Vintage Restrooms: These 3 Classic Bathroom Design Trends Are Building a Comeback

Searching for today's most of-the-moment interior design cues? Try yesterday.

Yup, what's old remains new again. While transitional design—that elusive mix of throwback and modern—is a huge tastemaker favorite the past couple of years, vintage elements are bursting out all over these days. And an ideal destination for a showcase your love of things retro? Well, it could be in the absolute most surprising space of: the bathroom.

That's right—if you're hesitant to plunk down a lot of cash on pastel-hued appliances or mint shag carpeting, the bathroom supplies the just-visible-enough vehicle to here is another few old-school trends on for size.

"We are definitely seeing a fatigue from the all-white bathroom," says Kathryn Scott of Kathryn Scott Design and writer of "Creating Beauty: Interiors." "My clients tend to have historic homes that include an identity and purpose. Bringing vintage fittings and fixtures into your bathroom creates an illusion of a home's early life."

Continue reading for three vintage bathroom design trends which can be making a serious comeback.

1. Vintage-inspired washstands
Want to ease into the vintage style? Consider swapping out your existing faucet with something more low-profile—then pair it with an easy washstand rather than a heavy vanity.

"Faucets with delicate features and porcelain handles are a great way to introduce a vintage-inspired try looking in the toilet," says Gretchen Kennelly of Gretchen Kennelly Design Group in San Diego, who favors models from Lefroy Brooks.

"And vintage-inspired washstands certainly are a fun method of introducing a sculptural shape in the bathroom," she adds.

Plus, experts concur that exposed piping brings a particular airiness to powder rooms. Obviously, stand-alone sinks have no storage, so modular medicine and linen cabinets "are an absolute necessity" for function, Kennelly warns.

2. Skirted sinks
Tired of your vanity sink, however, not all set completely bare-bones? Enter the skirted sink, that mainstay of late-'70s Midwestern basement bathrooms that's found new life among mildly ironic millennial homeowners.

If you're the DIY type, consider making the skirt yourself (or pick a cloth you prefer and hire a seamstress to complete the heavy lifting).

3. Vintage hardware
For an easy nod to bygone days, swap out your vanity's hardware and fixtures.

"It generates the room feel so thought-out, personal, and high quality," says Christina Harmon, a Washington, D.C.-based interior designer and creator of a luxury home goods line, Honour Collective.

Consider separate taps for hot and cold water, or a removable shower-head in polished chrome or copper. Take a look at Hoffmann's favorite vintage vendor, House of Antique Hardware, for more inspiration.

And if you're a young child of the'80s? You can rejoice, because brass is back and better than you remember.

"Brass is extremely warm and adds a bit of glam to any space," says New York City designer Highlyann Krasnow. "It's a good way to upgrade an item to make it feel more custom."