20 Versatile Beadboard Bathroom Ideas

Add Depth With This Elongated Wood Paneling

By
Anabelle Bernard Fournier
Anabelle Bernard Fournier
Anabelle Bernard Fournier is a freelance writer who specializes in home decor and interior design. She's been writing about interiors since 2012 and focuses on bathroom design and personalizing a home.
Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process
and
Melissa Epifano
Headshot of Melissa Epifano
Melissa Epifano
Melissa is a news writer for The Spruce. She covers a wide range of topics including trends, decor ideas, and design tips.
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Updated on 06/30/22
Small bathroom with white walls split with navy blue beadboard treatment

The Spruce / Christopher Lee Foto

Beadboard wall treatments are a beautiful and traditional way of adding visual interest to a bathroom. Whether you install some halfway up your wall or over its entire surface, it's sure to make your bathroom cozy and welcoming.

What is Beadboard?

Beadboard is a type of wainscoting known by its panels made of characteristically narrow vertical wood planks. Though the terms beadboard and wainscoting are often used interchangeably, there's a difference: Wainscoting is an umbrella term for types of decorative paneling, including beadboard.

If you like the homespun style of beadboard, here are 20 pretty beadboard bathrooms to inspire your next remodel.

  • 01 of 20

    Configure Horizontal Beadboard

    A beadboard bathroom in medium-dark wood

    Seth Benn Photo

    This cozy cottage bathroom by Seth Benn Photo features an unexpected twist to the beadboard theme: horizontal installation. Although beadboard is usually installed vertically, you can always break the mold. The horizontal effect draws you into the space and balances its depth. It's like walking into an old cedar closet.

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  • 02 of 20

    Embrace a Monochromatic Beadboard Look

    beadboard bathroom in neutral tones
    Jessica Helgerson Interior Design

    In a monochromatic bathroom, you can use beadboard to create slight contrast with the wall color. This cozy bathroom by Jessica Helgerson Interior Design shows you exactly how to do it. The light gray of the beadboard and mirror frame contrast the paler wall for a chic effect. After all, there are many shades of neutrals.

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  • 03 of 20

    Pick Beachy Beadboard

    A beadboard bathroom with light blue wall paint and a blue tile floor

    Courtney Blanton Interiors

    The beadboard in this beach-style bathroom by Courtney Blanton Interiors is pretty typical. But what makes this space special is the combination of a beadboard wall and a mosaic tile floor. The two together avoid a cookie-cutter feel and add lots of personality. It's a cozy-yet-fun space that isn't afraid to play with textures.

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  • 04 of 20

    Add Just a Touch of Beadboard

    A beadboard bathroom vanity with yellow wallpaper

    Phoebe Howard

    Although the yellow-striped wallpaper in this beach house bathroom by Phoebe Howard looks like beadboard, it isn't. The beadboard here is used as an accessory on the vanity doors. It's a clever use of the beadboard look, without having to install it all over the walls. It also adds a sense of height to this mostly white vanity. 

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  • 05 of 20

    Infuse a Fully Farmhouse Beadboard Style

    A beadboard bathroom in a rustic farmhouse style

    Farmhouse 5540

    If you have low ceilings, beadboard can make a room look taller by drawing the eye up. For example, this small farmhouse powder room by Farmhouse 5540 is greatly enhanced by the white beadboard that goes all the way up to the original wood-beam ceiling. The large, decorative mirror is another great touch to make the room feel bigger.

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  • 06 of 20

    Incorporate Beadboard at Varying Heights

    A beadboard bathroom with a white vanity

    Taste Design Inc

    This primary bathroom by Taste Design shows how to use beadboard at different heights to add movement to a large space. The wall treatment is stacked at three different levels: under the large window, halfway up the wall just before the corner, and above the large vanity. Don't be afraid to play with heights. It can make your space feel more playful.

    About This Term: Primary Bathroom

    Many real estate associations, including the National Association of Home Builders, have classified the term "Master Bedroom" (or "Master Bathroom") as discriminatory. "Primary Bedroom" is the name now widely used among the real estate community and better reflects the purpose of the room.


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  • 07 of 20

    Test Out Dark and Defined Beadboard

    A dark beadboard bathroom with white towels hanging

    Kristin Petro Interiors

    You don't have to add beadboard to every wall. You also can use it to define a small area within a larger space like this stunning bathroom by Kristin Petro Interiors. The black beadboard contrasts with the neutral light shade of the wall and sets apart the area where towels hang. 

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  • 08 of 20

    Apply It to a Powder Room

    A beadboard bathroom with gray walls

    Stacey Michaud

    "Cute" is the word for this powder room by Stacey Michaud. The neutral gray and white with a dash of yellow creates a small space with a lot of personality. The beadboard here is used in a pretty traditional way, about halfway up the wall. But it does have the effect of framing the beautiful pedestal sink and toilet and leaving the mirror and shelves to shine by themselves.

