Our 1929 home has two bathrooms. Two small bathrooms. After renovating both, I assembled 7 ideas for renovating a small bathroom?
1. Break on through to the other side.
Do you get the reference? As a teen I was obsessed with the band The Doors. How does this relate to bathrooms?
Our downstairs bath is on the small side. However, when we first bought the house it was even smaller (see crappy photo above).
I saw that the closet in the adjacent bedroom shared a wall with the small bathroom and thought “why not break on through and install a tub in the closet space?”
I hated to see the closet disappear. It even had a teensy window.
Luckily the bedroom is big enough to fit a closet in another part of the bedroom. And that sweet window now looks perfect in the tub/shower!
I understand this won’t work for every house, but an unused porch, awkward closet, or space stealing soffits could be just enough to expand your bathroom.
2. Hang shelves.
The walls behind our bathroom sinks have wiring and pipes. To avoid moving these utilities for inset medicine cabinets, we opted to hang shelves.
3. Splurge on fine finishes.
Our biggest splurge in the bathrooms is the tile. We chose one inch hexagon tiles made from marble.
Since the space is small, not much tile is required!
4. Use furniture for storage.
I love the look of an antique armoire in a bathroom. Or what about when people use antique dressers for a vanity? Gorgeous!
Unfortunately, neither of my bathrooms are big enough for either! Maybe I could squeeze a super slim dresser in the downstairs bathroom…
But I digress, what really fits best in my bathrooms are small tables. I found the inlay table above at Marshall’s years ago. It is no longer available, but I linked some great looking options. Just click the small images below to shop.
5. Create vignettes.
I love adding small touches that dress up the space.
We play with the idea of adding wallpaper in here, but for now art prevents the sterile feeling of so much tile.
On a side note, the photo of this window made me think of this post about replacing window sash cords. It is super popular and I’m not exactly sure why ha ha, but I hope it has helped others with old vintage windows.
6. Install shower niches.
If you are re-doing or adding a shower, consider adding niche insets for storing your products.
There are so many ways to incorporate them. Three shelves, one long horizontal shelf, using glass for the shelves.
7. Store rarely used items and spares elsewhere.
Thank goodness for hall closets. That is where the extra toiletries, towels, and paper products live.
A hall closet sits just outside the restroom, which works well.
Notice I don’t show the inside. The inside is just a mess lol.
Pin 7 Ideas for Renovating a Small Bathroom
Decor ideas for small bathrooms.
As I was looking for small table options I came across some lovely fixtures and accessories that I would love in either of our bathrooms.
I do have the larger shelf shown and a similar soap dispenser. The other items might be future purchases hee hee.
Thanks so much for reading! Hope you enjoyed your visit to my casa. To see more of the house projects we have done, take a look at these posts:
Breakfast nook bench top tutorial.
Our DIY wood mantle.
And some projects from friends:
These painted kitchen cabinets turned out so stunning.
A back porch makeover that makes me want to buy all new furniture and fixings for our patio.
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Great job! Love that tile!!
Thanks Leslie! Happy you stopped by ❤
Great post and I love your tile!
Thanks so much Cindy! The tile is such a treat to look at each day. Have a great week!
What a cute bathroom! I love the flooring. The finishes you have chosen will look just as good in 50 years as they do now – they are classic and timeless.
Love a shower recess, always so refined. Thanks for the great ideas.
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed. Have a great day!
These are fantastic tips! I love that you have a small bathroom to share with us. So many people encounter these same challenges – particularly if they have an older home. The tile you selected for the floor is gorgeous!! Pinned!
Thanks so much! I’m very glad you enjoyed reading. Have a great day!
I LOVE THIS!!! You did such a beautiful job…we’re in the process right now of re-doing some things in the master bathroom which is, like yours, not large. All of your tips are super helpful!!!
Aw thank you very much! Good luck with your renovation! I’m so happy you found this helpful 💗
I love your bathroom SO MUCH Marie!!! It’s so beautiful. You have such a great eye.
Thanks Laurie!! So happy you visited today 🥰
So many great tips! Your bathroom looks beautiful and the tile is stunning.
Thank you very much! The tiles are sort of tedious to lay but the outcome is worth it 😊 Have a great day!
What a transformation! Thanks for sharing at Vintage Charm!
Thanks for hosting and checking out my bathroom reno tip! See you next week 😊
YES to everything you said, Marie! I love all the extra special touches you’ve added to make your bathroom both beautiful and functional. My childhood home also has 2 tiny bathrooms and when we all visit they are too tiny for the 12 of us! I’ll definitely be using your suggestions. Loving and pinning, CoCo
Thanks for visiting CoCo! The family who lived here before us had 8 children. We of ten wonder how 10 people shared these 2 small bathrooms especially with just 1 tub! Have a great weekend 🌸
Great tips for renovating a small bathroom – pinned!
Stunning transformation; look like it’s always been there!
Thank you! That’s the biggest compliment ever!!
Marie you are always doing something amazing in and outside your home! You really have such a talent for creating beautiful spaces! Great job on this bathroom!
Oh thanks Karin! That is the best compliment. My husband, family and friends worked so hard on our house. We are super blessed ❤
Wow! What a gorgeous transformation Marie! You are so gifted with the details! Loving the flooring and mirror. Beutiful!
Thanks Melba! For some reason this comment was in spam! Sorry to respond so late.
love all your ideas! We had a cabinet in the hall similar to yours in our Cape Cod style house. Everything looks so pretty! thanks for sharing!
Thank you! It’s such a neat little hall cabinet. Have a great week!
Great ideas, and the first thing I noticed was the glorious tile, so nice.
Ah thank you so much! Happy you stopped by.
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You had me at ‘1929’ !! Omgoodness to have a home from that era would be my dream Marie! And I totally remember the post about the window sash repair! Pinned 🥰
Hee hee hey Cindy! It is a dream, but some of the repairs can be a challenge 🤪 Thanks for stopping by! 💗
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Beautifully and carefully designed! I love every details you put together, gorgeous! I would love to see you share your wonderful ideas at Home Matters Link Party, Happiness Is Homemade Link Party and You’re The Star Blog Hop. Happy Easter!
Mel
Decor Craft Design
Thanks so much Mel! You’re so kind. Oh I love to hear about new parties- I’ll make sure to check these out! Happy Easter 🐇🌸
I love your bath, and I loved The Doors reference, I was a huge fan once upon a time too! There is something so classic about marble and subway tile. You really enhanced the small bath you were working with! Thank you for sharing on Whimsy Home Wednesday!
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