might have no barrier between the shower and surrounding space or a single piece of glass in the form of a fixed or hinged shower screen.

Why are these layouts popular in 2022? For one thing, many homeowners want to create spaces that reflect universal design principals. Shower accessibility is a non-issue in a wet room, and walk-in showers can have curb-free entrances to maximize accessibility and reduce trip hazards. Both options also have aesthetic benefits as they will make a room feel larger and create an upscale vibe.

For a long time, a shower head over a bathtub has been the standard fare for most American homes. More recently, the idea of a stand-alone tub paired with a separate glass shower enclosure has risen in popularity. As the Decorilla article notes, the shower and tub are once again being united but in a much more elegant way. Instead of a soaker tub in one part of the bathroom and a shower in another, 2022 will find many home decorators surrounding a free-standing tub with a large glass enclosure that also houses the shower area. This is more space efficient that completely separate areas for showering and bathing, and the look evokes a fancy hotel or resort.

Glass is the dominant material on modern shower enclosures, but some hardware is present as well. In addition, you have the shower head, faucet, towel bars, and other metal fixtures close by. The style and finish you choose for these will impact the overall look of the shower area and bathroom. Decorilla’s piece on 2022 design trends offers two tips for choosing a hardware finish.

• Finishes that pop against the surrounding color scheme are often preferred these days. Not surprisingly then, matte black hardware is a favorite.
• Matching hardware can be preferable to mixed metals in a small bathroom as too much variety can make a compact space feel disjointed or chaotic.

If you’d like more tips for choosing the perfect hardware, check out ABC’s complete guide.

Another trend mentioned in Decorilla’s list is the movement to unify and blend indoor and outdoor living space. Glass exterior walls bring nature into a bathroom’s aesthetic without posing the practical concerns that would come with actually showering outside. While visually stunning, this is sadly only an option for those whose bathrooms look out onto a private outdoor setting. The rest of us need not despair, however, because a skylight brings nature’s beauty and illumination to the bathroom without any privacy issues. Concerned about the safety of an overhead window? Skylights are made of safety glass – either laminated glass (which stays intact even if fractured) or a durable glass alternative such as polycarbonate or acrylic.