Design Advice: Small Bathroom Renovations: Things to Consider
Seattle is not a city known for its large bathrooms. Many of our clients with older houses have bathrooms that range from small to tiny. Some of these are guest baths, but often they are the main or only bath in the house, meaning they have to serve the whole family including adults, kids and visitors. It can be a challenge to make a small space work for so many different functions.
We’ve found it pays to keep it simple. Maximizing light and space are primary goals. A few simple built-ins can help with storage, and good quality, simple materials keep the bathroom feeling open and clean. These small bathrooms can also be a great place to do something small and fun. An interesting tile, some reclaimed wood or other detail can have a big impact on a small space.
When thinking about your small bath project, here are some things to keep in mind.
Layout: Is the current layout of the bath working? If your biggest problem is that the toilet is pink and the flooring is green camouflage linoleum, consider leaving the fixtures in their exiting location and just change out the finishes and fixtures. It will save you money on plumbing. If there are awkward walls in a small space, sometimes just removing or lowering them can make a big difference.
This bath had a wall separating the shower from the toilet area, creating a dark, cramped space
Removing the wall allowed the large window to let light into the whole space.
Borrowed space: Is there an adjacent closet in the next room that can lose some space to give you built-in storage in your bath? In one bathroom, we found an additional 1’ of space that had been walled off by the original builders.
This bath gained storage by borrowing some space from an underutilized hallway closet.
Fixtures: These can range from cheap and cheesy to very very expensive. We recommend looking for good quality fixtures at a reputable plumbing store (not the big box stores) and finding a simple style that won’t date itself in a few years. You don’t have to break the bank on fixtures, but this is not an area to skimp. Poor quality fixtures can fail and leak much sooner than good quality ones.
A nice simple shower head dresses up a simple tile background in this shower.
Flooring: Choose something durable and water resistant. Tile is a great choice. It is relatively expensive to install, but there are lots of great tiles out there for under $10 a square foot. In such a small space, your flooring choice won’t make a huge difference in your overall budget.
In this bath- we incorporated existing stone flooring. The rest of the materials are simple so that they don’t compete with the stone floor.
Shower/Tub: The first question is whether you really need a tub? Just putting in a shower will save you some money. If you need a tub, can it double as the shower?
We sometimes use reclaimed and refinished clawfoot tubs as a cost effective solution in areas where we may not want to tile the walls. In this bath, a reclaimed clawfoot tub got some new fir feet.
Sinks: This is a great place to do something fun. Great sinks can be had for relatively little money at Ikea, or you can find something creative to reuse at the ReStore. There are lots of choices out there. We recommend looking for something classic but fun.
This little sink is located in the shower in this tiny bathroom. Brush your teeth and shave in the shower!
This reclaimed men’s urinal got reused as a trough sink in a children’s bathroom.
Heating and Lighting: You can often reuse your existing heating system in the bath, but we have also had good luck installing electric in-floor radiant heat mats under tile floors. These create a nice warm feel underfoot and help the bathroom dry out in our cold wet climate. Lighting in bathrooms is often tricky. The best solution is to put lights on the sides of mirrors. This provides the most flattering light for the viewer. We often try to include a general light in the center of the room, mirror lights, and if necessary, a light over the shower or tub. Look for simple fixtures that are easy to clean.
Pendant lights hanging in front of the mirror provide good lighting.
Lights placed to the side of the mirror are also a great solution.
Cabinets: This is another area to keep it simple, but not skimp. In the bathroom, moisture is your enemy and cabinets are the biggest victim. Stay away from cheap particle board cabinets and go with plywood carcasses with painted or solid wood doors. Choose something easy to clean. A cabinet with intricate detailing will collect dirt and grime and be harder to clean. Very small bathrooms may benefit from having no cabinets at all. Shelves or small pieces of furniture can provide the needed storage. The counter should be something durable and easy to clean. Use larger tiles to avoid grout lines, or use a solid surface material like Paperstone.
We used plywood cabinets with sliding laminate fronts in this simple wall hung vanity.
Have fun! The bathroom should be a nice place to spend time, no matter how small. Don’t be afraid to do something quirky or fun that makes you smile when you go in there. Remember- in such a small space, a little goes a long way. One antique sink or bright cabinet color will stand out and shine.
This piece of salvaged willow is a dramatic counter in this otherwise simple half bath.
Do it right the first time! This is not the time to bring in a contractor you don’t trust or try to learn how to tile in a weekend. A great bathroom depends on good craftsmanship. Poorly laid tile not only looks terrible, but it may crack and fail. Incorrect plumbing can be disastrous, creating leaks in the house that can destroy other areas. None of these problems are easy or cheap to repair. It pays to have someone you trust do the job right the first time.