I’m going to preface this post by saying that I do not currently have children. I do, however, have three nephews (two that are 8 and another that is a new little peanut of almost 4 months). My sister-in-law (with the baby peanut person) isn’t quite at the stage where she’s concerning herself with my nephew’s bathroom decoration (it’s also the guest bathroom and decorated accordingly…for adults), but I remember my sister not even bothering with the bathroom for her twin boys when they were younger because she never cared for traditionally cutesie kid things. The boys’ bathroom was a Jack-and-Jill connected to the guest room, so she didn’t necessarily want to deck it out in plastic rubber duckie shower curtains or Backyardigans (is that still a thing?) paraphernalia. Of course, now, it’s adorned in the colors of their favorite baseball team (she LOVES this ::side eye::)…, but oh if only she had this round up all those years ago, because I really think she would have appreciated devoured it.
As it turns out, there are A LOT of “cutesie” or character-driven kid decor out there (I can almost hear all the moms out there thinking well yeah…this is not a new development). BUT…BUT, there also happens to be A TON of insanely sweet, more subtle bath goods, textiles and accessories that could very well fit into a room used both by the occasional guest and your little kiddos. So much, in fact, that while researching/going over picks with Jess, I’m pretty sure I felt a twinge in my ovaries. So, for anyone out there that has struggled to decorate a bathroom for their tiny humans, hold on to your child’s Hatchimals, because we have OVER TWO HUNDRED products for you, from shower curtains and rings to bath toys and art…even toothbrushes and storage.
Birdie and Charlie’s Jack-and-Jill bathroom is sweet enough to be appropriate for their young age but if you stripped back the toys in the tub and the bath mat (heck, leave the bath mat), it would def still work for adults. That’s usually how kids’ bathrooms go. I don’t think most people are out here slapping Mickey Mouse wallpaper up on the walls and installing novelty faucets that their children will grow out of quickly. A rug here, some curtain rings there, maybe a cute toothbrush holder and towel and BOOM you’ve got yourself a kids bath. Below are 30 shower and bath mats that range from pretty theme-y (like the shark from #1, #14’s whale, and the duckie at #16) to more older kid (and guest room) friendly (#4, #5, #11, #15 and #22).
Scroll down and you’ll also find two dozen bath toys and sponges. My nephews always loved any opportunity to pour water out of something and squish water out of their little hands, so if this were 7 years ago, I would absolutely have picked up #1, #14 and #16. Oh, I also bought them something very similar to the whale faucet spout cover at #8 and they loved to look at it/attempt to chew it while my sister didn’t have to stress about one of them banging their noggins into a hard metal fixture.
I’m deep into an infatuation with Cortney Bishop Design, so I popped on over to her Instagram and site when looking for kids bathroom inspiration. Of course, she would use one of my favorite Hygge & West prints (their Daydream motif) for the shower curtain of this completely enviable bathroom. I’m not much of a pink person myself, but even I would have swooned over this as a young girl. It says “youth” without being overtly kiddish…as do the rest of these 24 shower curtains and hooks. The two from Quiet Town (#1 and #22) would absolutely be at home in my adult home but are also happy enough for a bathroom belonging to a youngun; combining the pom curtain at #12 with the super sweet safari animal rings at #4#4 would be great for those first few years, and you could easily swap out the rings for something a little more grown like #8 or #19 when they become too “baby” for your older, cooler kid).
Marfa Cloud Curtain
Ruffle Bottom Shower Curtain
Kids Moon Printed Shower Curtain
Animal Crackers Shower Curtain Hooks
Gingham Shower Curtain
Rainbow Stripe Shower Curtain
Core Gird Shower Curtain
Shower Curtain Rings
Navy Imperfect Plus Shower Curtain
Stainless Steel Shower Curtain Rings with Pink Beads
First off, how cool are these built-in lockers in this bathroom featured in HGTV Magazine? For a house full of kids, how perfect would these be for keeping everyone’s stuff (towels, toothbrush, brush, etc.) in a designated place per person, any mess hidden behind a metal door? GENIUS. Actually, my husband and I could probably use these, too (well, really, just me…he has one drawer that’s basically empty because he doesn’t need much beyond his toothbrush which is on the counter, a comb and his razor). And well, because there were towels in this photo, we used it as the lead-in photo for our towel roundup (one of my favorites from this post). Oh, there are hooks, too? Okay, those show up in this section, too, then!
Anything with a hood (and ears) gets my baby clock tickin’ LOUD (I mean…that UNICORN…and the KOALA…and let’s not forget THE FOX WITH THE PAWS AND TAIL). If you’re well out of the baby-in-a-hooded-towel years, I’m really loving the subtle design on #3, and even I want the towels at #9 in that windowpane print. Anything with pom poms is a home run in my designing-a-kids-bath-without-a-kid book, so obviously I love #20, and linen is super fast absorbing, so #22 and #30 are great for those of you with squirmy rugrats who have little patience for bathtime.
And because you need a place to hang those towels (and loofahs or baby robes…please tell me there are baby robes), we’ve got a handful of great hooks. #1, #4, #5 (and #10, #12, and #13) are awesome for older kids or a bathroom that doubles as a guest bath since they’re fun yet don’t scream BABY. Can’t lie though, that wood elephant hook would be a fun addition to a grown-up’s home to hold purses, grocery bags…sometimes you just need something fun and unexpected right? Childlike wonder and all…
There’s so much to love about this bathroom by Kristina Crestin Design—the classic black-and-white hex floors, the trough sink, the moody blue walls. The baby animal art prints clearly point to this being a little person’s bathroom, but the designer kept everything else pretty subtle with a pretty wood step stool and basket. It’s kind of as grown up as a kids bath can get…I dig it. It’s basically a study in how art—and accessories—can change the vibe of a space (this is not new news, of course…just a reminder). Below, you’ll find 18 pieces of art that would work for all ages (we know the milk print is strange but we strangely like it). Other standouts: the Noah’s Ark piece from Etsy, the wire banana (because why not?), Mr. Hedgehog from Serena & Lily painting on plywood for a bit of something different and the minimalist sailboat for anyone with a nautical theme that you don’t want to overdo.
Violet Intertube 1 by Annie Seaton
Vintage Hand Cut Paper Art by Jo Krajci
Minimal Print Unicorn Poster by Pia Weinberg
3D Banana Wall Art
The Sunday Blues by Summer Strauch
Gone Wild Unframed Canvas by Cloud Island
Urban Dreams Photography Palm Springs Dino Art Print
“Herisson’ Hedgehog” by Holli Addi
Circle of Friends by Kisco Print Shop
Start With Yes Print by Anthony Burrill
Ice Cream Cone Framed Art
Two Percent Milk by Elliot Stokes
Tigre Art Print by Landon Sheely
2pc Santa Cruz Summer Framed Decorative Wall Art by Deny Designs
We’re ending off this roundup with a bathroom with the coolest floors of the bunch—this design by Regan Baker. This last roundup is chockful of all of those accessories you need to round out the usability of your kids’ bath…toothbrush holders, soap pumps, stools, rinse cups, wastebaskets, etc. There’s a lot to add immediately to your cart (um, that submarine multi-tasker, anyone?) here, so I’ll stop chit-chatting and let you get to shopping (but before you go, I want to give a special shoutout to the fox cup, the mint step stool, the swan soap dish, and the terrazzo cup…okay go!).