4 Great Small Bathrooms... and How They Did It
Skinny, awkward, seriously short on space – find out how these designers overcame the challenges of these teeny spaces
If designing your compact bathroom has you stumped, don’t despair. We’ve rounded up four inspiring bathrooms that are small on space but big on functionality and flair – and we’ve asked the designers behind them to reveal exactly how they made the areas work.
The ensuite is hidden behind the master bedroom’s wardrobe doors
Brief
Brief
- A calm and luxurious ensuite.
- Create more space.
- A focus on symmetry and attention to detail within the design.
- A double vanity.
- Incorporate generous storage.
- Natural light.
- A double shower.
- Incorporate natural marble.
- Add wow factor – but in a subtle way that would appeal to potential future buyers if the client decides to sell in the future.
The bathroom before works
What was the bathroom previously?
A smaller ensuite. We created a bigger ensuite by taking space from a separate toilet that originally backed onto the old ensuite.
What wasn’t working about the bathroom originally?
It was dull, dark and poky with finishes that were not to the client’s taste.
Ready to take the plunge? Find a local bathroom designer on Houzz to help bring your bathroom vision to life
What was the bathroom previously?
A smaller ensuite. We created a bigger ensuite by taking space from a separate toilet that originally backed onto the old ensuite.
What wasn’t working about the bathroom originally?
It was dull, dark and poky with finishes that were not to the client’s taste.
Ready to take the plunge? Find a local bathroom designer on Houzz to help bring your bathroom vision to life
The original floor plan
What exactly did you do?
We stripped out the bathroom, and removed the wall dividing the toilet and existing ensuite in order to create a larger space. We reconfigured the layout, added a skylight, replaced the original window, electricals, plumbing, tiling and cabinetry.
We also updated the wardrobe doors to match the new ensuite design.
What exactly did you do?
We stripped out the bathroom, and removed the wall dividing the toilet and existing ensuite in order to create a larger space. We reconfigured the layout, added a skylight, replaced the original window, electricals, plumbing, tiling and cabinetry.
We also updated the wardrobe doors to match the new ensuite design.
The floor plan after works
How did you address the issue of space?
We removed the wall dividing the original ensuite from a toilet, and used this space for a double shower.
Gaining this extra space allowed us to add interest to the room through eye-catching wall finishes. The hob wall also provided plenty of opportunities for shower storage, without infringing on precious floor space.
How did you address the issue of space?
We removed the wall dividing the original ensuite from a toilet, and used this space for a double shower.
Gaining this extra space allowed us to add interest to the room through eye-catching wall finishes. The hob wall also provided plenty of opportunities for shower storage, without infringing on precious floor space.
Having the double shower across this wall allowed us to install the double vanity at the bathroom entry – as well as incorporating the wow factor the client wanted (as you can see it from the bedroom). This also created more space to move around the bathroom.
Fixtures and fittings
- Brodware City Plus brushed chrome tapware.
- Custom-made vanity cabinetry finished in two-pack polyurethane.
- Signorino Tile Gallery terrazzo tiles to the floor and shower hob.
- Cerdomus Tile Studio tiles to the area above the hob and the wall above the vanity.
- G-Lux Stone Elba marble to the vanity benchtop and splashback.
2. Colour punch
Designer: Nicola Dovey, architect, stylist and owner of Drawing Room Architecture
Location: Northcote, Victoria
Who lives here: A couple with two young children
Bathroom size: Approximately six square metres
Description: A bathroom in a new 27-square-metre extension to a four-bedroom, one-bathroom Victorian home – the new addition houses this second bathroom and a new dining room, kitchen and laundry
Budget: Approximately $27,000 (including a new floor, walls, roof, insulation and a skylight)
Designer: Nicola Dovey, architect, stylist and owner of Drawing Room Architecture
Location: Northcote, Victoria
Who lives here: A couple with two young children
Bathroom size: Approximately six square metres
Description: A bathroom in a new 27-square-metre extension to a four-bedroom, one-bathroom Victorian home – the new addition houses this second bathroom and a new dining room, kitchen and laundry
Budget: Approximately $27,000 (including a new floor, walls, roof, insulation and a skylight)
The floor plan of the new addition
Brief
Brief
- A bathroom suitable for the whole family.
- A spacious and interesting feel.
- Lots of natural light.
- Create privacy from the neighbouring home.
- Include touches of timber.
- Incorporate feature tiles.
What exactly did you do?
- Designed a layout to maximise the small space.
- Installed a skylight to draw in natural light and enhance the sense of space.
- Chose white for the walls, bath tiles and ceiling to make the space feel light and bright.
- Raked the ceiling to add additional height to the room.
- Put a hinge on the shower glass so the parents have full access to the children when they’re bathing.
- Put a swivel spout in the bath so it can be pushed out of the way when someone is bathing.
- Incorporated the client’s green tiles into the design.
How did you address the issue of space?
Fittings and fixtures
- Put the shower in the bath to maximise space.
- Specified a cavity slider rather than a swing door to save space.
- Chose a floating vanity to maximise floor space. It also has plenty of storage.
- Positioned the towel rails in the bath nook.
- Kept the large areas white to bounce around the light.
- Kept the window high to ensure privacy from the neighbours.
Fittings and fixtures
- Ikea Godmorgon vanity.
- Artedomus Vaisselle green tiles.
