World's smallest bathroom
Thu, 4 Nov 2010Here is an email we received from a reader named Mari: "I have the world's smallest bathroom. I tried a couple of things, but nothing's seem to work in it. The worst thing it's not its small size, but how the things are put together. I even had an architect to take a look, but there was no way to change the things out of their original place. The bathroom is 83cm x 2.40m. The shower is 80x80cm. I was wondering if you can get me some ideas." I honestly don't know what to say about this because it really is T. I. N. Y. My advice is blow out a wall but I'm guessing that ain't gonna happen. An architect friend of Mari's said that it would be possible to blow out the wall on the left, but when it was time to do it, it was discovered that that was some kind of building regulation against it. So if you guys have any ideas for Mari, fire away! (P.S. I did a "small bathroom" reader request a couple months back but I'm not sure that post would even help in this case).
Reader Comments (43)
80cm x 80cm? Centimeters? Cute!
Okay - yes - it's small. Super tiny, I agree. But it can definitely be improved. I think there's hope!
My advice? Get rid of all the junk. It'll instantly make it feel larger. Try to narrow things down to one of each (one shampoo, one lotion, one toothbrush...the essentials). If you use clear bottles (or same bottles) for all the products, it'll feel more streamlined. Having 3 white bottles of shampoo will feel more airy than having 3 multi-coloured ones, I think.
If you want to make more substantial changes, why don't you get a pedestal sink or a floating sink. Instantly opens things up. Then you can get a cute little stool/side table/cabinet thing in a smaller-than-your-cabinet size to store other bathroom necessities. I would store all non-daily necessities in a hall closet.
One last thing...have you looked into a medicine cabinet? Adds a bit more storage and doesn't take up much room.
Good luck!
-Jordana
I agree with the above comments about the pedestal sink, but if they really want to keep the cabinet beneath, a sink that is sunk into the cabinet rather than sitting on top will also appear visually smaller.
Simplest/least expensive would be to remove the vanity and get a pedestal or wall mounted sink. If all the shower walls facing the bathroom were all glass it would feel bigger too...and decluttering of course.
I agree with all of the above. Right now the space looks too narrow compared to it's length. Without changing the size of the room the only thing you can do is get rid of that large cabinet and replace it with a pedestal sink. Maybe put some large mirrors on the left and/or right walls would help the space feel larger. If there is room, have some narrow cabinets built on each side of, and above the toilet (with a opening for the flush button). That way you can still have some storage.
my vote is for wall mounted sink
maybe slim shelves (4-5 inches wide) to the right of the toilet? floaters...and line up all your bottles and stuff on?
you need all this stuff in there can imagine, so i guess you need to style it up! you don't want it to be the first thing you see when you walk in, so putting it on the same wall as sink might work?
maybe a mirror with a shadow box wooden frame (ikea makes one, I think), and you can line up your things along the bottom of the frame?
and a pretty bath mat to stand on while brushing your teeth!
while i like the look of pedestal sinks, i find them just as impractical as what is currently there. more so, in this case, on account of all the lost storage space. i think pearl is right - get a simple vanity with a sink that is sunk into it. ikea has some gorgeous and not too expensive models. and declutter, declutter, declutter. all of those bottles and things take away from the sleek modern aesthetic of the bathroom. i'd embrace the smallness, after all, it's small and beautiful, not some musty mold-infested pile of crappy pink tiles and a leaking shower.
I love these ideas. I would also consider changing up the tile to something smaller, like subway tile on the walls and a hexagon pattern in black and white on the floors. Something that doesn't say, "Look, I'm only 2.5 tiles wide!" and adds variety. Good Luck!
I agree with Jordana's suggestions. Declutter rigorously, then decant your remaining products into unified containers. I would choose something translucent or light-colored to help the items visually recede. Then add more lighting if possible to help brighten and open up the space. Pick elegant, streamlined accessories throughout and you can turn this into a chic little boutique hotel bathroom that's still functional for little cost. A sink that's flush with the counter is a good call too, and a sink cabinet with legs or wall-mounted so it "floats" above the floor would open things up as well - the IKEA Godmorgon series has several options that fit the bill. Good luck, and I hope you share any updates you make with us!
