Quick Summary: A handful of once-standard bathroom features (primary suite garden tubs, honey oak cabinets, tiny tile) have simply aged out. Here’s what’s dated, and what to update it with instead.
If your bathroom still looks like it did the day your house was built, you’re not alone. A lot of the West County and greater St. Louis area is full of homes with original 80s, 90s, and 2000s builder-grade bathrooms, and certain features from that era show up again and again. None of it was a poor choice at the time. Tastes and daily habits have simply shifted since then. Here’s what tends to feel dated now, room by room, and what we’re seeing homeowners choose instead.
The Oversized Primary Bathroom Garden Tub
Garden tubs were a must-have primary suite feature decades ago, but many homeowners today say they rarely use it beyond an occasional soak. That’s a lot of square footage doing very little work, especially in a smaller bathroom footprint common in older St. Louis subdivisions.
It’s worth noting this is really a primary bathroom conversation. A standard tub-shower combo in a family or hall bathroom is a different story entirely. Those tubs stay in daily use with kids in the house, and there’s rarely a reason to remove one.
The Upgrade: A larger walk-in shower, or a smaller soaking tub paired with extra vanity or linen storage, makes the primary bathroom more functional day to day without losing the option for a rare soak.
Honey Oak Cabinets and Builder-Grade Countertops
Orange-toned honey oak cabinetry and cultured marble or laminate countertops were standard in builder-grade bathrooms for years, and they show up in a lot of the same subdivisions built through the 80s and 90s. Both tend to look dated next to today’s cleaner cabinet finishes and more durable countertop materials, and cultured marble in particular is prone to scratching, staining, and yellowing as it ages.
The Upgrade: Updated cabinet finishes and a more durable countertop surface, without touching the existing layout or plumbing.
Harsh Lighting and Boxy Medicine Cabinets
A single overhead bulb was the standard lighting plan in most builder-grade bathrooms, and it’s rarely flattering or functional for grooming tasks at the vanity. Boxy surface-mount medicine cabinets have a similar problem. They tend to project several inches off the wall and interrupt clean lines in a small room.
The Upgrade: Layered lighting (vanity sconces or fixtures paired with overhead lighting) for a brighter, more finished room, plus recessed or integrated storage that sits flush with the wall and frees up visual space.
Tiny Tile with Heavy Grout Lines
Small-format 4×4 tile with heavy grout lines was standard in many St. Louis bathrooms built before the 2000s. More grout lines mean more surface area to scrub, and grout darkens and stains faster than the tile itself, so these floors and shower surrounds tend to look tired well before anything is actually broken.
The Upgrade: Larger-format tile with far fewer grout lines across the same square footage, which cuts down on cleaning time and gives the room a more open, updated look.
Frosted Glass and Carpeted Bathroom Floors
Frosted or textured glass shower doors, once popular for privacy, tend to make a bathroom feel more closed in than clear glass does, especially in a smaller room. Wall-to-wall carpet in bathrooms has also fallen out of favor, and for good reason. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency advises against installing carpet near tubs, showers, sinks, and toilets, since it traps moisture and can encourage mold growth over time.
The Upgrade: Clear glass for an open shower feel, and swapping bathroom carpet for a water-resistant flooring option, especially in older St. Louis homes with original bathroom carpet.
All-Brass and Gold Fixtures From the 90s
Shiny, polished brass fixtures were everywhere in 90s-era bathrooms, and they read as dated next to today’s finishes. It’s worth noting that matte brass and matte black fixtures are having a real moment right now, so the material itself isn’t the problem. The difference is in the finish and how intentionally it’s used across a single room, rather than applied to every faucet, hinge, and towel bar at once.
The Upgrade: Matte brass or matte black fixtures, used intentionally on a few key pieces rather than across every faucet, hinge, and towel bar.
Update Your Bathroom Today With Lakeside
Since 1997, Lakeside has helped St. Louis homeowners work through exactly this kind of update, and our team can walk you through which changes make the most sense for your specific layout and budget. Because design and construction happen under one roof, you’re working with a single team from first sketch to final walkthrough, rather than coordinating between separate designers and contractors.
If your bathroom still has the bones of its original builder-grade design, a consultation is the easiest way to see what’s possible for your space and budget. Get a free consultation and take a look at recent bathroom transformations in our project gallery before you decide what’s next.