Trends

8 Bathroom Design Trends to Refresh Your Home and Routine in 2025

 
 

Words like recharge, renew, and reinvigorate are shaping our expectations for bathrooms in 2025. According to the 2025 Bath Trends report by the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA), emotional and physical well-being significantly impacts how we want our bathrooms to look and function. These spaces are aesthetically inspired by hotels, resorts, and spas—places frequently associated with relaxation and elevated style—while demanding everyday practicality. Expect 2025 bathroom trends to enhance both your lifestyle and your home’s value.

1. Remodeling for Functionality

“With more homeowners choosing to stay in their current homes due to high mortgage rates, many are investing in major remodels to increase comfort and boost long-term value,” says Cory Ishaq, design consultant at West Shore Home. “The bathroom is a high-impact area where cohesive design can significantly improve daily routines and provide a strong return on investment."

The NKBA 2025 trends report notes strong demand for better use of space in the coming years, including rethinking floor plans, taking down walls, and removing tubs to accommodate desired features.

However, it’s not only major remodels on the horizon: the fall 2024 Houzz bath trends study noted an uptick in remodeling projects with less substantial layout changes. These minor remodels often focus on system upgrades, such as adding heated flooring or increasing the efficiency of products like ventilation or water heaters. Accessibility updates are also on trend, with Houzz specifically noting an increase in grab bars.

2. Making Room for Two

The NKBA reports an increased desire for bathrooms to accommodate two people at the same time. Whether the room is used for overlapping daily routines or as a space to rest and relax, popular features include separate vanities, dual sinks, and showers with multiple showerheads and plenty of space for two people. A toilet separated from the main area is also relevant to the trend.

3. White Showers

“Clean, white-on-white walk-in showers will continue to be a major trend in 2025,” predicts Ishaq. “Pairing a white shower base with matching white wall surrounds creates a fresh and timeless look that’s versatile enough to suit any home’s style—and especially attractive in the shift towards minimalist, open-concept spaces.”

Not only is white conducive to the sense of calm that many homeowners are trying to create, but Ishaq also highlights that this look is achievable on many budgets, aiding in its appeal. “This look is easily attainable with an affordable shower remodel using durable, low-maintenance materials such as acrylic, which is chip- and stain-resistant.” In general, shades of white and off-white are the top bathroom colors in 2025, according to both the NKBA and Houzz.

4. Seamless Design Choices

In 2025, expect minimized lines for a more seamless look. Examples from the NKBA trends report include frameless showers, curbless showers (which are also great for accessibility), minimal grout lines for tiles, and flooring that blends with the overall design rather than grabs attention with stand-out color or a bold pattern. These design choices reduce visual clutter and elevate the sense of tranquility in a space.

5. Floral Nods to Nature

As wellness continues to be prioritized, organic shapes, textures, and materials are increasingly part of bath design. “Biophilic elements have been proven to help reduce stress, improve cognitive function, and increase productivity and creativity,” says Danielle DeBoe Harper, senior creative style manager for Moen. “We see more designers choosing natural elements like florals to make a statement while bringing the outdoors in.”

Florals may be used in their natural forms, like fresh flower arrangements that bring living elements into the space, but they also appear in patterns. “From bold botanicals to ditsy prints, these can be applied through decor options like wallpapers, rugs, and accent pillows,” says DeBoe Harper.

6. Low-Maintenance Products

Continuing to build on bath trends from recent years, easy-care materials and fixtures are driving design requests for 2025. Low-maintenance countertops are especially popular and often paired with under-mount sinks and brushed or matte (not polished) faucets that don't show fingerprints. Surface installations like flooring or wall tile with minimal grout lines are also appealing for their reduced upkeep. Designers surveyed for the NKBA report anticipate requests for toilets with built-in cleaning functions. Whether through surfaces or fixtures, lessening bathroom cleaning and care helps prioritize health and wellness in the space.

7. Enriching Technology

“We’re seeing a strong shift toward livable luxury,” says Patty Dominguez, vice president of A&D sales at Cosentino. “Homeowners are opting for materials and technology that not only provide a luxurious feel, but also functionality that fits the needs of their everyday lives.”

According to the NKBA report, technology trends are elevating and personalizing time spent in the bathroom. This goes beyond basics like built-in outlets and motion-sensing lighting and includes more luxurious features and experiences. Smart toilets and bidets, for example, offer features like lids that automatically open, heated seats, air dryers, and even built-in deodorizers. Smart showers offer the ability to remember personalized settings for multiple users.

