Top 2024 Commercial Restroom Design Trends: Wellness, Sustainability, and Technology

Commercial restrooms must be functional spaces, but leading architects, designers, and engineers are helping these spaces evolve into extensions of the overall building experience:

• Restrooms in sports arenas can be designed to energize hometown fans
• Restaurants and hotels can feature restrooms that echo the environments in their dining rooms and lobbies
• Office restrooms can reflecting the values and priorities of the companies and organizations who occupy the building
• And every type of organization can save money while reducing environmental impact

Heading into 2024, these ideas are seen in broad trends shaping the future of commercial restroom design—wellness, sustainability, and technology.

Here are the top 7 trends impacting commercial restroom design in 2024.

Wellness Trends in Commercial Restroom Design

#1: Gender neutral restrooms
More than 200 cities and counties now have ordinances to ensure that people have access to gender neutral restrooms. Why? Because people want them! 21% of workers say conventional workplace restrooms make them uncomfortable, and 55% of workers between 25 and 34 feel comfortable using all-gender restrooms¹.

#2: Toilet privacy
One way facilities achieve inclusivity is by installing single-user restrooms—private stalls with individual handwashing stations and ample space for personal belongings. Toilet privacy ensures a more hygienic and comfortable experience for everyone, with additional benefits including mental health and security².

#3: Biophilic design elements
Incorporating natural light, plants, and water features is a big trend in home bathroom design3. Biophilic design is also starting to gain popularity in commercial restroom design, because who doesn’t want a more calming and restorative environment?

Sustainability Trends in Commercial Restroom Design

#4: Water savings
74% of consumers believe businesses should make conserving water a higher priority4. One way businesses can respond to this demand is by installing water-saving restroom products such as 1.1 gpf flushometers and hybrid urinals. 

#5: Recycled and recyclable materials
Another way commercial designers are helping businesses reduce their environmental impact is by specifying sustainable materials such as bamboo, recycled paper products, eco-friendly cleaning supplies, and even restroom tiles made from recycled materials—which are designed to be recycled again⁵.

Technology Trends in Commercial Restroom Design

#6: Connected restrooms
Connected restroom products help businesses save money on labor and maintenance by letting facility management see the status of every faucet and flushometer in their buildings from anywhere in the world. No wonder the market for connected restroom products is expected to grow 365% by 2034⁶.

#7: Smart mirrors
Imagine a mirror in a sports bar restroom that offers patrons built-in touch-screen controls to catch up on real-time scores, and a health club restroom mirror that could report personalized fitness-tracking information. These possibilities explain why the global smart mirror market is expected to grow 8.5% annually by 2030⁷.

These trends are just the broad strokes, of course—there may be more specific trends impacting your particular industry. Sloan’s commercial restroom design experts can help you create or renovate restrooms that reflect the cutting edge in design, efficiency, and visitor experience no matter what kind of facility they’re in.

Contact Sloan to get started!

1—Interior Architects, The Future of Inclusive Restroom Design, October 2022
2—Excelsior, “The Importance of Toilet Privacy: Cubicle Design Tips,” October 2023
3—Designers Today, “From goth to biophilia, 10 trends that will influence kitchens and baths this year,” January 2023
4—Ecolab, “Ecolab Survey Reveals High Expectations for Water Conservation, “ March 2023
5—Realtor Magazine, “Circular Design Helps Homeowners Waste Less, Preserve More,” April 2023
6—FMI, “Smart Bathroom Market Outlook from 2024 to 2034,” December 2023
7—Market Research Future, “Smart Mirrors Market Information by Component, Application, and Region - Forecast till 2030,” February 2022