Big design ideas for small bathrooms
Wall-mounted fixtures and glass among items that save room in style
When designer Karl Lohnes moved into an historical townhouse in downtown Toronto, the guest room was one of the first spaces he renovated. Almost immediately, he decided to shave three feet off the 10by-15-foot space for what turned into a handsome, highly functional bathroom.
“I liked the idea of a guest having a self-contained bath — it just makes it more private for everyone,” Lohnes says, adding that while this project may have had particular challenges, the principles that guided him can be applied to any small-space bath design.
The entrance, for example, is formed by two 24-inch-wide glass-panelled doors. This visual trick makes the space seem more expansive, says Lohnes, who believes small bathrooms “scream for lots of glass and mirrors, especially when there are no windows.”
Above a compact sink, Lohnes chose a decorative mirror rather than a conventional bathroom cabinet model.
“It would not usually be used in a bathroom, but I wanted the bath area to feel as important as the accompanying room,” he says.
Tiny bathrooms, he says, are better suited to shower stalls than tubs because they typically take up about half as much floor space. In smaller bathrooms, he prefers glass doors, rather than curtains, for shower enclosures and stalls.
Alan Bloch, co-founder of Taps Bath Centre, concurs with Lohnes on shower stalls and glass doors.
He goes on to suggest that custom-designed shower stalls — as opposed to pre-fab units — are an effective way to maximize space.
“We can provide a seamless custom glass door that can be made to fit any opening door size and any height, and (shower)heads can be recessed and flushed mounted into the ceiling. If you have an angled ceiling, a custom door system can be measured and cut to size,” Bloch says, adding that glass shower enclosures also deliver esthetic benefits, too.
“You’re not breaking up the space so much, and any interesting wall detail — tile, stone or porcelain — will be more visible,” he says.
Lohnes likes to create extra storage by recessing cubby-like spaces into shower walls and adding towel hooks inside the stall.
Kohler’s Choreograph 14-inch shower locker unit has four removable shelves — one with a hook for hanging items and a cup for a toothbrush or razor — that can be adjusted for 10 heights. There’s also an integrated foot ledge for shaving legs or washing feet. For even more storage, Lohnes suggests adding a shelf above a doorway, or around the perimeter of the ceiling.
If a bath is a must and there is space, luxury British brand Victoria + Albert Baths has compact models (standard baths are typically 60 inches long and between 30 and 32 inches wide). The handsome Vetralla measures 29- 1⁄ inches wide by 8 58- 3⁄ inches long, and the Ve4 tralla 2 is 28- 5⁄ inches wide by 8 65 inches long. Both come in grey, and gloss or matte white and black. Those tones would suit Lohnes, who prefers neutral tones for permanent finishes, such as tub, toilet, flooring, and tiles. “To play on trends of the day and colours, you can change out towel bars, shower curtains, towels and light fixtures,” says Lohnes, who also suggests running flooring tile up a shower wall to create an uninterrupted visual plane.
Colour guru Tiffany Pratt took a different approach for the recent renovation of a small bathroom, including highly graphic hand-painted floor tiles in pink, white and black from Mettro and “almost cartoonish” handscreened, pink patterned wallpaper from Flavor Paper.
“I have fun mixing patterns, colours and different shapes. I think design is a conversation, no matter what the size of the room is,” says Pratt, who also likes to add “jewel-like touches” — in this case, a champagne bronze, deco-inspired faucet from Delta’s Vero collection that matched fixtures in the shower/tub enclosure. Pratt also decided to have fun with the over-sink mirror, opting for one custom cut in the shape of a heart.
Pedestal sinks can be a good choice for small-size bathrooms — especially powder rooms. But when providing storage without gobbling up space is a priority, the compact, contemporary design of DXV’s 22-inch wall-hung Lyndon vanity paired with the Lyndon wall-hung sink is a good fit.
Wall-mounted faucets save space, especially when used with floating cabinets. Delta has an interesting selection in a variety of styles, including the gently geometric Trinsic line. There are several finishes, including metals such as champagne bronze, and matte black.
Wall-hung toilets can also help carve out crucial space: Kohler’s Veil, for example, saves up to 12 inches of space over its floor-mounted models. Mounting hardware is concealed for a sleek surface that’s easy to clean. It comes in an on-trend black, which can look very striking with the graphic tile floors that have been popular in bathrooms of every size.
There’s no reason a small bathroom can’t both work and look well, Lohnes insists.
“It’s not about the size — it’s about planning and creativity,” he says.