Among these luxuries is new and emerging technology, such as Cosentino’s partnership with FreePower to embed wireless chargers directly into the countertop surfaces. “Homeowners can effortlessly charge their phones and devices, which amps up the surface’s functionality without interrupting its aesthetics,” says Dominguez, highlighting how this new product feature supports both the technology and seamless design trends in 2025.

8. Upgraded Lighting

While lighting remains primarily task-driven in the bath, the NKBA reports that lighting design is also developing for mood setting and wellness. "There’s a huge emphasis on wellness and holistic design in the home, and one way to achieve well-being is to pick designs that will enhance comfort and boost your mood," says Takayuki Ishii, vice president of design and development for Kalco Lighting.

According to the 2025 report, there’s a “strong desire to add windows for more natural light” in the bath, while supplemental lighting features will include dimmable lighting, night lights, motion sensors, and integrated lighting for mirrors and medicine cabinets. Houzz also reports that light fixture upgrades are popular targets for style upgrades. Ishii recommends warm finishes and soft shapes to help a room "feel luxurious and laidback."

Read more at Better Homes & Gardens

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The two big housing market trends to watch in 2025

 
 

All the housing market data for 2024 is in, and it’s fair to say that the housing market surprised us again! However, there are two big trends that stand out as we launch into 2025 — affordability and sellers in the market.

The elephant in the room is affordability. Home prices finished 2024 up a few percent nationally and mortgage rates are at their highest level in seven months — back over 7% as we head into January. In fact, at $2,290, the typical mortgage payment for homebuyers is starting this next year at the highest level ever.

There are a few markets in the South where home prices have inched down recently — and every bit helps buyers — but those prices have not adjusted much, and there’s no sign of any major correction in the works. In 2025, housing affordability in the U.S. remains at it’s worst levels in decades. 

In the last few months, the market finally saw some sales growth over the previous year. That growth is in jeopardy if we stay at the high end of the mortgage rate range into the first quarter 2025. Homes are already staying on the market 20% longer than a year ago. The fastest path to changing affordability is a change in interest rates, but there’s no guarantee that rates will fall.

In the HousingWire mortgage rate forecast for 2025, we included the possibility of a five handle during the year. What’s the scenario where mortgage rates drop over 100 basis points in 2025? If we get lucky on economic news and spreads continue to tighten a bit, we could see some alleviation to the affordability vice everyone is now in.

The other trend to watch is whether we finally have more sellers entering the market in 2025. The three years in the post-pandemic housing market have been marked by very few sellers — 60,000 new listings in a given week vs. 80,000 in years’ past. There are some signals that seller volume is starting to creep back to normal levels.

Let’s look at this week’s data and see if we can tease out the signals for impact on the 2025 housing market.

Inventory continues to contract

There are now 651,000 single-family homes unsold on the market across the U.S. That’s 2.5% fewer than a week prior. It’s the holidays, of course. We’ll see another week of inventory contraction this week with New Year’s mid-week. 

Some years, when demand is stronger, the available inventory of unsold homes keeps shrinking until February or March. But demand is not strong nationally, so we expect inventory to bounce along under 650,000 homes in January and start ticking up by February.

Inventory is increasing in basically every market around the country. The Sun Belt markets have led inventory growth with the northern markets much tighter, but we see this disparity evening out a bit in 2025.

New listings are low

As we look deeper into the supply side of the market, there were 32,500 new listings unsold this week. That’s very low over the holidays. But, it’s notable that, for this last week of the year, there were more new listings this week than the same week for the past six or seven years. 

It’s hard to measure precisely with the holidays, but 32,000 is 33% more than hit the market in the 52nd week of the year in 2023. This is probably related to when the holiday hits on the day of the week. The thing to keep an eye on is that each week in December, we had much more “normal” levels of new listings each week.

These are unsold new listings. There’s another set of sellers that we call “immediate sales.” These are the houses that get listed and take offers immediately after listing. They don’t ever add to the active inventory as they’re already sold. When we include these new listings, there were 21% more sellers than a year ago. 

We’ve been averaging 8% more sellers each week. There were only 5,000 immediate sales this week. That’s the fewest since we started measuring this phenomenon during the pandemic. Again, it’s the holidays, so there’s a lot of noise around the day of the week that Christmas and New Year’s fall so. Keep an eye on the new listings counts as we round into the first quarter of 2025. It could be that the shortage of sellers is finally abating. 

Total pendings increase

When we look at sales volumes, there are 269,000 single-family homes under contract. That’s 4.25% more than where we ended 2023. It’s the end of the year, so there are 8% fewer homes under contract now than from the week before Christmas. This is the week of the New Year’s holiday, so we’ll have one more week of declining home sales before the January uptick begins. 