Oh my! Lots of ideas already!
Unfortunately I'm on a small budget, so changing the tiles or big renovations are impossible... :(
I'm writing everything down, and will take a good look.
Thanks to all of you and specially for Kim! :)
P.S.: I'm feeling so self-conscious now about my mess! Should have clean it up a bit before taking the pics...
who says the shower has to be in the room---take it out and put a modern one in the bedroom----? oh and get a medicine cabinet.
i have a bathroom very similar, a very large miror helped, good lights and most importantly...
changing the hinges on the bathroom door so it opens outward instead of into the bathroom did free up a lot of space.
I agree with lots of the suggestions above (hide as many products as possible, wall mounted sink or a shallow wall mounted vanity). I have 2 pretty small bathrooms and in one I plan to take off the door that opens in & put a wall-mounted sliding door (w/barn door hardware) on the hallway wall instead. It's annoying to have to wedge myself between the sink & toilet just to shut the door. I'm not sure if that's an option for you but it would open up a little more visual space in your bathroom too. Good luck!
I found a carpenter on craigslist to build a custom kitchen island for the same price as ikea for the same size! (Unfortunately I figured this out after I purchased the ikea stuff so had to lug it all back. Ugh.) I would find a carpenter to build a VERY narrow set of cabinets/drawers, as long as possible, even towards the door. I'd remove that door, way too big for that space, and put up a folding door.
Then, a long narrow countertop, a decent size sink, but somewhat narrow. There's even room for a long narrow shelf higher up. I'd mirror the entire wall above the cabinet. Maybe go for a vintage apothecary theme with vintage bottles so it looks cute and the long shelves make more sense.
Lastly, get or take a photo of some scene receding into distance behind the toilet and make it black and white with slight brown tint to age it. Basic photo software can do this, there is also free software to tile photos to make them into wall size. You could cover the entire toilet wall with that photo (might want to get it printed in outdoor material to make it waterproof!)
Our daughter's bathroom is inside her bedroom and also very tiny. You can see a picture of it on the site of our architect: morgenrotharchitect.com. Go to Apartments then to Luna's room. The room has glass walls and is all in one, no separate shower. I think it's a fabulous use of space; people tell me the same all the time. Wish you could see more of it but you get the idea. Glass walls; all in one; built in sink.
Where I'm from, small bathrooms are a common thing. What many people do is to increase space: change your wooden door to a plastic sliding one. Because it folds in when the door is opened, part of the wall can be freed up. And your door won't be touching your sink cupboard every time you open it.
Pedastal sink, as others have said. The daintier the better. Then look upward for storage. Is that a cabinet or a window above the toilet? It's hard to tell. If it's a cabinet, replace it with a bigger cabinet that starts at standing-room and goes all the way to the ceiling. If it's a window, you don't want to lose that - so go with narrow tower cabinets on each side of the toilet, all the way to the ceiling, or if there is another wall space where a cabinet can go, put one there. Or if you can recess some cabinets anywhere, that would be huge. Or do cubbyholes in the wall with baskets to hold items for an open look.
Why are your products in the window/cabinet? A standing tower in the shower would keep that clutter out of view, or put in a storage area if more appropriate.
I'd be inclined to add some color for cheer, though I don't know what you can change here. How about a dandelion yellow/green paint or tile from halfway up the wall to the ceiling? And some cheery curtains if that's a window. Maybe some art if there's room on a wall, or even get that pedastal sink in an unusual color (if you can commit), like those art-glass bowl sinks.
Some of my budget thoughts:
1. I saw a small bathroom where they added subtle horizontal stripes all around the room and it made an amazing effect. Could you perhaps add some horizontal painted stripes (with tiles paint) or use horizontal bathroom wall stickers all the way around the room? For instance 10 cm high stripes in light grey, with 10 cm of white tiles in between. Don't add too much colors on the stripes, this should be a subtle effect.
