For most of history, the bathroom was not a room at all. People washed in their bedrooms, from porcelain jugs and basins set on marble-topped washstands, and baths were tin tubs carried in front of the fire. When Victorian houses began to add dedicated bathrooms in the late nineteenth century, they treated them like any other room, and the first bathroom remodel in many homes looked more like a parlor: with wallpaper, rugs, paintings, and furniture.
Somewhere along the way, that idea was lost. Bathrooms became white, tiled, and clinical, designed to be cleaned rather than enjoyed. A bathroom remodel today is a chance to bring the old idea back, and to make the bathroom a room you actually want to spend time in.
The bathroom remodel ideas below show how. Each one is built around a single decision, from the tub and the vanity to the sink, the walls, the lighting, and the storage. Together they prove that a bathroom can have as much heritage character as any room in the house.
What Gives a Bathroom Heritage Character
Before you plan your bathroom remodel, it helps to know which elements carry the most character:
- A freestanding tub. A clawfoot or slipper tub instantly gives a bathroom a sense of history.
- Furniture instead of cabinets. Antique tables, washstands, and skirted vanities feel collected rather than built-in.
- Natural stone. Marble and carved stone age beautifully and bring weight and warmth.
- Warm brass. Unlacquered brass taps and fittings develop a patina over time.
- Art, rugs, and color. Portraits, Persian rugs, and painted walls turn a bathroom into a room.
1. Make a Clawfoot Tub the Heart of Your Bathroom Remodel
The clawfoot tub arrived in the late nineteenth century, when cast iron made it possible to build a bath that could stand on its own. Its feet, often shaped like the claws of a lion or eagle gripping a ball, were borrowed from the furniture of the time. More than a century later, it is still the single most powerful way to give a bathroom remodel heritage character.
In this bathroom remodel, a clawfoot tub painted soft sage stands on gilded feet in front of a tall window dressed with a bamboo blind and sea-green linen curtains. A crystal chandelier hangs above it, and brass taps with a hand shower rise from the floor. A pink floral towel hangs over the rim, a needlepoint stool sits beside it, and a gallery of gilt-framed floral paintings and a small portrait line the walls. A Persian rug, a tall potted tree, and a trailing plant soften the room.
In a second bathroom, a white clawfoot with brass feet sits beneath sage green walls covered in portraits, beside a checkerboard marble floor and a brass bath rack.
To bring it home: Paint the outside of a clawfoot tub in a soft color, and pair it with floor-mounted brass taps for a true freestanding look.
2. Choose a Slipper Tub as the Centerpiece
A slipper tub rises higher at one end, so you can lean back comfortably while bathing. It has a quieter, more sculptural shape than the clawfoot, and it suits a larger bathroom remodel where it can stand in the middle of the room.
In this London-style bathroom, a white slipper tub sits before a tall sash window looking out to brick townhouses, framed by floor-length damask curtains. A glass globe pendant on a brass chain hangs overhead. An antique chest of drawers, a carved chair with a fringed throw, a small wooden stool with a bar of soap, and a faded floral rug make it feel like a sitting room that happens to have a bath.
Another slipper tub stands in a room paneled in bright chartreuse, beneath a crystal chandelier and a large painting of lilac blossoms, flanked by arched mirrors and candle sconces, with a lilac rug and a brass towel rail.
To bring it home: Place a slipper tub in the center of the room, not against a wall, and treat the rest of the space like a living room, with a chair, a rug, and art.
3. Wrap the Tub in Marble
Marble has lined baths since ancient Rome, and nothing gives a built-in tub more permanence. Pink and rose marbles, with their deep veining, add warmth that white marble cannot.
This bathroom remodel wraps the tub in pink marble with dark veins, carried up the walls as a deep wainscot. Brass taps with a hand shower sit at one end, and a dark vase of branches stands on the ledge beneath an oil portrait of a woman in a pale gown. Across the room, an olive green vanity topped with the same pink marble faces tall windows dressed in silk curtains. A fringed rust velvet chair, a mirror-paneled door, and a long Persian runner complete the room.
To bring it home: Use the same marble on the tub surround and the vanity top, so the bathroom feels unified and intentional.
4. Turn an Antique Table into a Bathroom Vanity
One of the simplest ways to give a new bathroom remodel an old soul is to replace the standard vanity cabinet with a piece of antique furniture.
Here, a dark carved wooden table with turned legs has been topped with white marble and fitted with a white vessel sink and wall-mounted chrome taps. The walls are covered in a dramatic wallpaper of teal and ochre, beneath an ornate stucco cornice. An arched brass mirror reflects the paneled door, framed etchings of churches and portraits hang around it, and a fern, a small stool, and a Persian rug soften the room.
An antique bathroom vanity like this one is also practical: the open space beneath it makes even a small bathroom feel larger.
To bring it home: Look for an antique table or console at an estate sale, have a stone top cut to fit, and pair it with a vessel sink and wall-mounted taps.
5. Stand a Marble Washstand on Brass Legs
Before plumbing, every bedroom had a washstand, a marble-topped table that held a jug and basin. A console sink on brass legs is its modern descendant, and it brings that same Victorian elegance to a powder room.