This chart is of the total count of single-family homes under contract. Each line is a year. The red lines are 2024 and 2023, which had very few home sales, that that’s just starting to increase. At the left end of the chart you can see that 2025 is starting just above the previous years. These are contracts pending, so these are sales that will close in January. 

There are 30% fewer home sales in process than at the start of 2022 when the pandemic frenzy was still underway. Still you can see why we’re forecasting 2025 to have 5% sales growth over 2024

It’s going to be fascinating to watch home sales next month. How sensitive are homebuyers to 7% mortgage rates and this latest affordability punch? Do we lose all of the sales momentum that we’ve seen lately?

The new pendings average is down to 44,000, the recent four weeks includes both Christmas week and the late Thanksgiving week this year. Still the week new pendings average is only 1.3% above last year. Keep your eyes on the pendings data. I remain optimistic that we’ll see some sales growth in 2025.

Home prices lead to the affordability challenge

Let’s move on to home prices and the affordability challenge. Nationally, home prices are starting 2025 at $395,000 which is 4% higher than a year ago. If you follow the Altos Research data each week, this won’t surprise you. Even when home sales are low, when inventory of unsold homes is building around the country, and when affordability is at crisis levels — home prices have not fallen. In fact, they’re inching up. 

In this view we have the median price of all the homes in contract. The red line from 2024 across the top shows how prices cluster right at the big round numbers, in this case, $400,000 for most of the year. 

It turns out that due to a huge number of factors, including seller psychology and legal and tax reasons, it’s rare that home prices fall year over year. This view shows us 2022, when after the pandemic mortgage rates spiked way up — higher and faster than anyone anticipated.

The important lesson from the data is that while affordability is the paramount issue for homebuyers, we haven’t seen any signal that the price of homes will correct down.

Price reductions higher than in Q1 2024

Finally, let’s look at the leading indicators for home prices as we start 2025. There are currently 36% of the homes on the market that have taken a price cut from the original list price. That’s more than we started 2024, which indicates slightly weaker supply-demand balance than a year ago. There are 27% more homes on the market, and only 4% more sales, so you can see why slightly more sellers are trying a price reduction than a year ago. 

Still, this number is not tremendously high. It’ll keep falling this spring with fresh inventory and new buyers for the next few months. If mortgage rates stay over 7% that’ll keep a lid on buyer demand and some of those sellers won’t get the offers they were hoping for. Buyers are perfectly happy to wait, while sellers have to act. 

These price reductions are a leading indicator for future sales prices. The number is elevated now, and with 7% mortgage rates to start 2025, we’re going to see right here how much home buyers care about this affordability hit.

Read more at Housingwire

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The #1 Reason People Move: To Be Closer to Family and Friends

 
 

Have you ever thought about packing up and moving to be closer to the people who mean the most to you? Maybe you’re tired of long drives to see your family or wish your kids could spend more time with their grandparents. Clearly, a lot of other people feel the same way.

According to recent data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the desire to be near family and friends is the #1 reason people move (see graph below):

 
 

That’s because moving isn’t just about finding a new house – it’s about living a life where you’re surrounded by the people who matter most. Whether it’s catching up over weeknight dinners, watching your kids play with their cousins, or just knowing someone’s there when you need them, living near loved ones changes everything.

Let’s dive into why so many people are making this move and how it could be the best decision for you, too.

Why Family Comes First

Living near family and friends is a universal motivator that cuts across all types of buyers, whether you’re buying your first home or making a big lifestyle change.

But it’s especially important to repeat buyers. Unlike first-time homebuyers, who may be more focused on looking in more affordable areas, repeat buyers often have more flexibility on where they live. Many Baby Boomers, for example, have built significant equity in their homes, giving them the freedom to prioritize what matters most – like retiring near their grandkids. As Ali Wolf, Chief Economist at Zonda, says:

“25% of Baby Boomer households plan to retire near their children and grandchildren . . .”

Making a move to be closer to friends and family is all about creating a meaningful next chapter in your life where loved ones are just around the corner.

The Benefits of Living Near Loved Ones

But moving closer isn’t just a lifestyle choice – it’s a decision that offers real benefits:

Spending More Time Together Whether it’s joining family dinners, going to weekend activities, or simply having someone nearby to talk to, these moments strengthen relationships and make life more fulfilling.

Sharing Resources Living close to family can provide practical advantages, too – like sharing childcare, tools, or household items.

Cutting Down on Travel Instead of spending hours on the road to spend time together, you can enjoy more spontaneous visits. This not only enhances your quality of life, but it also provides peace of mind in case of emergencies.

