Spice Up Your Modern Bathroom Vanities With Dramatic Wood Accents

Modern bathroom design is all about beauty in simplicity – a fairly monochromatic palette, minimalist lines, and geometric shapes. That said, there are a few great ways to break the “rules” and make your modern bathroom design really stand out. In a modern bathroom, you expect all smooth, unbroken lines, so when you add something with a little more color – like a signature vessel sink – it immediately adds a visual point of interest to your bathroom. Choosing modern bathroom vanities with wood accents is another great way to do this – in a fairly industrial style, using a natural material is quite eye catching.

This Bambu vanity from Xylem is a favorite example among modern bathroom vanities – it has a solid wood construction, but the majority of it is very simple, square, and smooth – what you’d expect from typical modern bathroom vanities. But the panel of textured bamboo stalks on the front face is a dramatic change. The stalks themselves add a gorgeous ridged texture, and the natural knots in the wood are staggered to add even more depth to the piece.  It’s unexpected, and sure to make your vanity a focal point of the bathroom rather than something to glance over.

The effect is even more dramatic when the rest of the vanity isn’t made from wood, though. This Shadowbox vanity from Porcher presents an even more stunning contrast, with a solid black body typical of modern bathroom vanities paired with a surprisingly light, golden panel of wood on the front drawer. This vanity plays brilliantly with negative space, giving the wood the appearance that it’s floating in darkness, and is certain to attract attention. Plus, in a bathroom made mostly of cool-tones and stark minimal shapes, this single wood panel adds a little kiss of warmth and disorderly natural texture.

Even very small wood accents can be quite eye catching on modern bathroom vanities. This Lutezia Modernique vanity is a great example – and a vanity I’d definitely recommend if you want to warm up your modern bathroom.  This one uses a fairly light wood construction that can help enhance the light in your bathroom, but the wood and grain are so light that on their own they don’t add a whole lot of texture to the vanity. In come two tall, thin wood inserts. Made of a much darker wood, they’re utterly eye-catching, and because they’re laid out to look like a perfect rectangle-in-rectangle, they’re nicely in keeping with the stark geometric design you’d expect in modern bathroom vanities, just with something a little more interesting to look at.

That said, wood inserts can come in any size or shape, and cover any portion of the vanity. This Venisia vanity from Avanity is actually mostly wood patterned, with a simple black frame and matching counter top, but wood panels on the front and sides. The effect is the same, though, especially when paired with many other plain black accents like towels, tile, tub, or toilet. The wood panels offer just that little touch of the natural that would stand out dramatically, for example, in a black and white bathroom.

In fact, I’m willing to count some modern bathroom vanities that are made entirely of wood as being “accented.” That might sound a little silly, but hear me out – there’s a big difference between a simple solid wood vanity and one that truly showcases the wood. This Legacy vanity is a great example – it’s no mere wood grain, but stunningly highlights the wood, using golden maple burl veneers over the entire surface of the vanity for the most gorgeous, luminous wood finish possible. All that in a vanity that sticks with geometric shapes – a half circle and straight lines – and has room for a decorative vessel sink as well. If you’re looking for a way to really make a dramatic, luxurious modern bathroom design, this is it!

Another way to spice up modern bathroom vanities with wood accents is to accent the accents. Sound weird? Let me explain. It’s easier to remind the eye that a larger section of wood is supposed to be an accent by breaking it up. The two vanities above are fairly dominantly “wood,” and this Natasha vanity from Decolav is, too – but it doesn’t look like it is because of the steel “belt” that bisects the vanity and serves as a drawer pull for the handle. The daring tiger striped wood by itself is eye catching, but paired with that metal in the middle, plus the modern take on vintage table legs make this fairly compact bathroom an especially stunning modern bathroom vanity.

In fact, bold modern hardware is a great way to emphasize wood accent paneling on modern bathroom vanities. This Ebony Zebra vanity from Bellaterra Home is much more subtle than the Natasha vanity, with wood paneling on the front doors that’s much closer in tone to the rest of the dark body of the vanity (and with a less dramatically contrasted grain), but the simple geometric steel ring formed by the door handles makes a nice modern finishing touch – the shine can catch the eye, and the wood accent can keep it.

So if you’re looking for a way to add visual interest to your modern bathroom, try out modern bathroom vanities that have wood accents, big or small – it’s an unexpected touch that can do wonders for your decor. What kind of modern bathroom vanity are you looking for, and what kind of wood accent appeals most to you? Let me know in the comments!