Concrete Bathroom Design

Bathroom design is evolving, and concrete is an excellent alternative finish for a modern bathroom design. You can use applied concrete finishes for a concrete bathroom without pouring concrete.

Concrete is a very versatile material. You can make concrete floors, walls, concrete sinks, and countertops. 

I am Jorge Fontan, an architect in New York and owner of Fontan Architecture. I like to use concrete for its durability, modern nature, and unique look. I have even built entire homes out of concrete. We have another blog post if you want to read about Concrete House Design. 

In this post, we will look at a concrete look bathroom we completed a few years ago and discuss some design features of using concrete finishes in a bathroom.

 

Concrete Bathroom Walls

Concrete bathroom walls will create a modern, minimalist look and industrial feel. It can have a smooth texture for greater comfort, especially in the shower. Since a concrete bathroom is generally a very industrial look, you want to consider that aspect for all facets of the design. You can incorporate other modern and industrial design features to complement the concrete textures.

In this bathroom, you can see the smooth concrete texture on the walls. This finish was applied to the existing bathroom walls. The bathroom becomes monochromatic as it only has gray, black, and white throughout. This is a particular look. We have another post on Interior Concrete Finishes if you want to see more ways to use concrete for interiors.

 

Material and Feel

This next photo is a close-up look at the concrete finish bathroom walls. They have a bit of texture but not too much, as you would want to avoid excessively rough textures in a bathroom.

 

Concrete Shower 

This shower is unique and modern, with concrete walls and floor. The bathroom only has a few materials, with concrete being the primary. As you can see in the concrete shower below, concrete can be very modern and textured but still minimalistic.

This bathroom has no grout line since we did not use any tiles. It is one continuous surface. The monolithic nature of the material makes this bathroom really special.

We used a dark gray uniform material for this bathroom. You can include additives in the material to make colors and different shades. Also, we have another blog post if you want to read more about Gray Bathrooms.

 

Concrete Bathroom Floor

If you make a concrete floor in a bathroom, you want it to be smooth enough to ensure it is comfortable to walk on. There are many details to consider when making a bathroom, especially when doing something a bit less common, like a concrete bathroom.

The picture below shows a close-up look at the concrete bathroom floor. This bathroom has a curbless shower with a continuous floor without a step or curb. We installed a linear drain with a concrete finish top to make it more monolithic. This curbless shower is a very modern detail. The bathroom floors and walls are seamless. We have another post if you would like to read more about Curbless Showers. 

 

Modern and Industrial Details 

We also placed a custom ceiling-mounted towel bar in this bathroom made of black tube metal. The black metal went very well with the bathroom’s concrete look. The most important thing about a bathroom design is that it is designed as one entity. It is best if you make everything work together. Be consistent.

 

Modern Concrete Bathroom Design 

In my opinion, there is only one real reason to make your bathroom with concrete, and that is because it looks awesome. Concrete is a real modern look and gives a high-end custom architectural feel to a bathroom design. The seamless nature of the concrete is a significant factor in its modern and minimalist look that sets concrete bathrooms apart from other bathroom designs.

We have another blog post you can check out filled with Bathroom Design Ideas for all different types of bathrooms.

 

Concrete and Wood

Concrete and wood are a good combination where you can have fun with creative freedom. The picture below is of the door to this bathroom. An orange-stained wood door pops out and brings life to this concrete apartment.

 

Industrial Hardware and Accessories

You can easily compliment your concrete walls and floors with industrial hardware and accessories.

 

Concrete Textures

Concrete finishes can be applied with different texture types, from smooth to rough. In a bathroom, you may want it to be more smooth, but you can make it however you like if it is a manually applied concrete finish.

The picture below is not of a bathroom but shows a very textured concrete wall finish in the living room of the same home.

Concrete Look Porcelain Tile 

Porcelain is an excellent alternative to the actual applied concrete finish. There are porcelain tiles made to look like concrete. There is a wide variety of colors, textures, and sizes. The larger the pieces, the more realistic they will look.

The picture below shows a bathroom we designed in a Chelsea Loft in NYC. These are porcelain tiles with a gray concrete weathered look. These tiles are from Porcelanosa.

 

Concrete Bathroom Designs

A concrete bathroom is an excellent option for a modern and unique design with an industrial look. Good design is consistent, and the entire bathroom should be designed as one coherent space. All details need to be meticulously thought out.

 

Contact Fontan Architecture