Hamptons Style Bathroom: Design Tips and Vanity Ideas

What Makes a Hamptons Style Bathroom?

The Hamptons style has got to be one of the most timeless styles out there. I love it; I've always loved it; I think it has endless appeal. It's such a nice mix of the relaxed coastal look and understated, quality construction, making a bathroom feel sophisticated but liveable. I've done quite a bit of digging into the Hamptons style for a few projects recently, so I figured I'd put my findings together for you all and let you know what makes a hamptons style bathroom a hamptons style bathroom. It turns out, it's a little bit more structural, specific and detail-orientated than you'd guess!

You can make a hamptons bathroom out of many different elements, like bathroom tiles and floor plans, but the defining features include shiplap wall panelling, or VJ wall panels, typically reaching to a height of between 1200–1500mm, rather than going full floor to ceiling, a statement built-in or freestanding bath and a limited colour palette of crisp white and cool grey or navy blue. Cabinets need to be shaker style, specifically with inset panels, as the lack of a shaker inset cabinet in a Hamptons style room leaves you with something that's more Scandinavian or transitional bathroom style and less authentic to the real look!

This aesthetic is a style that needs room to move in. Freestanding baths require a minimum 200mm clearance on all sides to look right, so the room needs to be at least 2.5m × 3m to work. This might not be achievable in the average house bathroom. But if you don't have the space for a freestanding bath, you can still create the Hamptons vibe with the right wall panelling, bathroom tapware and vanity ideas. The freestanding bath then becomes a future addition and something to plan for when you're ready.

Once you have the structural style figured out, it's time to select the colours, textures and materials that will help create that cohesive look. I will also touch on some Australian bathrooms we have recently sourced products for, to help you find those that will best work in the climate.

Colour Palettes and Materials for a Hamptons Bathroom

So, here is where white bathroom ideas become quite interesting. A key feature of any hamptons style bathroom is its white colour scheme — but white is not the same as white. In a room with lots of warm light sources like downlights, white paint can become quite yellow, which is really not a great look. For a hamptons bathroom, I recommend cool-to-neutral whites on walls and cabinetry. My go-to paints are Dulux Vivid White or Dulux Lexicon Quarter, with textural wall panelling in the same white to give depth and contrast so the room never looks clinical. You can even use a shiplap panelling feature wall in white!

As you'd expect, navy is a great accent colour and it's very versatile. Use it on a vanity base, a painted feature wall, or even just your accessories like towels and bath mats. It works really well to balance all those whites and greys without the feeling that you're darkening up a room.

For floors and walls, you're going to want porcelain tiles that mimic the look of marble. They're practical because they're non-absorbent and don't need maintenance or special products like natural marble, and they don't cost the earth. You can expect these tiles to range from $6 per piece upwards depending on the format and finish you choose. Calacatta or Statuario engineered stone benchtops pair beautifully with this aesthetic and are much more durable than natural stone in a wet area. For coastal bathroom ideas specifically, the moisture resistance of porcelain over natural stone is a real advantage — salt air and humidity can be ruthless.

With your palette and materials shortlisted, you can move on to the spatial decisions that determine whether those finishes will actually fit and function in your bathroom's footprint.

Layout, Fixtures, and Practical Design Considerations

Standard vanity depths run at 450mm or 600mm — the 600mm depth gives you considerably more bench space and storage, but in a bathroom narrower than 1800mm (NCC 2022, ABCB Housing Provisions, Part 10.2) it can make the room feel tight. Shower recesses in a hamptons style bathroom should ideally be 900mm × 900mm or larger, with a frameless or semi-frameless shower screen keeping the sightlines clean.

For tapware, brushed nickel is the best finish for this style — warm without being as high-contrast as brushed gold, and it works beautifully with both white and navy cabinetry. Meir and Bella Vista both have excellent brushed nickel ranges at different price points. Avoid matte black here; it reads far more industrial and contemporary than the style calls for.

