Most small bathroom articles show you a beautiful room with one toothbrush in it. This one assumes you own shampoo, towels, a hairdryer and cleaning supplies. Every idea below adds a place to put something, and the photos show how it looks when it is done well.
1. A wall-hung vanity with drawers, not doors
Cupboards under a sink waste the space around the trap. Drawers with a U-shaped cut-out use all of it. Wall-hung means you can see floor beneath, which makes the room read bigger, and cleaning takes seconds.
2. Recessed niches in the shower wall
If you are retiling, build a niche. Make it long and horizontal at chest height, tile the inside in a contrasting colour, and slope the base slightly so water drains.
3. A mirror cabinet instead of a mirror
A recessed or surface-mounted mirror cabinet holds everything that currently lives on the counter. Choose one with an integrated light and a shaver socket and you have removed two more things from the wall.
4. Go tall with a narrow ladder shelf or tower
The gap beside the toilet is usually 25 to 35 centimetres. A tall, narrow unit fits, holds toilet paper and towels, and takes the eye upward.
5. Over-the-door hooks and a towel ladder
Replace the single towel rail with a row of four hooks on the back of the door, plus a leaning ladder for the towels in use. Hooks take 10 seconds to install and hold a whole family of towels.
6. Large-format tile, laid to the ceiling
Big tiles with matching grout make a small bathroom feel like one continuous surface. Take them to the ceiling in the shower and the room reads taller.
7. A glass panel instead of a shower curtain
A shower curtain visually cuts the room in half. A single fixed glass panel, no door, costs less than a full enclosure and makes the shower part of the room.
8. Shelves above the door
One floating shelf above the door holds spare towels and toilet paper in two matching baskets. Nobody looks up there, so it never looks cluttered.
9. A pedestal sink swap for a slim vanity
Slim vanities now come at 35 to 40 centimetres deep. That is the same footprint as most pedestal sinks, with storage.
10. Light colours below, one dark accent above eye level
Keep everything at hand height light, then paint the wall above the tile and the ceiling in one deep colour. The room feels taller because the boundary between wall and ceiling disappears.
11. A corner shower with a curved door
If a walk-in is not possible, a quadrant enclosure in the corner takes up less of the room than a square one and leaves space to open the door and turn around.
12. Under-sink drawer organisers
Whatever storage you have, divide it. Small trays for cosmetics, a tall divider for bottles, and one drawer reserved for the things you use every single day.
13. A bath with a shelf ledge
When the bath sits against the wall, build a ledge along the back at tile height. It is storage, a seat edge and a place for a plant.
14. Baskets under a console vanity
If you like the look of an open metal or wood console, add two lidded baskets to the lower shelf. Open and airy above, hidden storage below.
What to do first if the budget is $100
- Hooks on the back of the door.
- A shelf above the door with two baskets.
- Drawer organisers for whatever storage exists.
- Warm white bulbs.
- Take everything off the counter that is not used daily.
Frequently asked questions about small bathrooms
What colour makes a small bathroom look bigger?
Pale, warm tile with matching grout, taken to the ceiling. One dark accent above eye level adds depth without closing the room in.
Is a shower or a bath better in a small bathroom?
A walk-in shower with a glass panel makes the room feel largest. Keep the bath only if you actually use it more than once a week.
How do I add storage to a rented bathroom?
Over-door hooks, a tension-rod shelf in the shower, a freestanding tower beside the toilet and a mirror cabinet that hangs on two screws.
Are floating vanities strong enough?
Yes, when fixed into studs or masonry with the supplied brackets. They hold the same weight as a floor-standing unit.
