A snug floor plan needn’t hold you back when it comes to creating a stylish wash space. With the latest streamlined fixtures, space-saving storage and on-trend décor, even the most miniature bathrooms can become beautiful, functional masterpieces. Get ready to steal these ingenious ideas for your pocket-sized revamp project. Click or scroll for more…
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Experiment with ombré
This narrow bathroom is proof that you can create wow-factor in even the smallest of spaces with a few clever tricks. These smart ombré-effect floor tiles create the illusion of a larger space, elongating the line of sight as they move up from the floor to the side of the bathtub.
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Rely on reflective surfaces
Glossy bathroom tiles will reflect light around your washroom, helping to maximise the sense of space. The smooth surface makes the tiling a dream to clean, while this versatile wall covering offers plenty of scope for creativity. We love the way this herringbone design has been incorporated into a botantical-themed scheme – it’s an iridescent paradise!
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Work in wallpaper
Small bathrooms are the perfect place to play with pattern and colour – used in the right way, stunning wallpaper with big, bold prints can even make tiny spaces appear larger. Offset with white metro tiles, this lush tropical design set against a powder pink backdrop looks striking coupled with the vibrant green vanity.
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Get smart with towel storage
When walls are taken up with bathroom suites, shower cubicles and windows, there’s often little space left for storage. Give your petite washroom a hotel-style feel by mounting a towel rack above the bathtub. This industrial design offers snug, easily accessible shelves, while imparting plenty of rustic character.
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Create a wetroom
While adding a wetroom to your home is more expensive than simply installing a shower as it involves tanking or waterproofing the whole room, it can really pay off when it comes to functionality. With no need for enclosed shower doors and bulky trays, a wetroom can free up more floor space, while the streamlined finish will prevent the space from feeling cluttered.
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Consider a shower curtain
If you have a small corner in your bathroom that will just about fit a short bath, fit a shower curtain on runners to the ceiling to add another dimension to your space. Incredibly affordable and available in a range of designs, this flexible room divider will help create a more intimate and indulgent atmosphere when you fancy a soak.
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Choose transforming fixtures
When space is tight, every inch counts so look out for innovative ideas that can make your small bathroom practical and liveable. A trayless shower with retractable side panels will allow you to open up your space and better utilise the shower area when it’s not in use. Different floor tiles like this easy-drain, pebble style will give the shower zone subtle definition.
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Go in a different direction
Don’t think you have room for a bath and a separate shower? Rather than positioning fixtures squarely, try repositioning your bathtub at an angle to better fit the available space. The unusual layout evokes a bijou feel, while the relaxed, jaunty angle will soften the stark, uniform lines of many modern washrooms.
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Cut corners
In a small scheme, it’s important to avoid common bathroom design mistakes that can leave a bathroom feeling cramped, such as trying to fit unsuitable off-the-shelf units into a snug space. To free up a few centimetres of room and create an easy flow, opt for a bespoke, rounded vanity. Go for a wall-mounted model to open up the floor and create the illusion of a larger space.
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Squeeze in a shelf
Even in a small space, it’s important to inject personality. If squeezing decorations in seems a bit of a push, consider adding a narrow built-in shelf that sits at waist level – it’s a great way to display artwork, plants, candles and toiletries without compromising on room for essential fixtures.
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Dare to go dark
There’s a misconception that a dark palette is a no-go for a pocket-sized space, however, when used in the right way, it can be a real success. For example, if you want to experiment with an on-trend inky or midnight blue, team it with reflective black tiles to maximise the feeling of space. Paired with a period-style bathtub, it’ll create an indulgent and inviting bathroom right out of a boutique hotel.
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Liven up lighting
The latest lighting technology can transform the smallest of bathrooms. Line alcoves with low-level LED strip lighting to create an atmospheric space to take a relaxing soak at the end of a long day. Opt for adjustable smart lighting or a dimmer switch to customise the brightness and warmth.
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Brave a bold contrast
If you’re considering taking your home interior in a more daring direction, a small washroom is a great place to experiment with bold colour combinations. Dramatic palettes are easier to execute in smaller spaces, plus it’s not such an expensive mistake to fix if you change your mind. This contrasting scheme, which pairs black hexagonal tiles with soft pink tiling, offers the perfect balance between moody and romantic.
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Make it monochrome
Stick to a simple two-tone colour scheme of black and white for a fail-safe formula in a dazzling small washroom. All-white tiles will elongate the space no end, while black accents add a classic, sophisticated contrast. Here, a traditional white bathroom suite looks timeless and refined teamed with a black panelled bath and statement flooring.
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Blend in the bath
Treating the bathtub panelling as a continuation of the walls or floor will help it seamlessly blend into your scheme for a clean, contemporary finish. To help enhance the feeling of space in your washroom, opt for large format tiles, which are generally cheaper to buy and install too.
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Lay a bath rack
A bath rack or tray is a cost-effective and quick storage fix, especially for small bathrooms in rental properties where installing wall-mounted storage may not be feasible. Whether it’s wooden, chrome or gold-effect, this clever storage hack is a great way to ensure you have all the toiletries you need at arm’s length, as well as providing the perfect spot for a glass of wine…
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Lean a ladder
A stylish way of storing and drying towels, wooden or metal ladders make great storage solutions for compact bathrooms. This handy vertical design takes up very little floor space, while imparting a rustic, country feel to this elegant scheme.
