Optical illusions and storage hacks, coming right up.
Small bathrooms have tons of potential to be incredibly charming and functional. But unless yours is a sweet little bonus powder room with no purpose save for handwashing before dinner time, a small bathroom can also be extremely tricky to design, especially if you don't have professional help. Where do clean towels go? What about hooks for wet ones? Can a bathtub and separate shower fit, or will it look and feel too crowded? Then there are the many small but crucial decisions you face in any bathroom renovation, like plumbing fixtures, paint, tile, countertops, and lighting. A small bathroom renovation is still a big job, no doubt. Done well, however, small spaces can be case studies in ease and efficiency, with personality to spare. You just need some inspiration and advice from design pros to start rethinking yours. Don't let the limited space stop you from living large! Freestanding Wash Basin
🏡 Love looking at designer spaces for inspo? Us too! Let's obsess over them together.
That's right, before you throw in the bath towel and call a broker to help you find a new place, consider the following bathroom storage ideas, plus floor plan, window treatment, and styling solutions that will help your small bathroom look as good (and work as hard) as a big jack-and-jill or primary ensuite. Make every inch count with inspiration from these simple bathroom designs, and you'll forget how small your bathroom actually is. Scroll to the end for more design FAQs!
Three traditional sconces were mounted on the mirrors of this small bathroom—designed by Sara Swabb of Storie Collective and Tanya Smith-Shiflett of Unique Kitchens & Baths—to direct light where it’s needed. The mirror came from a creative solution: "While we originally envisioned one single mirror with hand-finished brass trim, it would have been too large to even get into the house," says Swabb. "Instead, we decided to save a little money by doing four separate mirrors with beveled edges, which turned out to be one of our favorite design details."
Create a sense of openness by drenching the room in pearly whites, as design firm Toledo Geller did in this bathroom. The varying white marble tiles, white ceiling, and off-white window shade provide a bright yet soft atmosphere. The glass shower doors make the space feel larger, while the small brass table adds a pop of elegance.
To make up for the lack of counter space and storage in the bathroom of her Los Angeles home, designer Francesca Grace placed a small cabinet next to the sink. A simple wall hook holds a single hand towel, while the wide mirror reflects light and makes the space feel bigger.
If you don't have a ton of room to make a statement, do so with small vintage pieces. In the bathroom of a 1960s West Palm Beach, Florida, bungalow, designer Gillian Segal placed a delicate vintage sconce in between curved mirrors sourced from Mecox for a romantic touch.
Ensure privacy without sacrificing light by picking out window shades that are translucent. The rattan shade in this bathroom by designer Becca Casey balances those needs while adding texture and warmth to the space.
Save space by installing a floating sink basin instead of a freestanding sink or full vanity. In this bathroom, designer Hecker Guthrie went with a sleek black-and-white one for high contrast. If you ever need more storage, you can always add some underneath.
Craft a private oasis that's rooted in nature for optimal relaxation. If your home is blessed with natural elements like brick and stone, show them off. If not, introduce them where you can. Their textures can add so much dimension, as shown in this space by design firm Arent & Pyke, with its floor-to-ceiling stone and mirror.
Chintz brings a touch of the garden into this bathroom, where designer Justine Cushing managed to fit in a dressing table and a matching chair that tucks underneath it thanks to a clever layout. The pretty skirt also hides other essential toiletries too.
A wavy contrasting floor tile, carried up the side of a built-in tub, unifies several surfaces in this bathroom by Atelier ND at actor Carice van Houten's Amsterdam home. A bright red towel warmer takes up barely any square footage adds serves more than one function: storage, and coziness.
Designer Alexander Reid personalized this small rental bathroom with a monogrammed shower curtain that also features a classic border. Pretty framed prints and a garden stool take up little space but go a long way as far as formalizing the room.
Don't let a quirky floor plan or roof lines block your creativity or your dream bathroom setup. In the primary bathroom of her home (formerly a church), designer Nathalie Chong set tub into the dormer offers and squeezed in a double vanity. She mimicked the drama of the ceiling with different-sized mirrors to make the slanted roofline work and dabble in asymmetry.
Natural light is too important for cramped spaces to block with curtains. If you can afford to keep the windows bare (i.e. there's enough privacy as is!) then focus on incorporating rich materials elsewhere to do the visual heavy lifting instead of adding window treatments. A stone and bronze vanity, geometric floor tiles, and plaster finish walls do the trick in this small bathroom designed by Brigette Romanek.
Design firm Studio Shamshiri “chose minimal finishes and millwork that didn’t distract from the nature outside,” and used vertical space to play up the height of the bathroom. They also added sneaky storage via a floating custom cubby spanning the length of the double vanity and installed an equally long towel bar beneath it.
“Everything feels sort of candlelit,” says designer Jae Joo of this Boston home. The elegant powder room is no exception. Ambient lighting radiates a soft glow, wood finishes emit warmth, and the green floral wallpaper brings the entire room to life; together, these elements have a cocooning effect. Replacing hinges and installing pocket doors—whether at the entrance or on a closet enclosure—saves a lot of usable space in a small bathroom.
Use the same materials on the shower stall and the sink vanity as designer Nina Barbiras of Fig NYC did in this bathroom. She makes a strong case for rich marbled veining and unpolished brass here.
So your small bathroom doesn't have any wall space for windows... but what about installing a skylight? Studio DIAA opted for a Crystalite one, which floods the space with natural light but also maintains privacy.
Besides looking incredibly charming, this collection of vintage mirrors in a Boston home by Cecilia Casagrande is also a great small-space solution: The mirrors move sunlight into every nook and cranny of the room. By painting the frames all Farrow & Ball Pitch Black, the homeowner unified the quirky collection to feel cohesive in a small space. The Grow House Grow wallcovering adds flair.
A smaller free-standing slipper tub is a great alternative to a traditional bathtub if you're a habitual soaker without a massive footprint to work with. Keren Richter of White Arrow Design put this one in a Brooklyn townhouse right by the window, creating a strong visual focal point. Though you can't stretch out as much, a tinier tub is still a wonderful alternative.
A deep red paint color, fun graphic floor tiles, and a modern pendant each add some personality to this small bathroom (in a cool Seattle treehouse) designed by Andy Beers of Ore Studios. The spacious drawers under the floating vanity also help keep things tidy and maximize every spare inch of the space.
"The bathroom is really long and narrow, so it forced me to really find the right bathtub to fit in it," says designer Delia Kenza of a small bathroom she renovated for clients in Brooklyn. She demo'd the former bathtub surround, which wasted valuable inches, and replaced it with a freestanding Signature Hardware tub on an elevated platform.
30 Clever Pantry Organizing Ideas to Save Space
34 Design Tips for Decorating Your First Apartment
21 Clever Shoe Storage Ideas You'll Love
This Woman's Secret “Costco Door" Is Brilliant
25 Tricks That Make the Most of a Small Closet
16 Prefab Tiny Homes You Can Order Online
We Found the Ultimate Craft Room Cabinet
8 Murphy Beds That Maximize the Smallest Spaces
These Are the Best 13 Sectionals for Small Spaces
31 Best Clothing Storage Ideas for Small Bedrooms
A Part of Hearst Digital Media
We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back.
Solid surface bathtub ©2023 Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.