In this powder room bathroom remodel, the washstand is carved from dramatic purple and white marble, set on slender brass legs. Brass taps, a gilt pitcher of deep red peonies, and a small brass dish sit on top. Behind it, the walls are painted deep forest green, and an ornate gilt mirror is flanked by brass candle sconces with red pleated shades. A gallery of portraits and a floral still life in gilt frames hang beside it, above a black and white star-patterned tile floor.
To bring it home: In a dark powder room, choose a sink with dramatic veining, and let warm sconces make the marble glow.
6. Soften the Vanity with a Fabric Skirt
Skirted sinks were a favorite of early twentieth-century English country houses, where a gathered fabric curtain hid the plumbing and made the bathroom feel like a dressing room. It is one of the most budget-friendly ideas in any bathroom remodel.
This bathroom vanity is wrapped in a soft sage green skirt, gathered beneath a white marble top. Above it, an arched gilt mirror is flanked by brass sconces with white shades. Pale pink peonies in a green glass vase, a collection of glass apothecary bottles, and a pink embroidered towel complete the counter. A bamboo towel stand, a needlepoint stool, a checkerboard floor, and a Persian rug give the room a relaxed, collected charm.
To bring it home: Add a gathered linen skirt to a simple sink. It is one of the easiest and least expensive ways to transform a bathroom.
7. Dress a Marble Bathroom in Velvet
For a more glamorous version of the skirted sink, velvet adds richness and depth, especially against cool marble.
In this marble bathroom remodel, a long vanity is skirted in coral velvet, gathered and held by brass rosettes and tassels. Above it, gilt sconces with pleated shades flank an ornate gilt mirror, and a column of framed fashion illustrations hangs beside it. Perfume bottles on a brass tray, pink peonies, and a small framed portrait sit on the green-veined marble counter. Nearby, a marble tub with brass taps sits beneath a grid of six fashion prints and a swagged, tasseled curtain.
In a third room, a purple velvet skirt wraps a vanity in gray marble, beside an antique chest and a striped black and white runner.
To bring it home: Choose one velvet color for the skirt, and repeat it in a towel, a rug, or a stool cushion.
8. Go Bold with a Lacquered Bathroom Vanity
A glossy lacquered vanity is the opposite of the antique washstand, but in an old room, it creates a striking contrast that makes a bathroom remodel feel completely modern.
In this Berlin Altbau bathroom, a vanity lacquered in deep emerald green stretches beneath walls painted a vivid raspberry pink. A dark stone vessel sink sits on top, fed by wall-mounted nickel taps. Above it, a distressed antique mirror is flanked by glass hurricane sconces, and a gallery of old portraits in gilt and dark frames climbs toward the stucco ceiling. A small shelf of pottery and trailing ivy, a tall frosted window, and dark stone floors complete the room.
In a second bathroom, a magenta lacquered vanity with a concrete sink stands against navy walls hung with figure drawings, beneath an ornate stucco cornice.
To bring it home: Pair a lacquered vanity with a contrasting wall color, such as green with pink or magenta with navy, for maximum impact.
9. Carve the Bathroom Sink from Stone
Stone sinks are among the oldest in the world, carved from a single block for centuries in kitchens, monasteries, and farmhouses. Today, a rough-cut stone bathroom sink brings that same sense of age into a modern bathroom remodel.
Here, a long trough sink carved from pale limestone, its edges left rough, is mounted on a stone pedestal against a limestone wainscot. Above it, the walls are painted a deep brick red. An ornate gilt mirror is flanked by ribbed glass sconces, and a gallery of abstract prints and a dark portrait surrounds it. A paper lantern lamp, a fern in a stone pot, and a black and white tile floor complete the room.
Elsewhere, a round travertine vessel sink sits on a concrete counter beneath a distressed antique mirror and small framed artworks on an olive plaster wall.
To bring it home: Choose a stone sink with a natural, imperfect edge, and pair it with brass or nickel wall-mounted taps.
10. Paint the Walls a Deep, Moody Color
Small bathrooms are often painted white to make them feel larger, but in a bathroom remodel, a dark color can make a small room feel cozy, intimate, and much more memorable.
This powder room is painted a deep plum. A sage green painted cabinet holds a marbled stone vessel sink, with a wall-mounted chrome tap above it. An ornate carved mirror hangs beside a gallery of old photographs, drawings, and a small etching, while a modern box sconce casts light upward. A frosted window lets in soft daylight, a fern sits on the sill, and herringbone parquet with an inlaid border runs underfoot.
To bring it home: Paint a small bathroom in a deep, rich color, then hang gilt frames and an ornate mirror to catch the light.
11. Wallpaper the Ceiling
The ceiling is the most overlooked surface in a bathroom remodel, and in a small powder room, it is often the most dramatic place for pattern.
