Tips for Decorating a Small Bathroom

Design Tips | February 19, 2020

Today we want to share our tips for designing a small bathroom that doesn’t sacrifice style. The number one thing we do is to always have something that’s a statement. Because it’s a small space, you need something that’s visually interesting in there. That could be your vanity, or it could be wall tile or wallpaper, lighting. Something needs to stand out and be visually interesting.

In Erin’s powder bathroom, the brass faucet and artwork really stand out. We love the bold look of brass against a clean, white backdrop. And never underestimate the character a single piece of vintage art can bring to a space. The colors in the painting add depth to the space while still allowing it to be neutral and calming.

In Kirsten’s powder bath, the tile stands out and is the real star. The color and texture of the handmade tile immediately captures your eye, but because the color is a beautiful, soft blue, it doesn’t overwhelm you. The naturally occurring texture provides movement and depth and keeps the space interesting. We kept the other pieces simple that help to highlight the tile without taking away from it. When deciding on accessories and other finishes, you want to make sure they compliment the statement, not compete with it.

photography by Lindsay Salazar Photography / from the Krason home

The boys’ bathroom in our Kaysville New Build has this star wallpaper that really stands out and makes the bathroom feel nice and cozy with the darker color. We also love how the finish on the mirror and the pendant lights brings out the stars in the wallpaper more, highlighting that detail in the design.

In our Alpine Remodel hall bath, we incorporated a large patterned tile on the floor. This bathroom is narrow, but because flooring is a must, we took the opportunity of not having a lot of open space to make an impact on the floor. Doing this really captures the eye, keeps the space interesting, and all without adding any visual clutter that could make the space feel smaller.

The powder bath has ship lap on the walls. Even though it’s painted white, it adds quiet texture without overwhelming the space and keeping it interesting at the same time. Wall treatments like ship lap and wainscot can really add a lot of character and charm to a space without a lot of cost or taking up space.

In our Traverse Mountain Modern project, we did a stripe detail using penny tile on the floor. Penny tile is such a great, affordable option for tile and you can really get creative with it.

Hexagon tile is another affordable option you can get creative with. In our Kaysville new build pool bath, the floor tile is the real star. How cute is that “POOL” spelled out in the tile?

The biggest takeaway we hope you have is that there’s no one set formula. When it comes to making a statement in a small bathroom, you can use almost anything to achieve that. A wall mount faucet or wall mount vanity. Closed vanity or open storage with baskets. Pendant lights hanging down or sconces on the side. A tall mirror or a short mirror. Patterned tile or a patterned rug. You’re really only limited by your imagination. To help in your planning process, we’ve rounded up some vanities and mirrors we love and even included some pairings. Some of these can be the statement for sure and others are more of a supporting player.

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