I’m so excited to FINALLY reveal the results of my tiny bathroom renovation! Actually, we completed the entire upstairs remodel, but I’m going to start with how I made a small bathroom into something kinda fabulous:
This bathroom was originally two even tinier spaces in the upstairs of our 1939 stone cottage, with an old jacuzzi tub and tiny sink in one dormer room, and a toilet and another sink in a sliver of a space under the sloping eaves of the roofline.
tiny dormer room with tub and sink
You can see both areas in this photo taken after we pulled the hallway wall down. Tub and sink in one room:
. . . and a toilet and sink in the next room. So strange, I know.
With no bathroom storage at all and an aversion to bathing in front of the window that faces the road, our girls only used the toilet upstairs and instead showered, brushed teeth, and primped in our only other bathroom in the house. So, for 14 years Mr. Man has been sharing a bathroom with three girls. And that’s a lot of hair to take care of in front of ONE mirror. Here’s a shot of the upstairs hallway before the wall came down:
before
For years, we couldn’t come up with any scenario to make a “full bath” work upstairs. After having a couple of contractors look at it, we decided to a) bring out the wall of the hallway 10 inches to give that extra space to the new bathroom,
b) punch out the wall between the two rooms and put in a shower where the toilet was before,
c) add a hallway closet where the second sink was previously,
and d) use a deadspace under an eave for the toilet to fit into.
Ends up the trickiest part of this whole thing was finding a way to fish those wires into some other hole and down two floors into the basement so that we could put the toilet waste line in that hole. It was a Christmas miracle, I tell you.
Here’s the floor where a sink in one room backed up to a toilet in the other room. Guess what the contractor found in the space between these pipes?
This 1940-era empty can of glazing putty! Isn’t this the coolest thing ever? He also found a bit of original linoleum flooring, which I was really excited about. Unfortunately I didn’t tell him I wanted to save it, and it got thrown out with the rest of the debris. But at least I got this for Christmas;
Although we managed to unite the two spaces and squeeze out a bit more useable space, the fact remained that the bathroom was still going to be small by most people’s standards. But in making decisions about this bathroom design, I decided I wasn’t going to let the fact that it is tiny limit the design impact. In fact because it was so small, I knew the cost for tile would be less and might even enable me to splurge a bit! Like on this black and white marble hex floor tile:
Ok, the teasing is over. This bathroom is ready for her big reveal. Here are my tips for making your tiny bathroom FABULOUS:
Go for the GOLD fixtures.
I had my heart set on bold gold fixtures, and I found my heart’s desire in the sink faucet, light fixtures, and even the hinges on the shower door. This is not your 1980’s brass, my dears!
Keep your tile choices timeless.
Classic subway tile on the walls and small hex tiles on the floor will never go out of style. We took the same floor tile right into the shower so as to keep the flooring material as unbroken as possible. That, and the smaller tiles give the impression of a larger space. I have heard many designers say, “going bigger on the floor tile makes a small bathroom appear larger.” That, my friends, is NONSENSE. When I see a bathroom with only three 18-inch tiles across its width, it only points out the fact that the room is so tiny that only three tiles can fit!
white subway tile with gray grout wraps the room
Add a dose of black for sophisticated drama.
From the beginning, I knew I wanted to paint this window and its surrounding trim black. The black in the floor tile, in the door hardware, and on the hanging light fixture give this bathroom gravitas.
Mix high and low.
I fell hard for the floor tile, which was $14.99 a square foot. A lot to swallow, but much easier so when paired with $.22 subway tiles for the walls. The affordable sink and vanity came as a set, and I don’t even miss having a stone countertop. The light fixture over the sink was a bargain at $150, and the hanging light fixture was less than $300. The splurge was the sink faucet, which was (cough, cough) close to $900. Long story – you can get the gory details here. I opted for the cheaper Delta fixtures in champagne bronze for inside the shower. They aren’t as gold as the other finishes, but since it’s darker in the shower you can’t really tell.