- Classic Ceramics gloss white tiles.
- Rogerseller tapware.
3. Super soaker
Designer: Kitty Lee, architect and principal at Kitty Lee Architecture
Location: Chippendale, NSW
Who lives here: A young couple
Bathroom size: Approximately five square metres
Description: The main bathroom servicing two bedrooms on the first floor of a renovated Victorian terrace
Budget: Approximately $30,000
Designer: Kitty Lee, architect and principal at Kitty Lee Architecture
Location: Chippendale, NSW
Who lives here: A young couple
Bathroom size: Approximately five square metres
Description: The main bathroom servicing two bedrooms on the first floor of a renovated Victorian terrace
Budget: Approximately $30,000
The bathroom before works
Brief
What wasn’t working about the bathroom originally?
It was very small, dark (the only natural light came through a small glass-brick window on the boundary wall), and poorly ventilated. It also had a combined bath/shower, which the owners weren’t keen on.
Brief
- A light-filled bathroom big enough to fit in a Japanese bathtub (which are shorter and deeper than most Australian baths).
- A large, deep basin.
- A light-coloured materials palette.
- A separate shower.
What wasn’t working about the bathroom originally?
It was very small, dark (the only natural light came through a small glass-brick window on the boundary wall), and poorly ventilated. It also had a combined bath/shower, which the owners weren’t keen on.
The floor plan after works
What exactly did you do?
What exactly did you do?
- Extended the length of the bathroom by 1.5 metres.
- Divided the space into separate wet and dry zones.
- Boosting light was a challenge here as the only external wall was a boundary wall, so adding windows was not an option. We solved this by installing a large, custom-made ventilating skylight over the wet zone.
- Put in new fixtures and finishes.
How did you address the issue of space?
- My client’s desire for a Japanese bathtub was the starting point for the spatial arrangement of the room. The shorter size of a Japanese bathtub perfectly fits the narrow width of the room.
- I combined the bath and shower in one ‘wet’ area for an efficient use of space. The ‘dry’ area, housing the vanity and toilet, is positioned at the other end of the room.
- Specified an open shower to enhance the sense of space. The shower screen also acts as a room divider.
- Laid the subway tiles vertically on the wall to draw the eye up and visually enhance the height of the room, while detracting from its narrow width.
- A generous, wall-to-wall niche beside the bath provides neat storage for both bath and shower without the need for any additional fittings.
- A large skylight fills the room with natural light and the sky view expands the sense of space in this compact room.
- At one end of the bathroom is a full-height recessed mirrored cupboard, which takes advantage of a niche in the wall. The mirror reflects light in the room, makes the room feel larger, and provides valuable storage space.
Fittings and fixtures
See the rest of this narrow home and read the story behind its renovation
- Shear Glass and Aluminium bathroom shower screen.
- The Japanese Bath Company bath tub.
- Astra Walker tapware.
See the rest of this narrow home and read the story behind its renovation
4. Tiny and terrific
Designer: Vanessa Cook, design manager at smarterBATHROOMS+
Location: Yarraville, Victoria
Who lives here: A couple with three young children
Bathroom size: 2.75 square metres
Description: An ensuite
Budget: Approximately $38,000
Designer: Vanessa Cook, design manager at smarterBATHROOMS+
Location: Yarraville, Victoria
Who lives here: A couple with three young children
Bathroom size: 2.75 square metres
Description: An ensuite
Budget: Approximately $38,000
The floor plan after works
Brief
The shower was tiny, there wasn’t enough storage and the aesthetic was very outdated.
Brief
- Create a sense of spaciousness in a very small area.
- More storage.
- A larger shower and vanity basin.
- Small tiles.
The shower was tiny, there wasn’t enough storage and the aesthetic was very outdated.
What exactly did you do?
- Replaced all the original fittings and fixtures.
- How did you address the issue of space?
- Created a wall-to-wall niche on the shower and vanity wall to create the illusion of more space. This niche also gave us an extra 110 millimetres of depth, which allowed us to have a deeper vanity top and a larger basin.
- Specified an in-wall cistern toilet.
- Specified a frameless shower screen that provided a full view of the room.
- Chose a wall-hung vanity with open shelf storage rather than a solid style with cupboards or drawers to visually enhance the sense of space.
- Selected a monochromatic colour palette to simplify the bathroom. Visual interest was added though small, textured tiles, and touches of timber inject warmth.
Fixtures and fittings
Your turn
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More
Want more small-bathroom inspiration? Don’t miss 22 Bathrooms That Rock a Narrow Floor Plan
- Venice 450 Solid Surface basin.
- Icon ceiling-mounted shower in matte black.
- Astra Walker Icon + Lever tapware in matt black.
- Glazed ceramic matt-black penny-round tiles to the floor.
- White matt-ceramic tiles to the walls.
Your turn
Did you find this story useful? Tell us in the Comments below, like this story and save the images. Go on, join the conversation.
More
Want more small-bathroom inspiration? Don’t miss 22 Bathrooms That Rock a Narrow Floor Plan
Designer: Olivia Cirocco at GIA Bathrooms & Kitchens
Location: St Kilda East, Victoria
Who lives here: A couple with two young children
Bathroom size: Approximately six square metres
Description: A master ensuite accessed through built-in wardrobe doors
Budget: Approximately $50,000