Small bathrooms present their obvious design challenges, especially when it’s time to remodel. With minimal square footage, multiple essential fixtures, and sometimes limited natural light, designing a bathroom that feels serene, spacious, and welcoming can be easier said than done.
But a lack of square footage doesn’t have to mean a shortage of creativity. With a foolproof design plan and a few space-saving tricks, you can curate a modern small bathroom that makes 20 square feet feel like 200.
Modern small bathroom remodels may require an expert eye, but you can kick start the process at home by researching design styles, layouts, and decor that feel spacious and comfortable. Below, browse a few of our favorite modern small bathroom remodels to jumpstart your reno brainstorm, and heed our design advice to make your tiny space feel roomy.
Add a Skylight
With its serene white-and-gray color palette, minimal decor, and use of natural materials like stone and wood, this bathroom by Australian design firm The Stables is modern perfection. The frameless glass shower divider and large skylight do wonders for opening up the space and making it feel roomy.
Squeeze in a Freestanding Tub
If you love clean, modern design, take note from GIA Renovations and install a herringbone statement shower tile paired with matte black hardware and fresh greenery. To fit a shower and a bathtub into your modern small bathroom, consider adding a freestanding tub right in the wet area to maximize the space.
Draw the Eye Up
Follow blogger Jen Pinkston’s design advice and pair warm beige accents with utilitarian, horizontal-stacked subway tile in the shower to create a welcoming contrast. To add additional height, consider a tall statement vase with dried florals and eye-catching black hardware to draw the eye upward.
Go Frameless
Lend a slight mid-century feel to a crisp modern bathroom with warm wood accents, neutral terrazzo flooring, and vertical subway tile, like in this space by Melanie Beynon Architects. Keep the floor plan open by only installing one glass panel by the showerhead, and go frameless to further open up the space.
Mix Materials
Design blogger and influencer Kayla Boyd wasn’t afraid to take risks when designing her guest bath—she went with subway tile in the shower, penny tile on the sink wall, and a patterned tile on the floors. But the matte back showerhead is what really stands out—it creates an eye-catching contrast and draws the eye upward.
