Design Ideas for Beadboard in the Bathroom (2024)

Room Design

Bathroom Design

Add Depth With This Elongated Wood Paneling

• 01 of 20

  Configure Horizontal Beadboard

  

  This cozy cottage bathroom by Seth Benn Photo features an unexpected twist to the beadboard theme: horizontal installation. Although beadboard is usually installed vertically, you can always break the mold. The horizontal effect draws you into the space and balances its depth. It's like walking into an old cedar closet.

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• 02 of 20

  Embrace a Monochromatic Beadboard Look

  

  In a monochromatic bathroom, you can use beadboard to create slight contrast with thewall color. This cozy bathroom by Jessica Helgerson Interior Designshows you exactly how to do it. The light gray of the beadboard and mirror frame contrast the paler wall for a chic effect. After all, there are many shades of neutrals.

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  See Also

  30 Board and Batten Bathroom Designs to Elevate Your SpaceHow to Create a Design Board (the Easy Way!)How to Make a Mood Board to Design Your Room (With Free Template)

• 03 of 20

  Pick Beachy Beadboard

  

  The beadboard in this beach-style bathroom by Courtney Blanton Interiors is pretty typical. But what makes this space special is the combination of a beadboard wall and a mosaic tile floor. The two together avoid a cookie-cutter feel and add lots of personality. It's a cozy-yet-fun space that isn't afraid to play with textures.

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• 04 of 20

  Add Just a Touch of Beadboard

  

  Although the yellow-striped wallpaper in this beach housebathroom by Phoebe Howard looks like beadboard, it isn't. The beadboard here is used as an accessory on the vanity doors. It's a clever use of the beadboard look, without having to install it all over thewalls. It also adds a sense of height to this mostly white vanity.

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• 05 of 20

  Infuse a Fully Farmhouse Beadboard Style

  

  If you have low ceilings, beadboard can make a room look taller by drawing the eye up. For example, this small farmhouse powder roomby Farmhouse 5540is greatly enhanced by the white beadboard that goes all the way up to the original wood-beam ceiling. The large, decorative mirror is another great touch to make the room feel bigger.

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• 06 of 20

  Incorporate Beadboard at Varying Heights

  

  This primary bathroom by Taste Design shows how to use beadboard at different heights to add movement to a large space. The wall treatment is stacked at three different levels: under the large window, halfway up the wall just before the corner, and above the large vanity. Don't be afraid to play with heights. It can make your space feel more playful.

  About This Term: Primary Bathroom

  Many real estate associations, including the National Association of Home Builders, have classified the term "Master Bedroom" (or "Master Bathroom") as discriminatory. "Primary Bedroom" is the name now widely used among the real estate community and better reflects the purpose of the room.

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• 07 of 20

  Test Out Dark and Defined Beadboard

  

  You don't have to add beadboard to every wall. You also can use it to define a small area within a larger space like this stunning bathroom by Kristin Petro Interiors. The black beadboard contrasts with the neutral light shade of the wall and sets apartthe area where towels hang.

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• 08 of 20

  Apply It to a Powder Room

  

  "Cute" is the word for this powder roomby Stacey Michaud. The neutral gray and white with a dash of yellow creates a small space with a lot of personality. The beadboard here is used in a pretty traditional way, about halfway up the wall. But it does have the effect of framing the beautiful pedestal sink and toilet and leaving the mirror and shelves to shine by themselves.

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• 09 of 20

  Install Almost All-Over Beadboard

  

  In this traditional primary bathroom by Andrea May, beadboard stretches almostall the way up the walls. There's just a small band of color between the edge of the wall beadboard and the ceiling, which is also covered in beadboard. This draws they eyes up giving the illusion of a higher ceiling. Also, the top edge of the painting to the right is higher than the edge of the beadboard, a trick that gives more importance to the space.

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• 10 of 20

  Combine Black and White

  

  Black and whiteis a bold choicein bathrooms, and beadboard can work well to create this contrast. This cottage bathroom design by Bella Manciniuses beadboard as the bottom white half, installed against the black wall color. Instead of flat white paint, the beadboard offers some interesting texture, which gives the space movement.

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• 11 of 20

  Try Levels of Beadboard

  

  This elegant primary bathroom by Tom Stringer Design Partners features a two-level beadboard wall. The levels of beadboard add depth and help to frame all of the different elements of this bathroom, especially the eye-catchingvanity space. Any elementthat touches the floor stays on the lower beadboard level, while the mirrors and light fixtures are on top. It's a great way to break up a large space to make it feel more intimate.

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• 12 of 20

  Opt for Minimalism

  

  Take a hint from this minimalist attic bathroom by JAS Design Build: Beadboard is an excellent solution to minimize low ceilings. This space would feel oppressively small if it weren't for the heightening properties of the narrow beadboard. Adding it along the drop-in tub gives the space a sense of harmony and continuity, the essential elements of minimalist style.

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• 13 of 20

  Go for Grounded and Green

  

  The light sage green on the walls of this bathroom feel serene and soothing while the white beadboard gives a little farmhouse flair. More muted tones can occasionally overwhelm a room or make it feel blah, so a bright shade of white in the form of small wooden panels uplifts and adds texture.

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• 14 of 20

  Play with Colorful Beadboard

  

  The most typical hue seen in beadboard paneling is white, but choosing a more powerful pop of color is never bad idea. This bold blue shade breaks up the monochromatic feel that this bathroom would have otherwise. It's a deep tone that adds extra personality and frames the sink area, too.

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• 15 of 20

  Go for Subtle Paneling

  

  Like white paint, this bathroom paneling blends into the background, serving as a canvas for the rest of the accents and fixtures to stand out from. But because it has the slight indentations and texture, it gives more to the bathroom than two-dimensional paint could. Though beadboard and paneling feel very farmhouse and vintage, this particular powder room exudes a fresh, modern feel.

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• 16 of 20

  Draw the Eye Upward

  

  In tight spaces, visual illusions can be helpful. This petite powder room shows how vertical panels of beadboard can draw the eye up and make the space appear taller. The wallpaper above it only furthers the look of a tall ceiling and provides a unique, stylish twist that's not seen in every bathroom.

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• 17 of 20

  Mix Beadboard and Tile

  

  Paint, tile, wallpaper, or beadboard? It's a tough decision, but one you don't really have to make either. Bathrooms can blend two or more styles with ease, as seen here. Pretty oyster-colored tiles coat one part of the wall while beadboard paneling takes up another section. It's a great spectrum of colors and textures done in one space.

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• 18 of 20

  Blend a Variety of Paneling Types

  

  There's a nice assortment of paneling styles and options out there, and mixing one or two can work wonders. Peeking into this bathroom, it's easy to see a continuation of thick horizontal paneling from the bedroom into this space and the addition of beadboard on the ceiling. Play around with different combinations to create different styles—whether it's a cozy cabin look you're after or a modern farmhouse end result.

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• 19 of 20

  Put Beadboard on the Ceiling

  

  As this bathroom—and the last one—show, paneling isn't just reserved for the surrounding walls. The ceiling (aka the fifth wall) is prime property for incorporating some kind of beadboard or paneling layout. This is perfect for spaces that may already have a distinct style in place but need extra texture or want to spice up what's above.

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• 20 of 20

  Create Playful Color Palettes With Beadboard

  

  Full of muted pastel colors, this bathroom shows just how useful beadboard can be when you stray from classic white. The powder blue beadboard perfectly complements the light pink walls. Patterned tile and gold accents finish off the space and although it's still clean and minimal, it has more pizzazz than a monochromatic bathroom.