The Guide to Luxurious Bathroom Fixtures

You’re building a new home, so why shouldn’t your main bathroom — or all of them — feel like a luxury spa? The bathroom is a space to cleanse and renew, and the right bathroom fixtures can elevate that space to a serene, retreat-like experience.

Incorporating luxury finishes and touches is more than just a style choice. High-end products are built to last and will serve the space through changing trends and fads. In essence, they’re a smart investment tool and retain the value of the home.

But don’t let the idea of choosing design details overwhelm you. We’ve created a guide to help you pin down the best options for any style and provide tips for an elegant and refined bathroom.

Read on for our guide on choosing high-end fixtures, what to know and how to add these products into your new home.

What Are Bathroom Fixtures?

We often hear the word fixture thrown around for any room of the house. But how does this apply to items and products specifically related to the bathroom? Bathroom fixtures include faucets, toilets, sinks, tubs and showers. These are the practical items you need for the space to actually function, but fixtures can also extend to decorative elements, so all of them together help set the bathroom’s style. 

Before You Begin

Before diving head first into all things cosmopolitan and refined, review the bathroom’s specs to ensure a smooth building and installation process.

Take note of what fixtures are required, the size and layout of the bathroom and any natural light sources that can affect the space in terms of use and maintenance. For example, if there is a window near or above a fixture, you’ll want to ensure that the window is properly sealed to prevent moisture from damaging a fixture’s finish. Or the natural light source could make you consider different finishes or styles depending on how the light cascades into the room. 

Make a list and keep measurements handy, and then finalize a budget that includes materials and labor. The budget should also keep in mind the maintenance and cleaning required for the various fixtures, or even repairs, as a cost factor. 

After the budget, create a mood board of trends, colors and finishes to prepare for selecting luxury fixtures that are in line with the home’s style. This way, you can make well-rounded decisions to take your new bathroom to the next level.

Luxury Bathroom Finishes and Materials

Luxury can be bold and vibrant or calm and understated. Finishes play a huge role in a bathroom’s style. For example, oil-rubbed brass can look antique and rustic, while satiny nickel or high-shine brass can look sleek and modern. But fixtures go beyond just the finish: Texture, shape and size are all major players when expressing high style and luxury.

What materials you use is also key when creating an elevated look. Keep these materials on your short list for a premium bathroom sink: glass, stainless steel, concrete and ceramic. Tubs materials can include acrylic, wood, stone, enamel, cast iron and fiberglass, while shower can include tempered glass, enamel, concrete, stone and tile. And toilets are typically constructed out of a porcelain base.

Luxury Bathroom Fixtures 

With your finishes in mind, let’s take a look at the types of fixtures so you can make the smartest and best-informed choices for your newly built home.

Faucets

• Bridge: A faucet with connected levers is offset from either side. 
• Centerset: This central base unit faucet has handles offset from either side.
• Single handle: Similar to a centerset faucet, but with a single central faucet handle operating via connection to the base unit.
• Deck-mount: The faucet is mounted directly on a countertop instead of the sink
• Wall-mount: The faucet is mounted directly on the wall (and water connection) instead of the sink.

Which faucet styles are most in line with luxury? Centerset, single handle, deck-mount and wall-mount faucets are often used in high-end and customized designs.

Sinks

• Corner: The sink is fitted directly into a corner of the wall.
• Console: The sink is wall-mounted and supported by a pedestal.
• Drop-in: The sink is installed into a countertop and supported by a credenza or vanity.
• Pedestal: The sink is mounted on and supported by a pedestal. 
• Trough: Trough-shaped basins often feature double or triple faucets.
• Under-mount: The sink is installed directly under a countertop.
• Wall-mount: The sink is mounted directly on the wall.
• Vessel: These basin-shaped sinks are installed on a vanity top.

Which sink design fits in best with sophisticated fixtures? Drop-in, trough, under-mount, wall-mount and vessel sinks allow room for extra personal touches, posh materials and more. Remember, sinks can also vary by size and shape. Common sink shapes include oval, round and rectangular. 

Tubs

• Soaking: They vary in styles and sizes, but soaking tubs should be deep enough to immerse oneself in.
• Walk-in: This tub comes with a hinged door for walk-in entry. 
• Whirlpool and air: This tub has jet and air bubble functionality.

Soaking and whirlpool and air tubs are often associated with sophistication, but any tub size and shape can be configured for your high-end needs.

Showers

• Bathtub-Shower: This combines a bathtub with an installed shower fixture.
• Body: This shower includes multiple fixtures that encase the body with rainfall-style water drops.
• Custom: The shower is built to a homeowner’s specific vision, defined needs and style.
• Prefabricated: This one-piece unit includes shower walls and a pan.
• Circular and rectangular enclosures: These are two common shower enclosure shapes.
• Waterfall: This shower enclosure has a shower head that creates a waterfall-style water flow.

Any of these styles can be the height of luxury, but body, enclosures, waterfalls and, of course, custom designs are the cream of the crop.

Toilets

• Standard: These toilets which are typically 14-15 inches in height.
• Tall: These toilets are typically 16-18 inches in height.

Beyond the basic toilet, if you want to really go upscale, look for low-water options to conserve water or a toilet/bidet combination — or even toilets with a heated seat.