2. Add a mirror to the wall at the left in the picture. This mirror should be for instance 30 cm broad and 180 cm high and it should be installed 20 cm above the floor, 70 cm from the back wall ore something. A really high and narrow mirror. I saw this at a bar toilet and was amazed by the effect it gave to the percepted room size.
3. Install a small mirrored cabinet instead of the regular mirror you've got. You can find them cheap and stylish on IKEA. About 7 cm deep, and with sliding mirror doors. Perfect for tooth brush and makeup, instead of keeping this around the sink.
4. Build a "bench" around the toilet. In the same height as the toilet. This will create a horizontal line that is higher than the horizontal line where the floor meets the wall behind the toilet. You could create this with cupboard knobs as a lid, so that you can store toilet paper and other hygiene stuff insiide the cupboard around the toilet. Paint it in a beautiful color, and you could add mosaic tiles to the lid and the front.
5. Get a more squared sink on top of your cabinet. Try to find one of exact the same size as the cabinet. This will create more horizontal lines and "calmness" to your room.
Good luck :-)
Built-in storage - you have a lot of wallspace and those 4 inches between the studs can hold a lot. A smaller hanging sink rather than a pedestal. Also on the sliding door suggestion - also consider if you can include 4 inches of shelving on the pull out door. Call a cabinetry carpenter. If you think your bathroom is problematic check out this idea - http://tinyhouseblog.com/tiny-furnishings/unique-bathroom-furnishings/
It's great reading everyone's ideas - what a clever bunch us DTI readers are! My suggestions would be to loose the vanity - try a mirrored cuboard set into the wall space, declutter, horizontal stripes and a cavity slider for a door works a treat to gain space. Good luck :)
You say you can't knock down any walls - but could you cut out a portion of the wall to accomodate a recessed storage unit or recessed, open shelving such as the little one that already exists in your shower cubicle? It doesn't have tobe deep, only as deep as the wall cavity - but you could make it as high or wide as any internal supports will allow (but of course this will only work if you have a dry wall) I agree with other posters about a pedestal basin - streamlined and modern, large mirrors and less products.
---Warning First time Commenter---
Not sure of regulations... But do you think you could cut an alcove into the wall for your sink? So you are not really knocking down a wall Just cutting a hole into it borrowing some space from the next door room. (though i don't know whats the other room). As thats the biggest problem with this space. the jutting sink.
mind you writing this i see everyone else are making these suggestions!
Hope you find something that works.
Sara
Well, I dont have any design contributions since my ideas echo previously mentioned ideas....
but I must say that after seeing the first image, I thought the "toilet hose" was the hand-held shower head. I was relieved to see in the second photo that she isn't *so* limited in space that she has to shower while sitting atop her commode.
I say this respectfully--just ignorantly, as I guess we do things a little differently in Texas :)
It's a very nice little space.
How about making the whole bathroom space a "wet room" where the shower area is increased and make the sink a tiled vanity all in one , put the sink into the vanity - not placed on top gives the illusion of space- use the same tile and a niche above sink for lotions etc. Put the shower running along the back wall no door and the vanity is kept in same place and the toilet is place where the shower is at moment. Keep tiles simple and no patterns which confuses things and add colour by way of towels. Keep it simple and it will feel luxurios. If you prefer to have a shower door do without a handle and get a hole the size of your finger cut in the door for a seamless look.
Though changing plumbing and sewerage pipes can be costly. Good luck.
Short of renovation, I would find some interesting baskets, with handles, one for each type of "stuff" and completely clear out all the clutter from every surface. Take the shower basket into the shower, the sink basket for sink time, etc. Find another place for your makeup, or basket those items. Get some interesting, textural cotton throws to toss on the floor for texture or color. Lighting needs to be warmer. Can you place an armoir and slipper chair just outside the bathroom to hold all items, inc towels? Treat the outside area as part of the bathroom, too. I don't envy you this situation, this is a tiny bathroom.