On the compliance side — and this is genuinely important — shower walls must be waterproofed to a minimum height of 1800mm above the floor substrate, and walls adjacent to the bath must be waterproofed to a minimum of 150mm above the bath rim. The waterproofing membrane must comply with AS3740:2021, and in most Australian states, waterproofing must be carried out by a licensed waterproofer — and the compliance requirements don't stop at the floor. If your bathroom has no windows, mechanical exhaust ventilation is required at a minimum of 25 L/s (NCC 2022, ABCB Housing Provisions, Part 10.8) — include this in your electrical budget from the very beginning.

Once you've established your layout and chosen where all your fixtures will go, the vanity is the next big design decision. It is the focal point, it does most of the storage, and it's usually the most significant investment.

Which Vanity Works Best in a Hamptons Style Bathroom?

There is no doubt that the vanity is the main focus of a hamptons style bathroom, and if you choose the right one, you've already made the majority of your design decisions.

When looking at cabinetry, white shaker doors are pretty much a given. There are, however, many options available, and the material beneath the paint makes a real difference. MDF is a mid-range product available everywhere, though MDF itself is not waterproof — the paint and primer applied to it are there to protect it from moisture. Plywood, as used by Aulic — which manufactures locally in Australia — is the top-tier alternative and the smartest long-term choice in wetter environments. PVC-wrapped cabinetry is the most water-resistant solution at the lower end of the price range, though the finish is less refined up close.

A wood bathroom vanity in a hamptons style bathroom typically features a classic shaker-door profile, painted in soft neutral shades of white or soft grey, while a timber-look base is light enough to stay unobtrusive but grounded enough to anchor the palette. Lukka and CETO both stock lovely shaker-style options — a wall-hung 900mm vanity unit starts from $409, and freestanding vanities with legs range from $238 to $1,378. A timber bathroom cabinet in a freestanding framed style with turned or tapered legs gives you the most authentic Hamptons look, though a wall-hung vanity may be more practical. For a master ensuite, a double vanity at 1500mm or 1800mm gives you enough bench space for two.

Make sure you specify the correct load rating on drawers if you are using stone basins, and confirm that soft-close door hinges are included — these are the details you notice every day. A hardwood bathroom vanity with solid timber legs will look the most authentic, but timber in wet areas needs to be regularly sealed; a timber-look finish on an engineered board will require less maintenance to look good long-term.

Finishing Touches: Tiles, Hardware, and Accessories

A classic subway tile is the surface that completes a hamptons style bathroom in Australia. The standard subway tile format of 75×300mm suits a traditional look, while a 100×300mm format reads as more contemporary and suits larger bathrooms. Grout colour matters — white grout gives a uniform, clean finish, while grey grout adds definition and is more forgiving of everyday grime. For the floor, a marble-look porcelain tile in 600×600mm format works beautifully, or smaller hexagonal mosaic tiles are a great alternative. Regardless of what you choose, confirm your tiles carry a minimum slip resistance rating of R10 to comply with Australian standards for wet bathroom floors.

For mid-range coastal bathroom ideas covering a full fit-out, allow $2,500–$4,500 for tiles (walls and floors), $600–$1,200 for a quality 900mm vanity, $300–$600 for basin mixers and tapware, and $500–$900 for accessories such as a framed mirror, towel rails and robe hooks. A freestanding bath is not essential to the style, but works as a meaningful upgrade if budget and floor space allow — freestanding baths start from $878. One final note: all plumbing fittings must be WaterMark certified so that a licensed plumber can install them. From 1 May 2026, all tapware certified under the WaterMark Certification Scheme must also be lead-free, so if you're planning your bathroom around that time, keep it in mind.

References

National Construction Code 2022, ABCB Housing Provisions, Part 10.2 Wet Areas

AS 3740:2021 Waterproofing of Domestic Wet Areas, Standards Australia

National Construction Code 2022, ABCB Housing Provisions, Part 10.8 Condensation Management

WaterMark Certification Scheme, Australian Building Codes Board