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Feature the floor
Laying a patterned statement floor in your petite bathroom, like this 3D-effect cube design, is a sure-fire way of packing in plenty of personality. An eye-catching trend, it’s important to keep the rest of the scheme simple – pare back your fixtures and opt for a streamlined vanity and a glass shower screen to allow the floor to do all the talking.
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Take style tips from the spa
To transform a small ensuite into a soothing sanctuary, select soft neutral colours and natural tactile materials. Here, grey wood-effect tiles extend from the walls to floor, while pebble-style wall cladding adds earthy texture. Warm wooden notes balance out the cool palette and hanging plants create a zen, organic feel. If you have the space, squeeze in double basins to complete the spa-like experience.
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Pop in a pocket door
In petite spaces with little room to manoeuvre, sliding pocket doors can help to maximise functionality. With no need to make allowances for door clearings, you can fully utilise your bathroom’s floor plan. To streamline the look of your wash space even further, paint the sliding door the same hue as your walls.
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Make heating multipurpose
Modern radiators can make a stylish washroom feature but they can also take up valuable wall space, so pick a multitasking model with plenty of functionality. This smart rectangular design by Tubes is a combined radiator, towel rail and shelving unit, so it really puts every inch of wall space to good use.
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Slimline your shower-bath
So you have a small bathroom but don’t want to sacrifice your modern shower-bath? No problem; wall-mounted slimline baths are narrower but not shorter so you can still enjoy a long, hot soak whenever you want. Win-win!
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Plump for panelling
A great way to impart personality into small, featureless bathrooms is to add wood panelling to the walls. Available in a range of water-resistant finishes, this characterful cladding creates an elegant, heritage feel in even the snuggest of schemes. Opt for thin, streamlined units that don’t encroach on your available space.
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Shrink your roll-top bath
Having a small bathroom doesn’t mean waving goodbye to your dreams of a statement roll-top bath. Tubby-style baths designed for petite dimensions are shorter but deeper, offering up all the room you need for a long, indulgent bubble bath.
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Take tiling halfway
Limiting tiling to the wet areas of your small bathroom and leaving the upper portions of the walls tile-free is a great way to open up a space and create the illusion of airy, elongated proportions, plus it’ll help you cut costs if you’re working to a strict budget.
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Maximise with a mirror
Mirrors are key to making a small bathroom look and feel larger. Consider ordering a made-to-measure mirror to cover one entire wall or mount wall lights either side of an opulent vanity mirror to bounce light around the room.
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Fit wall-mounted taps
Integrating as many fixtures and fittings as possible will free up more surface space in a snug washroom, as well as giving it a sleek, contemporary edge. Minimalist wall-mounted taps like this matt black design can give even the simplest of schemes a luxury feel on an affordable budget.
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Tile in style
This small decorative tiled feature wall is a great way to introduce new trends into small spaces. Blush pink tones teamed with strong structural lines evoke an Art Deco feel that’s effortlessly stylish. For a striking contrast, combine with a sophisticated matt black sink and coordinating accessories.
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Lose the bath
If you’re not partial to a soak, you may want to consider removing the bathtub entirely. It’ll free up plenty of room for a large, luxurious walk-in shower complete with a rainfall head – you might just be surprised at what the extra space can accommodate!
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Put the walls to work
Most bathrooms are home to swathes of empty wall space. However, with a little thought, you can wave goodbye to bulky standing units and free up floor space by putting your walls to work with smart, elevated storage solutions. Shelves, slim wall-mounted cupboards and baskets can become decorative statements and provide the perfect place for towels, toiletries and trinkets.
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Convert a cupboard
Modern heating systems mean many homes have been left with redundant airing cupboards. If it’s large enough and located adjacent to your bathroom, then it could be converted into a shower and integrated into your wash space. Seek advice from a professional who can assess whether your existing plumbing will incorporate the new addition.
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Utilise awkward spaces
If you’re dealing with an attic bathroom in the eaves, spatial planning is imperative. Find a layout that utilises as much of the available space as possible – even those awkward corners and sloping ceilings. For example, positioning the bath beneath the lowest part of the eaves makes the most sense, as head room isn’t really necessary, while showers and sinks are best located in the tallest part of the room.
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Opt for open shelving
As long as you don’t clutter the shelves, open storage, which doesn’t impede the flow of light, will help a small bathroom feel airy and open. Being able to see at a glance where toiletries and towels are kept is practical too, especially in family bathrooms when there’s a queue outside in the morning.
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Sneak in storage
In tight spaces, it’s even more important to get creative when it comes to easy bathroom storage. If you have an alcove in your wash space, why not fit a mirrored cupboard a little higher than normal, leaving a sizeable void beneath the unit – it’s the perfect spot to store hand towels within easy reach.
