Bathrooms are my most favorite design project, although they can be very challenging, especially if you have an older home and are doing a full renovation. In my design career I've worked on several bath projects, from simple redecorating to full overhauls and have encountered a few hiccups along the way. Let me just say here that if you are planning a full renovation it definitely pays to hire a professional, if not for the design portion of the project, at least for the plumbing and electrical aspect to ensure codes and safety guidelines are met. As I've said before, my hubby is an electrician and he cringes at the thought of DIYers doing their own electrical work! Safety First is his motto!
For this post I'm going to concentrate on clever and decorative storage solutions and ways to make a small bathroom look and feel larger along with tips on storage solutions.
The use of glass shower doors or enclosures in a small bathroom is essential in giving the illusion of more space. I know many people are not fond of this solution due to privacy and cleaning issues, however the difference it makes in the overall look far outweighs the negatives. This option is also more costly than a traditional shower rod and curtain but in my opinion is far worth the cost in the end result. If you plan this option into your buget you can always save money in other areas. In the projects that I specified glass enclosures or shower doors, my clients have been thrilled with the result! If privacy is an issue…lock the door!
I really love the design of the shower enclosure below. The window wall partition separates the shower area without closing off the space and allows the natural light from the window to shine throughout the room. No need for messy shower curtains here! One thing to consider in a bath remodel in your "forever home" is removing a tub/shower combo and replacing with a walk-in shower for easier access, let's face it we're all getting older and hurtling the tub won't work for very long! As long as there is a tub somewhere in the house it will not affect the home value. The newer homes I've been in have both a free standing tub and a shower enclosure.
Glass shower enclosures are available as complete units from many plumbing suppliers like American Standard and include the shower pan and walls. Although with this type of unit there are not as many wall or pan options, however can be a DIY project. This custom corner style below has a tiled base with tile walls and tucks nicely into this small bathroom. The glass walls were mostlikely ordered through a glass supplier such as Bosco glass. A frameless design is more expensive than framed, however has a seamless uncluttered look and is esier to clean. Keeping the paint as well as the wall and floor tile in the same color family also gives the illusion of a larger space.
This next transformation required a full renovation that you can see here, however I wanted to show you again how a glass enclosure changes the feel of a space. This was a very small bathroom and I think the final result is spectacular! The vanity cabinet selection in this bathroom leads me to the next solution for making a small bath feel bigger. Notice how it doesn't go all the way to the floor, but floats above it allowing the eye to see the entire floor, this is also great for cleaning. In the following photos you will see all open concept vanity solutions that make the rooms feel bigger by allowing the eye to see all of the floor space.
I am swooning over this bathroom design below! I love the industrial look of the glass shower, open vanity and tall ceiling, all adding to that spacious feel. Notice how the tile is brought up to the ceiling to enhance the height of the space and oh, that wood ceiling…!
The lack of closed storage with an open vanity can be resolved with the use of baskets and decorative trays and boxes. Rolled or folded towels are functional as well as decorative, the trick is to keep them all the same style and color scheme. Be creative with storage, any type of box, basket or pail that looks decorative can be a storage option.
Another design solution for a small bath is to use horizontal stripes, this forces the eye to travel around the room making it seam larger. In the bathroom pictured below we selected a glass mosaic tile to create a large horizontal stripe around the room. You can also see why using a glass shower door was essential to the design. If a shower curtain had been used instead it would have minimized the effect.
Painted horizontal stripes in similar colors was used in this very small bathroom to widen the space visually. A glass shower door will be added at a later date due to budget constraints.
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| Creative Design Group |
Storage is key to designing a small bathroom space. Easy access to all the "stuff" we use in the bath is important for the function of any room and equally so for the bathroom. Towels, soaps and the like can be stored and displayed at the same time, however all the stuff thats used to make us gals (and guys)
pretty, is not as decorative, therefore should be stored in closed storage. There's nothing worse for making a bath seam cluttered as toothpaste, toothbrushes, hairspray curling irons etc. being on display!
Utilizing every inch of vanity space was accomplished in the master bath vanity pictured below by custom fitting rollouts to accommodate all the stuff. To make the storage even more functional we added baskets to store products by category i.e. hair care, makeup, skin care etc. The baskets keep things contained and look nice when the doors are open.
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| Custom Designed Rollout |
I love this custom storage solution in the photo below because it functions as storage as well as being a decorative element in the room. The full length mirror reflects light and serves as another primping station! This design is simply a wooden box with a door and can be made deep enough to store all those unsightly bottles and such. I especially like to hair dryer and curling iron holders.
If you want a ready built, easy to install storage solution, this one found on Grandinroad fits the bill perfectly! Be sure to watch the video on installation in the link. This product is perfect for renters as well because it can be removed easily. Towels are used as accessories in the bath design below, but are easy access to the shower. I always add new towels in any bath project, who wants to see the ratty old ones on display! In the bathroom below, a wine rack functions nicely as a towel display.
Open shelving units make great decorative storage for towels and usefull accessories like cotton swabs, Q-tips and yes, more towels…you never can have to many towels!
If you incorporate any or all of these tips, and storage solutions I guarantee you will be pleased with your small bathroom renovation project for sure. Please feel free to comment or ask questions regarding any of the projects seen here, or on your next project, I'd love to help!
Thanks so much for visiting!
Tina
