Bathroom Design Ideas with a Japanese Tub

The bathroom has light streaming in from 3 sides, and a feeling of spaciousness in a small footprint. Dusky red mosaic tiles reference the use of pink elsewhere in the house.

From what was once a humble early 90’s decor space, the contrast that has occurred in this ensuite is vast. On return from a holiday in Japan, our clients desired the same bath house cultural experience, that is known to the land of onsens, for their own ensuite. The transition in this space is truly exceptional, with the new layout all designed within the same four walls, still maintaining a vanity, shower, bath and toilet. Our designer, Eugene Lombard put much careful consideration into the fittings and finishes to ensure all the elements were pulled together beautifully. The wet room setting is enhanced by a bench seat which allows the user a moment of transition between the shower and hot, deep soaker style bath. The owners now wake up to a captivating “day-spa like experience” that most would aspire to on a holiday, let alone an everyday occasion. Key features like the underfloor heating in the entrance are added appeal to beautiful large format tiles along with the wood grain finishes which add a sense of warmth and balance to the room.

My client wanted to keep a tub, but I had no room for a standard tub, so we gave him a Japanese style tub which he LOVES. I get a lot of questions on this bathroom so here are some more details... Bathroom size: 8x10 Wall color: Sherwin Williams 6252 Ice Cube Tub: Americh Beverly 40x40x32 both jetted and airbath

Photo of a large midcentury master bathroom in Minneapolis with flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, a japanese tub, a corner shower, a two-piece toilet, blue tile, porcelain tile, white walls, porcelain floors, an undermount sink, quartzite benchtops, grey floor, a hinged shower door, white benchtops, an enclosed toilet, a double vanity and a freestanding vanity.

Our clients house was built in 2012, so it was not that outdated, it was just dark. The clients wanted to lighten the kitchen and create something that was their own, using more unique products. The master bath needed to be updated and they wanted the upstairs game room to be more functional for their family. The original kitchen was very dark and all brown. The cabinets were stained dark brown, the countertops were a dark brown and black granite, with a beige backsplash. We kept the dark cabinets but lightened everything else. A new translucent frosted glass pantry door was installed to soften the feel of the kitchen. The main architecture in the kitchen stayed the same but the clients wanted to change the coffee bar into a wine bar, so we removed the upper cabinet door above a small cabinet and installed two X-style wine storage shelves instead. An undermount farm sink was installed with a 23” tall main faucet for more functionality. We replaced the chandelier over the island with a beautiful Arhaus Poppy large antique brass chandelier. Two new pendants were installed over the sink from West Elm with a much more modern feel than before, not to mention much brighter. The once dark backsplash was now a bright ocean honed marble mosaic 2”x4” a top the QM Calacatta Miel quartz countertops. We installed undercabinet lighting and added over-cabinet LED tape strip lighting to add even more light into the kitchen. We basically gutted the Master bathroom and started from scratch. We demoed the shower walls, ceiling over tub/shower, demoed the countertops, plumbing fixtures, shutters over the tub and the wall tile and flooring. We reframed the vaulted ceiling over the shower and added an access panel in the water closet for a digital shower valve. A raised platform was added under the tub/shower for a shower slope to existing drain. The shower floor was Carrara Herringbone tile, accented with Bianco Venatino Honed marble and Metro White glossy ceramic 4”x16” tile on the walls. We then added a bench and a Kohler 8” rain showerhead to finish off the shower. The walk-in shower was sectioned off with a frameless clear anti-spot treated glass. The tub was not important to the clients, although they wanted to keep one for resale value. A Japanese soaker tub was installed, which the kids love! To finish off the master bath, the walls were painted with SW Agreeable Gray and the existing cabinets were painted SW Mega Greige for an updated look. Four Pottery Barn Mercer wall sconces were added between the new beautiful Distressed Silver leaf mirrors instead of the three existing over-mirror vanity bars that were originally there. QM Calacatta Miel countertops were installed which definitely brightened up the room! Originally, the upstairs game room had nothing but a built-in bar in one corner. The clients wanted this to be more of a media room but still wanted to have a kitchenette upstairs. We had to remove the original plumbing and electrical and move it to where the new cabinets were. We installed 16’ of cabinets between the windows on one wall. Plank and Mill reclaimed barn wood plank veneers were used on the accent wall in between the cabinets as a backing for the wall mounted TV above the QM Calacatta Miel countertops. A kitchenette was installed to one end, housing a sink and a beverage fridge, so the clients can still have the best of both worlds. LED tape lighting was added above the cabinets for additional lighting. The clients love their updated rooms and feel that house really works for their family now. Design/Remodel by Hatfield Builders & Remodelers | Photography by Versatile Imaging

Tim Griffth
Inspiration for a small modern bathroom in San Francisco with a japanese tub, medium hardwood floors, a curbless shower and a console sink.