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  • 09 of 20

    Install Almost All-Over Beadboard

    A bathroom with beadboard up the walls and on the ceiling

    Andrea May

    In this traditional primary bathroom by Andrea May, beadboard stretches almost all the way up the walls. There's just a small band of color between the edge of the wall beadboard and the ceiling, which is also covered in beadboard. This draws they eyes up giving the illusion of a higher ceiling. Also, the top edge of the painting to the right is higher than the edge of the beadboard, a trick that gives more importance to the space.

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  • 10 of 20

    Combine Black and White

    A beadboard bathroom with black walls and white beadboard

    Bella Mancini Design

    Black and white is a bold choice in bathrooms, and beadboard can work well to create this contrast. This cottage bathroom design by Bella Mancini uses beadboard as the bottom white half, installed against the black wall color. Instead of flat white paint, the beadboard offers some interesting texture, which gives the space movement.

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  • 11 of 20

    Try Levels of Beadboard

    A beadboard bathroom with traditional vanities

    Tom Stringer Design Partners

    This elegant primary bathroom by Tom Stringer Design Partners features a two-level beadboard wall. The levels of beadboard add depth and help to frame all of the different elements of this bathroom, especially the eye-catching vanity space. Any element that touches the floor stays on the lower beadboard level, while the mirrors and light fixtures are on top. It's a great way to break up a large space to make it feel more intimate.

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  • 12 of 20

    Opt for Minimalism

    A minimalist beadboard bathroom

    JAS Design Build

    Take a hint from this minimalist attic bathroom by JAS Design Build: Beadboard is an excellent solution to minimize low ceilings. This space would feel oppressively small if it weren't for the heightening properties of the narrow beadboard. Adding it along the drop-in tub gives the space a sense of harmony and continuity, the essential elements of minimalist style.

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  • 13 of 20

    Go for Grounded and Green

    Sage green bathroom

    Arbor & Co.

    The light sage green on the walls of this bathroom feel serene and soothing while the white beadboard gives a little farmhouse flair. More muted tones can occasionally overwhelm a room or make it feel blah, so a bright shade of white in the form of small wooden panels uplifts and adds texture.

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  • 14 of 20

    Play with Colorful Beadboard

    Blue beadboard in bathroom

    Design: Emily Henderson / Photography: Tessa Neustadt

    The most typical hue seen in beadboard paneling is white, but choosing a more powerful pop of color is never bad idea. This bold blue shade breaks up the monochromatic feel that this bathroom would have otherwise. It's a deep tone that adds extra personality and frames the sink area, too.

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  • 15 of 20

    Go for Subtle Paneling

    White beadboard bathroom wall

    @houseofchais / Instagram

    Like white paint, this paneling blends into the background, serving as a canvas for the rest of the accents and fixtures to stand out from. But because it has the slight indentations and texture, it gives more to the bathroom than two-dimensional paint could. Though beadboard and paneling feel very farmhouse and vintage, this particular powder room exudes a fresh, modern feel.

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  • 16 of 20

    Draw the Eye Upward

    Powder room with white beadboard

    Ashley Montgomery Design

    In tight spaces, visual illusions can be helpful. This petite powder room shows how vertical panels of beadboard can draw the eye up and make the space appear taller. The wallpaper above it only furthers the look of a tall ceiling and provides a unique, stylish twist that's not seen in every bathroom.

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  • 17 of 20

    Mix Beadboard and Tile

    All-white and cream bathroom

    Cathie Hong Boutique Interior Design Firm

    Paint, tile, wallpaper, or beadboard? It's a tough decision, but one you don't really have to make either. Bathrooms can blend two or more styles with ease, as seen here. Pretty oyster-colored tiles coat one part of the wall while beadboard paneling takes up another section. It's a great spectrum of colors and textures done in one space.

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  • 18 of 20

    Blend a Variety of Paneling Types

    Beadboard on bathroom ceiling

    House Nine Design, Architecture + Management

    There's a nice assortment of paneling styles and options out there, and mixing one or two can work wonders. Peeking into this bathroom, it's easy to see a continuation of thick horizontal paneling from the bedroom into this space and the addition of beadboard on the ceiling. Play around with different combinations to create different styles—whether it's a cozy cabin look you're after or a modern farmhouse end result.

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  • 19 of 20

    Put Beadboard on the Ceiling

    Black and white bathroom

    Erin Williamson Design

    As this bathroom—and the last one—show, paneling isn't just reserved for the surrounding walls. The ceiling (aka the fifth wall) is prime property for incorporating some kind of beadboard or paneling layout. This is perfect for spaces that may already have a distinct style in place but need extra texture or want to spice up what's above.

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  • 20 of 20

    Create Playful Color Palettes With Beadboard

    Light blue and beige bathroom

    Kate Marker Interiors

    Full of muted pastel colors, this bathroom shows just how useful beadboard can be when you stray from classic white. The powder blue beadboard perfectly complements the light pink walls. Patterned tile and gold accents finish off the space and although it's still clean and minimal, it has more pizzazz than a monochromatic bathroom.

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