Hudson Tiles Blog: 28 Rustic Bathroom Ideas

Use our rustic bathroom decor ideas to make over your bathroom with a relaxed flea-market feel and a rough-hewn theme.

Inherent Simplicity

It comes down to an inherent simplicity, which perhaps explains why blue and white inhabit so many decorating icons: Think spatterware and spongeware; Blue Willow china and Wedgwood. And we never tire of the fabrics, from elegant toile de Jouy to crisp ticking to humble flour-sack stripes.

Antique Details Add Distinction

An absence of built-in cabinetry carries the theme of Old World charm into the bathroom. For storage, an armoire fronted with chicken wire lets contents breathe — a big plus in a humid room. A small sterling-silver Edwardian purse dangles from the door handle.

Antique Touches

A new master bathroom looks original, thanks to its apron-front sink with toile skirt; old record cabinets provide storage.

Copper Tub

Homeowners found the gleaming copper tub in the master bath on eBay.

Industrial Bathroom

For quick and easy installation, try sheets of smaller tiles, like these two-inch tiles, found here in one-foot square sheets. Exposed chimney bricks act as foils for the coolness of the color scheme and the sleekness of the metal furniture.

Vintage Revival

Subtle touches of pink soften a black-and-white vintage bath.

Vintage Touches

Materials of various pedigrees, such as a gilded mirror frame and an old, oxidized faucet, harmonize nicely.

Bathroom Display Shelf

Add shelving to your powder room to hold pretty toiletries. Remove the back of an old wine crate or wooden box. Make shelves to fit inside the box, then add a bit of glamour by fastening a gilded frame onto the front of the unit. For an antique finish, spray-paint with Krylon Crystal Color.

Vintage-Style Renovation

A new renovation is personalized with vintage touches. Here, new beadboard and honeycomb tile update the space, while bits of old Italian sconces, salvaged shelves, and a barber-shop cabinet give it character.

Slipper Tub

The slipper tub and chandelier add touches of luxury in the master bath.

Shaving Bowl

An old shaving bowl from Homer Laughlin was set into a barley table to form a sink in the downstairs bathroom; the plumbing is hidden by a table skirt made from heirloom linens.

Save with Salvage

The salvaged pedestal sink was a lucky find at an antiques shop in town — and a bargain at $75. It provided the ideal partner to the home's original tub. Pedestal sinks are in abundance, but quality varies. Expect to pay from $60 to as much as $2,000 for a pristine vintage example.

Shop Smart

This sink was made even more attractive by its original working faucets with porcelain knobs. To source them after purchase would have been difficult, time-consuming, and costly.

Gray Bathroom

Limestone counters are inset with porcelain sinks and crowned with vintage mirrors. Old metal egg and fishing baskets stow towels.

Look for vintage mirrors and metal baskets on ebay.com.

Architectural Details

The rough-hewn wall of this 1825 house was left exposed, to reference the home's history. Placing a vintage footed tub in front of the wall makes it a focal point. Painted floorboards and old-fashioned brass floor-mounted plumbing (try California Faucets) complete the authentic feeling.

Shower Tiles

If your tile is fine but the grout is discolored or damaged, regrout the area. Keep in mind that if tile is bulging or leaking, there may be more serious problems underneath. In this case, consult a contractor. You may need to replace the tile.

Tips on Cast Iron Tubs

Cast-iron reproduction tubs look authentically old-fashioned, and you can usually paint the exterior to match your bath's decor. Expect prices to run up to several thousand dollars. Cast-iron tubs can weigh nearly 1,000 pounds when filled with water, so before you buy, consult a contractor experienced in installing this type of tub to make sure that your floor can support the weight.

Bold Blue

Here the nautical palette is reversed: The walls become a bold blue while the fixtures and shower curtain remain white. A dark wall color is easier to handle in the bath, since time spent here is brief.

Window Treatments

For a neutral guest bathroom, draping a cotton scarf and tea towel over a curtain rod makes an informal window treatment.

Tumbled-Stone Tiles

Eight-inch-square tumbled-stone tiles cover the floor and shower stall. To get the same effect without the expense and maintenance required in caring for real stone, consider look-alike ceramic tiles, many of which are manufactured in Italy.

Flea Market Finds

Painted metal letters from a flea market send a sweet message.

Crochet Trim Bathroom

Contrasting backgrounds make it easier to appreciate a trim's detailed filigree. Here, three different white trims are stitched in stripes on top of blue, a theme that is picked up, in reverse, on the towels. A plain white bath mat looks smart with green and blue border trims, mitered at their corners.

Furnished Bath

Real furniture gives you many more options than a typical vanity. This spacious master bath is furnished with a graceful bureau-turned-double-vanity, an elegant mirror, and a foyer-worthy chandelier and sconces.

Patchwork Tile

A highly practical surface of the bath, tile adds color, pattern, and texture in hundreds of beautiful ways. Like a patchwork quilt, remainder, sample, and sale tiles were "patched" together to cover the walls of a shower stall for an affordable route to a knockout custom look.

Stained Glass Windows

The stained glass window came from the homeowner's previous house and provides both privacy and a dash of color.

Rustic Bathroom

Natural wood, rugged plaster walls, and antique furnishings adapted for the bath conjure the ambience of a Tuscan farmhouse and also offer a way to minimize the appearance of fixtures.

Radiant Light

"The room gets amazing light throughout the day," notes the owners, who feel the white and soft gray palette makes it even more radiant. To reinforce the country theme, natural elements, such as fern wall art and a wood table, were added.