home about me our home

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Very Small Bathrooms That Look Grande!






If we have a small bathroom sometimes we think that we can’t make it look pretty. 

We tend to try and make it look more spacious and the reality is, if you can stand in the middle of the room, spread your arms and touch each side of the room, you know it is small.

I have two favorite rooms to design and decorate, children's rooms and bathrooms.


My theory about designing a small bathroom is, you can’t make it look larger, but you can make it look Grande. Not Grande in size but Grande in feeling.

I say make it look like a jewel box. Make it so wonderfully appointed that people will not want to leave.


Once they come out your guest bath the first thing they say to you is, “Wow! you really have a beautiful bathroom, or that is the nicest bathroom I have ever been in!”

I am going to show you some beautifully appointed bathrooms, and maybe you will see that a very small bathroom, or powder room can be a beautiful little jewel box! 

This room is exactly what I was referring too as small enough that you can touch each side of the walls. It is a very small powder room, and yet the owner spared no expense on the amenities.

An amazing open legged sink, lovely wainscoting. Oversized scenic wallpaper is the perfect choice for this room.

Check out the sconces, beautiful, and unusual design. A lovely traditional style black framed mirror is the finishing touch.

A lot of beauty in such a small space.


The wallpaper in this bathroom really sets the mood for this small space. All the other details are kept sleek and contemporary. Since there is so much white they chose to use a dark tile floor in a brick pattern to ground the room.



This small bathroom fascinates me. Black walls become the backdrop to art covered walls. This room has  a lot of Wow factor.

One of the prettiest bathrooms I have ever been in was literally 4’X4’ and all the walls were painted black with dark cabinetry and brass fixtures, including the sink. The sconces were black with brass bases. I saw this thirty years ago and have never forgotten it.

That one little bathroom taught me to go all out in designing my own personal bathrooms.


Nothing was spared in this pretty bathroom, wallpaper, beautiful vanity, even a chandelier.



Beautiful soft blue vanity, simple, yet elegant at the same time, this is my kind of bathroom. Notice the little bun feet to make the vanity more like a piece of furniture. A small touch but add something extra to a stack of drawers.


All bathrooms require the same elements so why not choose your elements a little more carefully and add an elegance to them.

MY SMALL BUT SPA-LIKE BATHROOM


It does not have to be expensive to look well appointed, you just need to put thought into each element that you are choosing to come up with a beautiful and cohesive design.



I have a very small master bathroom. The sink area is in a little alcove only 42” wide.

We saved money by purchasing kitchen cupboards and designing our own vanity. This cabinetry is made by Thomasville for Home Depot.

The vessel sink was also purchased at Home Depot for under $200.

You will notice the whole wall is tiled in an irridescent mosaic tile.


Behind the mirror we did not place any tile. Why waste pretty tile where it will never be seen. The mirror was an inexpensive mirror from Lowes, that looks exactly the same as its twin at Restoration Hardware, back in the silver sage days.

We saved $150 on the tile by not using it behind the mirror.




The shower area is through a sliding door right off the vanity area. It is only a 6ft.X 6ft. room and the shower measures 3ft.X6ft.

Even though it is a small area I treated it as if it were a much larger bath area.
We have a bench, a niche for shampoos, tile wainscoting around the room.

I have heated tile floors too. Are you still with me?
Don’t let the size of a space make you skimp on what you put in that space. Get the best that you can afford.

It might not be the time in your life that you can afford what you want exactly, but by being creative and making a good plan of attack you can still have a beautiful bathroom

I hope you got a little inspired by some of the above images. If you would like to see more you can go HERE.
   
 
 
Follow on Bloglovin

13 comments:

Elizabeth@ Pine Cones and Acorns said...

Lots of inspiration! Thank you for the tips.

Yvonne @ StoneGable said...

GORGEOUS master bath, Kaythsue! I love love love the tile! It may be little but it has big appeal! Thanks for all the great tips. Next year we are remaking our downstairs powder room. I would love to copy the first bathroom you shared. SIGH!

Marty@A Stroll Thru Life said...

Your bathroom is stunning, I love it. Hugs, Marty

Patty Day @Pattys Epiphanies said...

Your MBath is a statement in itself. You did wonders and have proven your lesson! The tip on the tile is genius!
Didn't know that little fact about Thomasville making the cabinety for HD.
It's amazing the effects you can achieve by being clever! You are the Queen of Clever!

Blondie's Journal said...

I think your bathroom is wonderful, I like how you saved on expenses by being innovative.

Some of these bathrooms are much bigger than those where you can touch the walls with outstretched arms. But they do defy the "rule" that small rooms should be light in color and decor small in scale.

Thanks so much...very inspiring.

XO,
Jane

FABBY'S LIVING said...

Elegant and beautiful small bathroom! You are very inspiring, as I have a very small visit half bathroom, which I hope to remodel. Thaks for the ideas. Hugs,
FABBY

The enchanted home said...

Gorgeous....shows that beautiful things come in small packages!! Love your bathroom too.....enjoy your Sunday!

Melinda said...

Fabulous post KS. One of my favourites! This is a keeper for sure. Love all your images.

Stacy CUrran said...

As usual, I completely agree with you! I think trying to make a small room look larger is kind of a waste of time, because you can't really do it. My powder room is 7x3! TINY. And I did it in gold zebra wallpaper, and I love it. Not for everyone, but I tend to gild the lily a bit :)
Stacy

Merlin said...

GREAT images and thoughts!! Your bath is just gorgeous. (Small baths are certainly less trouble to clean!! :) franki

Wendi @ Classic Chic Home said...

Kathysue, your master bathroom is stunning! I love the mosaic tile and vanity. Just like you said... it's like a little jewel box!
~ Wendi

Unknown said...

The 6th photo really amazes me, it's like a bathroom for a high profile celebrity. A lot of people don't really pay much attention to details if they have a small bathroom. In these cases, the owners of these bathrooms took time to plan, redesign and remodel the small space they have into a beautiful masterpiece.

Jovan Bannister

Batchata said...

Do you have suggestions for small bathrooms that are called "wet rooms" because they contain a shower in that same small space? I would like to discover some designs for my 5'x4' area.