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By Amanda Sims and Rachel Davies
Looking for small bathroom ideas that will make the space seem larger than life? So is most of New York City. The lack of square footage, limited natural light, and number of fixtures to squeeze in make a small bathroom one of the more challenging spaces to decorate. But when done right, the whole room can seem brighter and more spacious. And no, you won’t have to spend a zillion dollars to carve a window into the wall (or call on something retro like glass bricks).
These small bathroom ideas go beyond making the most of the available space and prove that bold design elements can be right at home in even the tiniest rooms. Here are the best ways to turn powder rooms, half-baths, and just little tiny (sometimes windowless) bathrooms into less cramped, more enjoyable situations. Your small bath may just be your next favorite room.
A wood floor and vanity give this city bathroom a warm and serene feeling. A soft mint green hue reflects natural light from the window. The space surrounding the freestanding tub makes the room feel more open, as does the lightweight curtain fabric, which allows maximum light to enter.
In Gilles Mendel’s Manhattan apartment, the bath’s vanity is granite and the black towels are by Calvin Klein Home.
Wait, what? “Oftentimes I like to paint small bathrooms [typically windowless rooms] a dark color, like black. It gives depth and creates an illusion of a larger space,” says Jenny Wolf of Jenny Wolf Interiors. “Go with a high-gloss in a super dark color,” advises Fleming James of Oliver Street Designs. The hue will simultaneously impart a big-night-sky effect and also bounce the little light you have around the space. (Doing so will also draw attention to the light fixtures, she points out, so you’ll need to choose them thoughtfully—bulbs that bring in plenty of light, shapes you don’t mind being pretty pronounced.)
Even with a bold marble, this bath by Joanne de Guardiola and Jon Bannenberg feels very open thanks to the mirrored upper half.
Rather than just hanging one above the vanity, consider mirroring a whole wall of your tiny bathroom. The reflection of light and pattern (and, sometimes, that open door) will do the same good work a window does.
Inspiration for the glass shower door of your dreams, courtesy of a Jenny Wolf–designed space.
If you’re starting your small bathroom design from scratch, consider scrapping the curtain entirely. “I also recommend glass shower doors in a small bath, as it will help to open up the space,” Wolf says.
The slightly more adventurous might even consider no shower door at all (a good drain is wise in that case).
“This can be a chic and modern way to amplify light,” James says, “if you do not have room for sconces or simply want a more minimalistic look.”
McGrath II used floor tile to cover the walls of this small bathroom.
Tile is a durable way to add impact and can be used from floor to ceiling. “For smaller bathroom walls, we like to specify ceramic tiles that are small,” says Suzanne McGrath of the design firm McGrath II. The designer is a fan of using one-by-four and two-by-six floor tiles—which are also less expensive—on bathroom walls.
If you have the luxury of choosing where your shower curtain goes, James recommends that you “take the fabric all the way up” past the usual height of the tub. “Extending the curtain nearly to the ceiling will certainly elongate the walls,” she says, adding that the taller your ceiling, the more this will help. The ceiling curtain track in designer Ryan Brooke Thomas’s own apartment does just that.
A pedestal sink keeps a slim profile in the bathroom of Elizabeth Locke’s Virginia home.
Covering the floor with a bathroom vanity or storage containers can create a cramped space, not to mention tripping hazards. A pedestal or floating vanity keeps the floor clear, and installing floating storage will help keep everything you need at arm’s length.
The powder room of a house in Monte Carlo features Dornbracht fittings and Phillip Jeffries wallpaper.
You might think you need to go for a petite motif, but it’s actually better to go big. “Medium- and large-scale wallpapers and tile patterns can actually make a space feel larger,” James explains. Whether you choose big tiles or an even bigger pattern is up to you; she says they’ll both “give an illusionary scale in tight quarters.”
Designers Casey Kenyon and Jonathan Beck’s Brooklyn bathroom feels decidedly airy thanks to light-reflecting high-gloss paint.
Believe it or not, this bathroom is windowless. Tall mirrored medicine cabinets and a glass shower amplify light from the interior fixtures, brightening up the space. Wolf used built-in cabinets to save floor space. A herringbone wood floor gives the illusion of a larger and warmer bath.
Another major space saver? A shower niche. If you’re designing a small bathroom, make sure to include a shower niche in your plans.
A narrow ledge in front of the mirror in this GRT Architects–designed bathroom is the perfect perch for a plant, toothbrush, and other essentials.
In a West Village powder room by designer Ashley Darryl, a towel bar is fastened to the side of the floating sink.
If you’re designing your tiny bathroom from scratch (or remodeling), a tiny corner sink may be among the most handy simple small bathroom ideas. There’s no rule that says you have to have a full-size standard sink. A corner sink gets the job done just as well—plus it gives you plenty of space and less to clean.
Hulking vanities and blocky tubs may look at home in a larger bathroom, but they can make a small bathroom feel claustrophobic. Install compact toilets and sinks or consider floating versions to open up the space, like in this 650-square-foot apartment designed by Brett Masterson. If a tub is a must, consider a Japanese soaking tub to add serenity without taking up square footage.