In this powder room, the walls are painted deep peacock blue, and the ceiling is covered in a golden wallpaper of peonies and leaves. A black lacquered cornice separates the two. An ornate gilt mirror reflects the ceiling, and a pair of gilt sconces with red brocade shades and long glass bead fringe glow on either side. Small gilt-framed portraits hang on the walls, and a white marble vanity holds brass taps, an amber soap bottle, and a brass pitcher of deep red dahlias.
To bring it home: Paint the walls a solid deep color and save the pattern for the ceiling, so the room feels enveloping without being busy.
12. Frame the Mirrors with Bathroom Light Fixtures
Lighting can make or break a bathroom remodel. Sconces mounted on either side of a mirror cast even light on the face, while a chandelier adds atmosphere to the whole room.
This grand bathroom remodel is clad in pink and cream marble, with an olive green double vanity topped in the same stone. Brass sconces with pleated white shades flank the mirrors, and a gilt chandelier hangs above the bath. Gilt-framed oil paintings, including a still life of roses and a portrait of a woman seen from behind, hang on the marble walls. A deep red bouquet, a built-in marble tub beneath a striped Roman shade, and a Persian rug complete the room.
Among bathroom light fixtures, a pair of pleated-shade sconces is the most flattering choice for a vanity.
To bring it home: Mount sconces at roughly eye level on both sides of each mirror, and add one decorative fixture overhead for evening atmosphere.
13. Store and Display in an Antique Cabinet
Built-in medicine cabinets hide everything. An antique display cabinet does the opposite, turning everyday bottles and towels into a collection, and it is an easy upgrade to add to any bathroom remodel.
Here, a mirrored and glass-fronted antique cabinet with gilt details stands against walls painted a soft blush pink. Its shelves hold perfume bottles, glass jars, and pink roses, while the mirrors inside reflect the room. On top, a fern in a stone pot, an etching of a grand building, a pink pleated lamp, and small dark bottles complete the display. Embroidered pink towels hang on a brass rail beside the tub, and a Persian rug sits on a white penny tile floor.
To bring it home: Replace a built-in cabinet with a freestanding antique piece, and display your prettiest bottles and towels behind its glass doors.
More on Maximalism
Hallway Styling Ideas from a Berlin Altbau Apartment
Tudor Style House: Colorful Eclectic Bedroom Furniture & Decor
9 European Heritage Bedroom Furniture Ideas for Maximalists
Light Fixtures for a Colorful Eclectic Tudor Style House
Planning a Bathroom Remodel with Heritage Character
If you are planning bathroom remodeling of your own, these are the decisions that matter most:
- Start with the tub. A clawfoot, slipper, or marble-wrapped tub sets the tone for the whole room.
- Think furniture, not cabinets. An antique table, washstand, or skirted sink makes the bathroom vanity feel collected.
- Invest in stone. Marble, limestone, and travertine age gracefully and add warmth.
- Choose warm metals. Brass and nickel taps feel classic and develop character over time.
- Light it in layers. Sconces at the mirror and a decorative fixture overhead.
- Decorate it like a room. Art, rugs, flowers, and color make a bathroom feel lived in.
Where to Find Bathroom Pieces with Heritage Character
A heritage bathroom remodel mixes new fixtures with antique and vintage finds. These are worth seeking out:
- Tubs: clawfoot tubs, slipper tubs, and floor-mounted brass tub fillers
- Bathroom vanities: antique tables and washstands, marble console sinks on brass legs, and lacquered vanities
- Bathroom sinks: carved stone sinks, travertine and marble vessel sinks
- Bathroom light fixtures: brass sconces with pleated shades, crystal chandeliers, and glass globe pendants
- Mirrors: ornate gilt mirrors and distressed antique mirrors
- Fabrics: linen and velvet for sink skirts, curtains, and Roman shades
- Accents: Persian rugs, antique cabinets, gilt-framed art, and glass apothecary bottles
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I give a new bathroom remodel an old character?
Start with a freestanding tub or an antique piece of furniture as the vanity, then add natural stone, brass fixtures, gilt mirrors, art, and a rug. Painting the walls in a rich color also helps a new bathroom feel established.
Can I use antique furniture as a bathroom vanity?
Yes. Antique tables, washstands, and dressers can be converted into vanities by adding a stone top and a vessel or undermount sink. Seal the wood well to protect it from moisture, and it will become the most personal piece in your bathroom remodel.
What bathroom sink suits a heritage bathroom remodel?
Carved stone sinks, marble console sinks, and vessel sinks in travertine or marble all suit a heritage bathroom. Pair them with wall-mounted brass or nickel taps.
Are rugs and art practical in a bathroom remodel?
Yes, with good ventilation. Choose vintage or washable rugs, frame art behind glass, and keep valuable paintings away from the tub and shower.
A Room Worth Lingering In
The Victorians gave the bathroom its first real place in the home, and they furnished it with the same care as any other room. A bathroom remodel with heritage character simply picks up where they left off. Plan your own bathroom remodel around a tub you look forward to, a vanity with a story, a mirror that catches the light, and a painting to look at while the water runs. Then close the door, light the sconces, and stay a little longer.
Explore more heritage interiors across Collected Maximalism, from our Tudor style house light fixtures to our Berlin Altbau apartment hallways and reading nooks.