Being There for Big Moments It also offers both emotional and practical support during life’s milestones. From graduations to tough times, being close to loved ones helps you feel connected and cared for.

Ready To Make Your Move?

At the end of the day, home isn’t just a place you live – it’s where your people are. Whether you’re looking to spend more quality time with family or enjoy the practical benefits of being closer to loved ones, the decision to move closer to those you care about is a deeply personal one.

Bottom Line

If you’re thinking about making a change, a local real estate agent would love to help. Together, you can explore neighborhoods that brings you closer to the people and places you love most.

Read more at Keeping Current Matters

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How to track housing data to know what’s coming next

 
 

Tracking live weekly housing data would have been nearly impossible just a few years ago, but now we can gather and analyze real-time housing demand data. This valuable information can significantly enhance our understanding of housing economics and what is coming next. The question is: How can we harness the data to give you more confidence when talking about the housing market?

Mortgage rates and purchase application data

One of the things I do weekly is track how forward-looking housing demand reacts to specific mortgage rates. Here’s an example of how purchase apps have acted with particular mortgage rate ranges.

When mortgage rates were running higher earlier in the year (between 6.75%-7.50%), this is what the purchase application data looked like:

  • 14 negative prints

  • 2 flat prints

  • 2 positive prints

When mortgage rates started falling in mid-June from the yearly peak of 7.5% toward 6%, here’s what purchase applications looked like:

  • 12 positive prints 

  • 5 negative prints

  • 1 flat print

Mortgage rates jumped from 6% to 7% and are now down just a tad from the recent peak, and this is what the data looks like:

  • 5 positive prints

  • 4 negative prints

Purchase applications are tracked 30 to 90 days before they impact sales data. From the information above, we can observe that sales can increase when mortgage rates approach 6%. If rates drop below 6% and remain there for a year, we can expect significant sales growth since we are starting from a historically low baseline.

Purchase application data is at levels not seen since 1995, indicating a low-growth threshold. However, we now have a clearer understanding of where we can expect to see real improvements in these data lines.

 
 

Weekly pending contracts

Now that we see how sales can grow with mortgage demand and purchase applications, let’s look at how it tracks into our weekly pending contract data. This data shows homes going into contract, which may be reflected in the sales data in the following month or even two months later, depending on when the contract is signed.

We have observed that pending contracts improved when mortgage rates dropped to around 6%. Currently, the data shows better performance compared to 2022 and 2023, which suggests that we are establishing a firmer bottom in the data trend.

 
 

Our weekly tracker also provides an overview of our inventory data to add more context to what’s going on in the housing market. Since the lows of 2022, we have seen an increase in active inventory. This is precisely what the housing market needed as we have more choices for homebuyers and less price growth.

 
 

Existing home sales data

Given the data above, it should not be surprising that the most recent existing home sales and pending home sales from the National Association of Realtors have improved. Here, we can see that pending home sales data has improved over the last two months.

 
 

I developed my data analysis to demonstrate how to identify trends early, allowing you to move beyond waiting for the existing home sales report. We can observe the demand curve in housing data months before its appearance in traditional data channels. That’s why we created the weekly tracker for you to review.

Read more at Housingwire

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What to watch for in 2025 housing market predictions

 

Housing is not cheap — whether you’re buying or renting

In October, the median sales price for a single-family home in the U.S. was $437,300, up from $426,800 a month prior, according to the latest data by the U.S. Census. 

Meanwhile, the median rent price in the U.S. was $1,619 in October, roughly flat or up 0.2% from a year ago and down 0.6% from a month prior, according to Redfin, an online real estate brokerage firm.

While it can be difficult to exactly pinpoint how the housing market is going to play out in 2025, several economists lay out predictions of what’s likely to happen next year in a new report by Redfin, an online real estate brokerage firm.

“If the housing market were going to crash, it would have already crashed by now,” said Daryl Fairweather, chief economist at Redfin. “The housing market has been so resilient to interest rates going up as high as they have.”

Here are five housing market predictions for 2025, according to Fairweather and other economists. 

Home price growth will return to pre-pandemic levels

The median asking price for a home in the U.S. will likely rise 4% over the course of 2025, a pace similar to that of the second half of this year, according to Redfin.

The 4% annual pace is a “normalization” compared to the accelerated growth last seen in 2020, said Fairweather. 

Earlier in 2024, the rate at which home prices grew slowed down to pre-pandemic levels. In other words, while prices were still rising, the speed of price growth was not as fast as it was in previous years. 

Despite predictions of growth slowing, there may still be some volatility in prices.

In fact, home price appreciation might stay flat, or less than 1%, going into the 2025 spring home buying season, said Selma Hepp, economist at CoreLogic.

