Tile and surface decisions still carry a lot of weight in bathroom remodel planning. the Houzz American Bathroom Trends Study for 2025 Shower wall tiles were found to be 18% stacked horizontally, with rectangular (29%), hexagon (26%), and square (22%) shapes for the shower floor. Trade sentiment signals the same way, with… NKBA’s 2026 Bathroom Trends Report Noting that 89% of professionals see demand for smaller grout lines or none at all, and 80% of them expect large format floors to take the lead within the next three years.
Storage bathrooms first become apparent once you take a look at how people customize vanities. In the same Houzz study, 78% chose soft-close drawers and 75% chose soft-close doors, and 29% had built-in vanity outlets. The NKBA report adds a physical indication, reporting wood-faced vanities at 62%.
Shower and bathtub decisions drive many areas of renovation, especially when layouts shift toward more open shower areas. Houzz reports a 39% increase in shower volume, and wet rooms accounted for 16% of renovated bathrooms. This preference shows up in customer priorities too, with the NKBA report finding that 55% say a larger shower matters more than having a bathtub.
Lighting and fixture upgrades tend to be planned together because they make up the function and finish. Houzz lists recessed lights in 40% of projects that have updated lighting, along with sconces (34%), ceiling lights (34%), and illuminated mirrors (22%). The same study cites renovation-grade feature options associated with updated systems, including specialty shower features in 10% of projects and bidet seats (21%) as well as heated seats (19%) among toilet upgrades.
When a project involves planning changes, value and complexity rise, and that’s where the right contracting partner matters. Houzz found that 36% made design changes and 31% built a home addition to expand a bathroom, and 20% reported heated floors as well as radiant heating added as a new system in 11% of renovations.