The renovation of this Queen Anne Hill Spanish bungalow was an extreme transformation into contemporary and tranquil retreat. Photography by John Granen.

Photo of a mid-sized contemporary master wet room bathroom in New York with flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, a japanese tub, a one-piece toilet, white walls, concrete floors, an integrated sink, solid surface benchtops, grey floor and an open shower.

Down-to-studs remodel and second floor addition. The original house was a simple plain ranch house with a layout that didn’t function well for the family. We changed the house to a contemporary Mediterranean with an eclectic mix of details. Space was limited by City Planning requirements so an important aspect of the design was to optimize every bit of space, both inside and outside. The living space extends out to functional places in the back and front yards: a private shaded back yard and a sunny seating area in the front yard off the kitchen where neighbors can easily mingle with the family. A Japanese bath off the master bedroom upstairs overlooks a private roof deck which is screened from neighbors’ views by a trellis with plants growing from planter boxes and with lanterns hanging from a trellis above. Photography by Kurt Manley. https://saikleyarchitects.com/portfolio/modern-mediterranean/

Zen Master Bath
Photo of a mid-sized asian master bathroom in DC Metro with flat-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, a japanese tub, a corner shower, a one-piece toilet, green tile, porcelain tile, green walls, porcelain floors, a vessel sink, engineered quartz benchtops, brown floor and a hinged shower door.

Brad Peebles
Photo of a mid-sized asian master bathroom in Hawaii with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, granite benchtops, a japanese tub, a corner shower, beige tile, porcelain tile, beige walls and porcelain floors.

Inspiration for a contemporary master bathroom in Perth with flat-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, a japanese tub, an open shower, gray tile, brown walls, a vessel sink, grey floor and an open shower.

The homeowners' dreamed of an Ofuro style soaking tub. We worked together to make that a reality. Our employees custom milled a surround of Ofuro cedar for the soaking tub. The steps are removable for cleaning and to lessen the occurrence of trapped moisture. The tiled shower is sloped towards a curtain drain. The shower boasts a tiled bench, niche and wand with a rain shower head.

Japanese Hinoki Ofuro Tub in wet area combined with shower, hidden shower drain with pebble shower floor, travertine tile with brushed nickel fixtures. Atlanta Bathroom

Upon moving to a new home, this couple chose to convert two small guest baths into one large luxurious space including a Japanese soaking tub and custom glass shower with rainfall spout. Two floating vanities in a walnut finish topped with composite countertops and integrated sinks flank each wall. Due to the pitched walls, Barbara worked with both an industrial designer and mirror manufacturer to design special clips to mount the vanity mirrors, creating a unique and modern solution in a challenging space. The mix of travertine floor tiles with glossy cream wainscotting tiles creates a warm and inviting feel in this bathroom. Glass fronted shelving built into the eaves offers extra storage for towels and accessories. A oil-rubbed bronze finish lantern hangs from the dramatic ceiling while matching finish sconces add task lighting to the vanity areas. This project was featured in Boston Magazine Home Design section entitiled "Spaces: Bathing Beauty" in the March 2018 issue. Click here for a link to the article: ​ https://www.bostonmagazine.com/property/2018/03/27/elza-b-design-bathroom-transformation/ Photography: Jared Kuzia

Zen bathroom in Brentwood, Ca. with a Japanese soaking tub.
Inspiration for a contemporary bathroom in Los Angeles with a japanese tub, a vessel sink, pebble tile floors and an enclosed toilet.

From the mis-matched cabinetry, to the floral wallpaper border, to the hot air balloon accent tiles, the former state of this master bathroom held no relationship to its laid-back bachelor owner. Inspired by his travels, his stays at luxury hotel suites and longing for zen appeal, the homeowner called in designer Rachel Peterson of Simply Baths, Inc. to help him overhaul the room. Removing walls to open up the space and adding a calming neutral grey palette left the space uninterrupted, modern and fresh. To make better use of this 9x9 bathroom, the walk-in shower and Japanese soaking tub share the same space & create the perfect opportunity for a textured, tiled accent wall. Meanwhile, the custom concrete sink offers just the right amount of industrial edge. The end result is a better compliment to the homeowner and his lifestyle & gives the term "man cave" a whole new meaning.

Japanese Hinoki Ofuro Tub in wet area combined with shower, hidden shower drain with pebble shower floor, travertine tile with brushed nickel fixtures. Atlanta Bathroom

220 Cottonwood has exquisite custom-laid tile, that was painstakingly placed to bring together natural elements such as riverstone and travertine with more modern touches, creating a very comfortable and approachable master bath.

This image features a Japanese soaking tub, or "ofuro." Ofuro tubs are deeper in comparison to the western bathtub, with sides that are square rather than sloped or rounded. The lights are compact fluorescent, and all of the wood paneling is Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) certified. The countertop is recycled quartz.