Beautifully Design an Eco-Friendly Bathroom

With the right design, a bathroom can be just as eco-friendly as it is beautiful. It starts with the thoughtful selection of reclaimed, recycled, and green materials and finishes with water-saving features that ensure environmental responsibility. A well-designed, eco-friendly bathroom can evoke peace of mind, not only with its spa-like atmosphere but with its clear environmentally conscious layout.

The moment you decide to go with recycled glass, you’re already using 50 percent less energy than you would with new glass. Recycled glass can be used for vanity countertops, tiles, and backsplashes. The design possibilities abound as glass can be textured, colored, or backlit. An additional perk, glass is also extremely easy to keep clean and sanitary.

Bathroom floors have to stand up to everything from wet feet to makeup marks. Durability and cleanability is key. Concrete, recycled glass, pebbles, linoleum, and ceramic are all great green bathroom flooring options that can come in the form of tiles, planks, or sheets.

Sinks can be crafted from recycled or green materials as well. Today’s eco-friendly sink options go far beyond practicality to offer stunning styles from ultra-sleek to rustic-modern. Recycled rubber, glass, cooper, bronze, or aluminum sinks can add incredible textures and tones as well as concrete -and wood-based sinks. If you want to get creative as you go green, you can also opt for a salvaged sink like a cast-metal basin or any other bowl-like fixture that you can drill a drain into.

High indoor air quality will ensure your eco-friendly bathroom is healthy for the environment as well as your household. Proper ventilation through operable windows or exhaust fans are two effective ways to achieve a well-ventilated, green, and clean bathroom. From hopper windows to skylights, operable windows can provide natural ventilation as well as a generous amount of gorgeous natural light. If you have plenty of space to work with in a master bath, you can even consider french doors that lead to a patio or balcony.

For more ideas and inspiration, we invite you to browse some of our own bathroom and sustainable home designs in the TMS Architects portfolio.