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Box in fixtures
Boxing in the pipework of your bathroom suite is a great way to streamline the appearance of a snug space. Not only that, but it creates additional surfaces for storing toiletries and displaying plants and décor too. Available to purchase in packs or sets, this smart grey design feels sleek and uncluttered with its minimalist lines and sophisticated finish.
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Add interesting alcoves
When installing a bathroom, you often find that you need to add a false wall to conceal pipework. Not all of this space will accommodate pipes, however, so you could use some of this void to create an alcove of shelves. This extra recessed storage is particularly useful above the bath or within the shower area as it means that toiletries are always close to hand.
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Shake up your shower screen
Transparent shower screens are a great way to keep water inside the bath without impeding the flow of light in your wash space. However, there are more than just plain transparent designs on the market now. This Crittall-style panelled version creates a stylish focal point, plus it can be folded against the wall when it’s not in use.
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Create defined zones
Monochrome colours, rustic cladding and vibrant pops of lime make this small bathroom scheme quirky and stylish. Zoning the wet areas with patterned flooring helps to create the illusion of a larger floor plan by defining different areas for different purposes. While the tiling feels more functional, the wooden-effect floor creates a relaxed, laid-back vibe.
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Coordinate cabinetry
Give your small bathroom an elegant edge with classic coordinated cabinetry. Vanity units with enclosed storage will help keep surfaces tidy and uncluttered, while painted wooden doors offer a refined, traditional finish.
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Make storage mobile
Tiered, moveable storage is a small bathroom’s blessing. Perhaps best used to store more attractive toiletries and folded flannels, the freestanding design allows you to relocate the unit when necessary. You could even keep it in another bathroom when not in use if space is really tight.
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Keep surfaces clear
As well as wall-mounting fixtures, don’t forget you can do the same with bathroom accessories like towel rings, toothbrush holders and soap dispensers – the perfect way to keep limited worktop space clear. Invest in stainless steel sets to avoid unsightly rusting.
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Slide out storage drawers
Sliding drawers aren’t often the first storage option that spring to mind when planning a small bathroom design and we don’t know why! As long as they are kept organised with tidy spacers, they are the perfect pull-out home for hiding smaller toiletries and tools like hair brushes, dental floss and tweezers.
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Fall for a feature wall
Just because your walls are small, doesn’t mean that you can’t make a focal point out of at least one of them. Use patterned tiles or perhaps a digitally-printed splashback to create an incredible feature wall. To make the best use of space, think about how you can integrate storage without compromising the overall effect – these hexagonal shelves slot seamlessly into the design.
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Streamline storage
Medicines, razors, cotton buds; there are certain items that you really don’t need out on display, but it can be difficult to fit bulky storage units in a tight washroom. Instead, opt for more space-efficient designs, like this tall, streamlined cupboard that’s ideal for storing towels. Think about ways of adding storage to essential fixtures too – it makes sense to add a vanity unit beneath the sink and opt for a mounted cupboard with mirrored doors as oppose to a flat bathroom mirror.
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Orchestrate an optical illusion
Use clever optical illusions in your small bathroom to make it feel larger and more spacious than it actually is – tiling can play a big part in this. Tiles placed in vertical stripes will make a room feel taller, while tiles that sweep outwards in a V-shape will help the whole space feel more capacious and airy.
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Free up the floors
Make your bathroom feel larger by maximising the visible floor space. The more floor you can see in your bathroom, the larger it will feel so opt for wall-hung basins, storage units and toilets. These items will also make the whole area much easier to clean too, minimising the awkward spaces that you have to squeeze the mop into.
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Elevate the bath
A bath that’s raised up to reveal more floor space will also help a compact bathroom appear bigger. There are plenty of stylish ways you can achieve this – this classic scheme incorporates a powder pink bath elevated on ornate feet for a regal feel.
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Separate the taps
If your snug bathroom will only accommodate a small bathtub, it may be easier to remove the taps and opt for a cool freestanding tap instead to work around your available space. To tie the whole scheme together, you could choose a freestanding tap for your basin in the same design too.
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Combine the bath and shower
No room for a separate stand-alone shower and bath? No problem, go for a combination bath and shower. Choose one that has the shower area staggered out to create more space for standing. Go for a clear frameless shower screen that doesn’t block out light, another little optical illusion that will help your bathroom to appear larger than it is.
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Style up the shower
If your bath is seldom used, take it out and make the shower the star of your small wash space with a full-length design featuring dual shower heads. Spoil yourself further by adding in smart home tech, such as waterproof music speakers, a steam function and massaging shower heads with a variety of modes.
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Go handleless
Avoid furniture with handles and knobs that protrude into the room. Choose drawers and doors that spring open when pushed or go for units that come with a ridge that you can grip to open. This may seem like a very minor detail but every additional millimetre counts in a very tight space.
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Don’t scrimp on personality
Packed with furnishings and décor, small bathrooms can quickly feel cramped, however, that doesn’t mean settling for a blank box that’s void of personality. Here, bold, decorative tiles add character without compromising on space, while quirky hanging lights and a waterproof gallery wall offer personal touches that don’t intrude on the available square footage.
READ MORE: The world’s most expensive bathrooms
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