But the possibility of President-elect Donald Trump enacting some of his economic policies could drive home prices much higher, said Jacob Channel, senior economist at LendingTree. 

“We kind of have some mixed signals right now in terms of what may or may not happen to home prices,” he said. 

General tariffs on foreign goods and materials as well as mass deportations could result in higher construction costs and slower home-building activity. If fewer homes are built in a supply-constrained market, prices might grow much higher, said Channel.

Flattening rents, with more room to negotiate

At a national level, the median asking rent price in the U.S. will likely stay flat over the course of a year in 2025, as new rental inventory becomes available, according to Redfin.

“If rents are flat, and people’s wages continue to grow, that means people have more money to spend,” Redfin’s Fairweather said, as well as increase their savings.

More than 21 million renter households are “cost-burdened,” meaning they spent more than 30% of their income on housing costs, according to 2023 U.S. Census data.

A stable rental market will also give renters more strength to negotiate with landlords. In some areas, property managers are already offering concessions like one month rent free, a free parking space or waiving fees, experts say.

However, “it’s December,” Channel said. “Rent prices typically decline in the colder months of the year,” as fewer people are apartment hunting in the late fall and winter seasons.

If would-be buyers continue to be priced out of the for-sale market next year through high home prices and mortgage rates, competition in the rental market may ensue, he said.

Also keep in mind that the typical rent price you see will depend on what’s going on in your local market, Hepp explained.

For instance: Austin, Texas was the “epicenter of multi-family construction,” she said, meaning a lot of new supply was added into the city’s rental market, bringing rental costs down. The metro area’s rent prices fell by 2.9% from a year ago, CoreLogic found.

In contrast, supply-constrained metropolitan areas like Seattle, Washington, D.C., and New York City, are experiencing high rent growth of 5% annually.

A ‘bumpy’ and ‘volatile’ year for mortgage rates

Redfin forecasts mortgage rates will average 6.8% in 2025, and hover around the low-6% range if the economy continues to slow.

Yet experts expect 2025 will be a “bumpy” and “volatile” year for mortgage rates.

Borrowing costs for home loans could spike if policies like tax cuts and tariffs are enacted, putting upward pressure on inflation.

“We’re sort of in uncharted territory. It’s really tough to say exactly what’s going to happen,” said LendingTree’s Channel.

Mortgage rates declined this fall in anticipation of the first interest rate cut since March 2020. But then borrowing costs jumped again in November as the bond market reacted to Donald Trump’s election win. Since then, mortgage rates have somewhat stabilized — for now.

“Our expectation is that rates are going to be in the 6% range as we move into 2025,” Jessica Lautz, deputy chief economist and vice president of research at the National Association of Realtors, recently told CNBC.

More home sales than in 2024

Pent-up demand from buyers and sellers on the sidelines may drive home transactions next year.

“People have waited long enough,” Fairweather said.

About 4 million homes are expected to be sold by the end of 2025, an annual increase between 2% and 9% from 2024, according to Redfin.

The market is piling on with “people who need to move on with their lives,” like buyers who are getting new jobs and need homes suitable for life changes, and sellers who have delayed moving plans, Fairweather said.

While more buyers are expected to hit the market next year, the level of competition may not be as aggressive as in recent years, when bidding wars were the norm.

Other affordability factors may come into play, like rising insurance costs and property taxes, in turn slowing down competition, said CoreLogic’s Hepp.

“We’ll definitely see more buyers out there,” she said. “But I don’t see the competition heating up to the levels that it has over the last few years.”

Climate risks will bake into homes prices

The risk of extreme weather and natural disasters may anchor down home prices or slow down price growth in areas like coastal Florida, California and parts of Texas, which are at high risk of hurricanes, wildfires or other disasters, Redfin expects.

If palatable price tags have you eyeing homes in a high-risk market, be aware of potential complications.

For instance, home insurance policies in some of these markets are harder to come by, and tend to carry high price tags. The financial impact of natural disasters may also be felt in rising home maintenance and repair costs, said Redfin’s Fairweather.

What’s more challenging, “every part of the country is vulnerable” because the weather patterns are changing, she said. “Lately, there have been these atmospheric rivers in California that have caused days of heavy flooding, and those homes aren’t built for that.”

While there’s a lot of focus on Florida for hurricane risks, the state is more prepared for this natural disaster, unlike areas like Asheville, North Carolina, a mountainous city battered by the hurricane Milton earlier this year.

“We will probably see insurance increase pretty broadly because that mismatch between what homes were built for and the climate that they are going to be facing in the coming years,” she said.

See more on NBC News

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