Table of Contents
Use the Windows
To make an odd powder room layout work, designer Chauncey Boothby designed a curved, wall-hung wood vanity (finished to look like walnut) and floated an Isabelle Home mirror from a brass hook using grosgrain ribbon.
Extend the Vanity
In designer Courtney Petit’s Dallas home, an under-the-stairs bath is a nod to her late mother’s beloved blue-and-white china. The durable quartz countertop continues behind the toilet, creating a useful ledge.
Mirror the Entire Wall
In House Beautiful‘s 2023 Whole Home, designers Marita Simmons and Krysta Gibbons of Kipling House chose a floor-to-ceiling wall mirror for this bathroom in the ladies’ lounge to make the tiny space feel that much bigger. Not only does the mirror create an optical illusion, but it also works to reflect light around the small room.
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Install Sconces on the Mirror
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.”
Go for Pearly White
Create a sense of openness by drenching the room in white, 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. Glass shower doors make the space feel larger, while the small brass table adds a pop of elegance.
Use Furniture for Counter Space
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.
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Source Vintage Statement Pieces
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, Gillian Segal placed a delicate vintage sconce in between curved mirrors sourced from Mecox for a romantic touch.
Select Translucent Shades
Ensure privacy without sacrificing light by picking out window shades that are translucent. The rattan shade in this bathroom by Becca Casey balances those needs while adding texture and warmth to the space.
Try a Floating Sink
Save space by installing a floating sink instead of a pedestal sink or 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.
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Take Inspiration From Nature
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.
Put a Skirt on the Vanity
Chintz brings a touch of the garden into the bathroom of this Southampton retreat, where Justine Cushing managed to fit in a dressing table and a matching chair that tucks underneath it thanks to a clever layout. The skirt hides other essential toiletries too.
Personalize It With Your Monogram
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 making it feel formal and polished.
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Work Around the Roofline
Don’t let a quirky floor plan block your creativity or your dream small bathroom layout. In the primary bath of her home (a former church), designer Nathalie Chong set a tub into the dormer windows and squeezed in a double vanity. She emphasized the drama of the ceiling by using different size mirrors, making the slanted roofline work for her and dabbling in asymmetry.
Leave the Windows Bare
Natural light is too important in a cramped space to block with curtains. If you can afford to keep the windows bare (i.e., there’s enough privacy), focus on incorporating rich materials elsewhere to do the visual heavy lifting and skip the window treatments. A stone and bronze vanity, geometric floor tiles, and plaster walls do the trick in this small bathroom by Brigette Romanek.
Keep Millwork Minimal
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 this bathroom. They also added sneaky storage via a floating custom cubby that spans the length of the double vanity and installed an equally long towel bar beneath it.
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Soften the Lights
“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.
Use Fewer Materials
Use the same materials on the shower stall and sink vanity, as Nina Barbiras of Fig NYC did in this bathroom. It makes a strong case for rich marbled veining and unpolished brass.
Add a Skylight
So your small bathroom doesn’t have any wall space for windows… but what about a skylight? Studio DIAA opted for a Crystalite one, which floods the space with sunlight and maintains privacy.
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Hang a Mirror Gallery Wall
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 in Farrow & Ball Pitch Black, the homeowner unified the quirky collection to feel cohesive. The Grow House Grow wallcovering adds flair.
Choose a Freestanding Tub
“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.
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