Bottles and tubes scattered on the countertops are guaranteed to distract from even the most gorgeous room. Samuel suggests closed bathroom storage, such as a linen closet or vanity with drawers and doors, to keep things tucked away. “Display only your favorite and most frequently used, well-designed products.” In this 323 square foot Italian pad by the founders of SCEG Architetti, the exterior of the vanity can really sing thanks to the lack of clutter.
Reclaim some of your space with a curved sink or shower. It might not seem like much, but it can make a difference, especially in a tiny space where real estate matters.
Forget anything basic. Opt for a sleek shelf that fits your decor and gives you extra space (a precious commodity in a small bathroom), like in this bathroom by Fanny Abbes, the creative director of the New Design Project, which employs acrylic shelves that perfectly match the rest of the bathroom feel.
Not only is a wall-mounted faucet a real space saver, it’s also stylish, modern, and easy to clean.
In cramped rooms, any open space is an opportunity. If there’s a niche, add open shelves to make use of that dead space, just as designer Madelon Oudshoorn Spaargaren did in her Amsterdam home.
We love this country-chic small bathroom that gets creative with a ladder. It can hang more towels than a bar, and it gives the bathroom a unique feel. If you don’t have enough space for a ladder that stands alone, choose one that is made to sit above a toilet.
Let’s be honest: We usually don’t need all those toiletry bottles. Streamlining your grooming products will give you more space, so do a Marie Kondo and pare down your shampoo collection. Or, at the very least, store the products you don’t use daily somewhere other than your counters or bathtub ledges. Getting rid of any clutter will make your small bathroom seem much bigger.
Bathroom renovated with mosaic of grey tiles; a washbasin, shower, and skylight.
This is one of the more ambitious small bathroom designs, but it will make a major impact. Installing a skylight will open up your entire bathroom and significantly brighten the space.
When stuck with a bathroom that’s cramped but features inordinately tall ceilings, a high tank toilet can be just the thing to distract the eye. In this Beata Heuman–designed apartment, a bold paint color is used to double down on those tall walls.
No matter what color bathroom tile you go for, arranging them in an interesting pattern can up the visual interest. The options are practically endless: This Paris apartment features a zigzag herringbone design with a bright white grout against the dark tile.
If you want your bathroom to be calming no matter how cramped it is, use a natural color palette and don’t worry about painting the walls. Despite the bright flooring in her own apartment, architect Corey Kingston paired a terracotta curtain and bathmat with wicker baskets for storage. If you’re set on subway tile, natural colors pair well with them too.
“Especially for a bathroom with an unusual shape, going after a theme can help make the space feel more cohesive. I had a friend growing up who had a bathroom with a theme of lips. Her mother loved lips. I loved that bathroom and found it incredibly fanciful,” homeowner Fanny Singer said during our tour of her space, explaining how she arrived at the bum-centric art in her bathroom. “I’m not going to go to that degree, but it just became a thing.”
Architect Vincent Appel paired a round floating sink with a Gio Ponti mirror in a 300-square-foot apartment’s minimalist bathroom. Without creating chaos in the small space, these two pieces added plenty of personality.
Brass hardware and fixtures can add an unexpected, refined look to any bathroom—no full renovation needed. Though the difference is slight, this Margaret Costello–designed bathroom still looks luxurious thanks to its impactful fixtures.
Nearly everything in this bathroom is pink—floor tile and tub included—and we love the look of a monochrome escape. Though this bathroom is vintage, it’s easily replicable for any design sensibility.
The best small space pieces are multifunctional, and a mirror that also offers storage can be a life saver. The medicine cabinet is the gold standard, but if that feels a little too retro, try a mirror with shelves, like this one in a New York City apartment designed by Project AZ.
Whether you use it for storage or for eye-catching decoration, as designer Philip Gorrivan chose to, do not leave the space above the toilet empty.
If your extra-small bathroom doesn’t have storage space, don’t force it! Skip a full towel rack and add either a hook for shower time or a small rack for a hand towel, as in this Noz Nozawa–designed space.
When dealing with a powder room, keep things as simple as possible. There’s no need to add storage space if you don’t have much to store, and your space will be all the more pleasing for it! We should all take the note from this Chicago home designed by Wendy Labrum.
Neutral doesn’t have to mean boring! This Aamir Khandwala–designed space employs a deep beige to create a room that is both calming and dynamic.
In bathroom design the focus often lands on sconce lighting, but a fun pendant light can serve as an impactful focal point, no matter the square footage of your bathroom. For proof, just take a glimpse at this Jake Arnold–designed bathroom’s rattan pendant.
Carved Buddha Head Statue Adding multiple mirrors to a space not only makes it feel bigger, it also has the potential to create a memorable fun house-like vibe in the bathroom. Wouldn’t you want to take a selfie in this space designed by homeowner Chris Aswad?