Small Bathroom? Make the Most of It with These 4 Tips!
In our 101-year-old home, we only had one small bathroom for many years. Although it was compact, we made it functional without compromising style. A common problem, as anyone can relate to, is making a bathroom that you and your guests use look like you haven’t stepped foot in it for weeks! This means hiding all the toiletry and the mess that follows so your guests don’t know what brand of face cream you use.
Here is how we made our primary bathroom functional by answering your common questions.
1. Can small bathrooms be painted a dark color?
Yes! Yes! Yes! When you opt for light tile, like the white subway tile that we used throughout our bathroom, going dark with your wall color will make the room pop. Our bathroom, as seen in the pictures, was painted with Blue Cruise by Sherwin Williams to offset the stark white tile. Now you’re asking, what tile is right for my small bathroom?
2. What tiles should I use for my small bathroom?
Go light in color! This will let the light reflect off the tile which in turn gives the room a bigger feel. It will also make your space feel bigger if you continue the floor tile into the shower space. Jamie loved the floors at our favorite burger joint in Philly (hello Village Whiskey!) and literally popped the white tile pieces out and replaced them with the black tiles to get the same look. Having the black tile border on both the walls and the floors made the room feel exponentially bigger by making the shower and the room the same space.
We also extended the tile to the ceiling in the bathroom instead of stopping at the door height to amplify the height of the ceiling, which makes the space feel bigger.
3. How should I decorate a small bathroom?
Simplicity is key! In order to not make the space feel cramped, go with simple, pretty, and timeless products. We chose a pedestal sink, which makes *zero* sense for storage space but worked really well in keeping the bathroom elegant and streamlined. To make up for the lost storage space, we installed a hotel rack about the toilet to hang hand towels and allow for storage bins (hello toiletry hiders!) When looking for a mirror, we decided on one with a shelf to hold additional items that would have gone on the lost vanity counter when getting ready.
As I said previously, simplicity is key and when going for a minimalist approach, it is always a good idea to pay for quality over quantity. We choose to go with Waterworks to have the look and feel of luxury. We also knew that this bathroom would be heavily used for a few years before we finished our master bathroom and wanted to make sure our fixtures lasted and didn’t show any wear and stood the test of time when it came to trends. Our exposed shower head is the focal point of the room and pulls your attention to the height and depth of the room and definitely helps pull the eyes past the ‘messy’ area.
4. Where to hang towels in a small bathroom?
We lucked out with having a free wall to hang three robe hooks inline on the wall. If I didn’t have the luxury, I would definitely invest in a small floor-based towel rack (like this one) or even a nice rack to hang on the back of a door (like this one). I am currently going through this problem with the master bathroom redesign and will let you know what I decide on once completed!
Well, there you have it! Following these 4 tips will give you the starting point to start planning out your small bathroom, whether it is a primary bathroom, master bathroom, or just a guest bathroom. Comment below with your own recommendations of things you have done in the past!
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