Small Bathroom Renovations: Maximize Style and Function

Small bathroom renovations can seem daunting. You’re dealing with a tight space and want to make sure every decision counts. This means getting the most out of your budget and creating a functional yet stylish sanctuary.

Whether your style is modern farmhouse or classic elegance, these small bathroom design renovation tips will give you some inspiration.

However, you don’t need a massive budget or a huge footprint to achieve a beautiful bathroom. With some creativity, strategic planning, and the right design choices, small bathroom renovations can transform the space.

Making the Most of Space

Choosing the Right Fixtures

One of the most impactful decisions for small bathroom ideas for renovation are selecting fixtures. A streamlined vanity like a slim sink can instantly open up the space. Instead of a bulky traditional vanity, opt for a pedestal sink, a floating vanity, or a wall-mounted sink.

This creates a sense of airiness and frees up valuable floor area. A corner sink can also be a smart choice in a tight layout during a small bathroom remodel.

Choosing a smaller toilet with a round-front bowl over an elongated bowl will give you a few extra inches. When selecting a bathtub, consider a shower/tub combination instead of a separate freestanding tub. Shower/tub combos come in a range of styles, and with today’s sleek glass enclosures, the space will not feel confined, making them great option in bathroom design.

A space-saving toilet with a round-front bowl, such as a new WaterSense-certified model, will save both space and water. Replacing older toilets with these newer models can free up space and help you do your part for the planet. Remember that functionality is just as important as style when choosing your bathroom fixtures.

Strategic Storage Solutions

Next, think about smart storage solutions. In a small bathroom remodel, maximizing storage is key. Incorporate recessed shelving in the shower for shampoos and soaps.

This removes bulky storage containers from the floor or shower ledge, maximizing visual space in you small bathroom remodel.

Also, consider installing medicine cabinets with mirrored doors that reflect light and provide essential storage. Over-the-toilet shelving is a great option for maximizing often-wasted vertical space. A stylish bathroom vanity can further enhance the space, while wall-mounted towel bars and hooks not only save space but can add a touch of visual interest, particularly if you select a vintage style or bold metallic finish.

Open shelving can feel less confining, but a combination of open and closed storage offers a nice balance. Remember, vertical lines space is your friend when tackling small bathroom renovations.

Enhancing Visual Space

Choosing Light and Bright Colors

Using a light and bright color palette can create an illusion of spaciousness, making it perfect for small bathroom remodel. Instead of dark, heavy colors that tend to enclose a space, go for lighter hues like soft blues, pale greens, creamy whites, and light grays.

A bathroom makeover transformed the space from a dark blue-gray color scheme to an airy pale gray, and the visual difference is astounding. White always makes a bathroom feel bigger and brighter, but don’t be afraid to add pops of color with towels and accessories. If you really want a dark color, restrict it to a focal point wall.

Reflective Surfaces

Using mirrors to expand a room’s perceived dimensions is a designer’s go-to trick, so don’t skimp on them. Large mirrors can visually double the space and amplify natural light. Consider adding a large mirror over the bathroom vanity and even a full-length mirror on the back of the door, if possible.

Opting for mirrored medicine cabinets serves the dual purpose of both functionality and style. Other reflective surfaces, such as glossy tiles or chrome fixtures, can contribute to a sense of spaciousness, so think beyond standard square or rectangular mirror shapes.

You don’t need to tear down walls to make a dramatic visual impact. Sometimes it’s the smallest things that make a huge difference. Just as choosing the right paint colors for the walls and trim can transform a small bathroom, using a pattern in tile, accessories, or paint can liven up the space.

Maximize Natural Light

When working with a small bathroom remodel, always prioritize maximizing natural light. This might mean going with a larger window, adding a skylight, or just selecting the right type of window treatments to make the most of the sunlight you already have.

While privacy is important, if you have a large window, forgo heavy curtains and go with something light and airy that can easily be opened. Small bathroom remodel, more than any other renovation, can greatly benefit from even a small amount of extra sunlight.

Creative Budget Solutions

It’s no secret that bathroom renovations are expensive. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t spruce up a space with strategic choices to improve its function and appearance. Exploring bathroom remodel ideas can reveal that sometimes the least expensive options pack the most visual punch.

And if your taste leans toward modern farmhouse, industrial chic, or a vintage aesthetic, then small bathroom remodel can often make use of repurposed materials, which are inexpensive, environmentally friendly, and one-of-a-kind.

You can create a vanity out of repurposed materials, bringing warmth, storage, and style to the room for much less money. You might choose to incorporate circular mirrors, vintage art and textiles, repurposed baskets for towel storage, and open shelving. Sometimes you’ll find the perfect piece at a salvage yard or thrift store that speaks to you.

Prioritize Splurges

While there are places to save money, remember to identify your priorities. It’s important to consider splurging on areas that are most important to you, or where the investment makes a difference. This might be installing a spa-quality shower head, high-end flooring, heated floors, or getting custom-made storage.

Creating a luxurious primary bath retreat can be accomplished with splurges such as a custom-made Japanese soaking tub and high-end fittings. The primary bath of this home outside Paris used luxurious Carrara marble, a stunning freestanding bathtub, and strategically placed light fixtures to achieve a simple but stunning bathroom that exudes luxury and warmth. Small bathroom renovations sometimes demand some hard choices and prioritizing your priorities.

DIY Projects

Many aspects of small bathroom renovations can be accomplished as DIY projects. If you’re handy with a paintbrush or a tiling trowel, then updating the bathroom with fresh paint, updated trim, and installing a backsplash can go a long way.

A backsplash doesn’t need to encompass the whole bathroom to add interest and style. Just make sure to carefully research, budget, and prepare. You might discover hidden talents you didn’t even know you had.

Focus on What Can Be Changed

Don’t stress over what cannot be changed. It’s often impossible to alter the dimensions or configuration of a small bathroom. If that’s the case, work with the space by accepting those parameters and playing up other features that you *can* change.

Even if the dimensions can’t be changed, if the layout isn’t functional, the toilet, sink, or shower can sometimes be relocated within the same space. If you don’t need to enlarge the space but can simply upgrade the materials, you will save a lot of money, and a more straightforward update is better than a big complicated one.

By concentrating on upgrading what you can, small bathroom renovations can feel more manageable.

FAQs about Small bathroom renovations

What is a reasonable budget for a small bathroom remodel?

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer for what a “reasonable budget” is because so much depends on the individual homeowner’s wish list. However, according to Houzz Research, homeowners generally spend between $7,000-$14,000 on their bathroom renovations, and midrange bathrooms typically run between $15,000 – $30,000.

Typically, homeowners can anticipate spending between $3,000 and$15,000.

Can I renovate my bathroom for $5000?

It is possible to renovate your bathroom for $5,000. This may involve prioritizing certain upgrades like painting, new flooring, and fixtures, while opting for less expensive options in other areas. Prioritizing your splurges and undertaking certain projects yourself will also keep costs down.

What is the average cost of a small bathroom?

This again will vary depending on geographic location and the desired outcome of the project. Some basic bathroom ideas from Houzz illustrate that homeowners spent an average of $3,500 for small bathroom renovations in 2013. Today you’d have to at least double that number due to inflation and higher labor costs.

Remember that the quality of the materials, as well as any structural or electrical changes, will also significantly affect your costs.

Transform Your Space: Embrace Small Bathroom Renovations

Small bathroom renovations don’t need to be stressful. With some planning, prioritizing what’s most important to you, and utilizing some simple space-enhancing tricks, your bathroom can become your dream bathroom without breaking the bank.