Wrap the walls and ceiling in a COLOR you love.
I’ve been wanting to use this emerald green paint color for some time now, and this was the perfect spot to go for it. Don’t just stop at the walls if you don’t have crown molding in the room. I also wrapped Benjamin Moore Steamed Spinach 643 onto the sloped dormer ceiling.
Use towel hooks instead of towel bars.
Towel bars take up a lot of room and few people hang up their damp towels neatly on them. That’s why I prefer hooks for towels. I used two prong hooks beside the shower and on the back of the door. All you have to do is pop your towel on the hook – no folding skills required!
Hang a fun mirror.
I found the round mirror at HomeGoods for $39. It’s small, but the mirror frame maximizes its reflective quality.
Here’s a shot towards the toilet, so you can see how that fits in a niche behind the door. I still have art to hang, but I couldn’t resist showing you the bathroom now!
I hope you enjoyed the transformation, I know we certainly are!
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IN LOVE!!! Love your style, friend! Gives me new inspiration to keep on trucking in our old house with tiny bathrooms. Well, tiny everything. Ha! I needed to see this so badly today. Sometimes a slow-going remodel. An be so so overwhelming. This bathroom is glorious!
Thank you, Amanda! We started the first week of December, so the kids had to camp out in the basement for 10 weeks because of all the mess upstairs. It felt like forever, and there were many bumps in the road! But we are so happy with how everything is now – patience and persistence pays off!
Gorgeous! So timeless and a great use of space. So jealous of your daughters!
Susie,
I’m a little jelly of them, too! Our bathroom is not as fab as this one . . .
I LOVE your new bathroom. I completely agree with hex tile on the floor. I’m not really loving those giant floor tiles in bathrooms. As usual you have created a stunning space!
Thanks, Jo!!!
It’s so pretty! I love the floor tile. The size is just perfect. And the black window. And the green. And the gold. So nice! 🙂
Thanks so much, Jenny!
This is an absolutely stunning room. Bravo! Well done! It comes just in time as I am set to begin the transformation of my daughter’s tiny bathroom. Would you mind sharing the make/model of your sink faucet? It would be perfect in the space.
Laura,
The sink faucet is Newport Brass, but I can’t remember the name of the fixture specifically. You could use the photo as a guide?
What a gorgeous bathroom!! Can you please tell me what finish you ordered from Newport Brass for the faucet? I’ve been having trouble finding their brass finishes in showrooms, but the set you picked is simply divine!
It was special order – I can’t remember the name of the finish, but it looks like brushed brass.
Wow…what a transformation! That black trim around the window is amazing. I so want to try this somewhere (but not in my rental 🙂 ) Also love the mix of high and low. Love that you splurged on that floor, and was able to still have a great look with the subway tile. Great job!
This is fabulous!! I knew it would be. I love the way you laid out this post so I could get the plan and the befores and then dive in to the afters!!! Love the tile, the brass, the hardware!! Love, love.
Thanks, Dana! Your remodel turned out so amazing, I’m sure you are just standing in the room staring at it all the time! Am I right? I’m doing that a lot myself 😉
It is gorgeous, Kristie! I’m especially fond of the gold fixtures and green walls, and they look great with the black and white. I also like the mirror–it reminds me of the ones you helped me hang in my bedroom. You have such a gift for design. Hope your girls appreciate this fabulous space!
Thanks so much, Francie – the girls are absolutely loving it and want to show it off to everyone 🙂
A perfect example of how classic does not have to be boring! Love it!
Stunning!Great work (again)
What an amazing and creative transformation! I love the gold finishes, black accents and beautiful colour. Well done girl!
Renovation is such a huge challenge. But, looking at this gorgeous bathroom, it’s certainly worth it! I’m just swooning over the brushed brass fixtures – how divine with that paint colour.
Such a wonderful addition to your beautiful home Kristie!
Congratulations! What a huge difference that will make in your family’s daily life. And it’s beautiful, of course!
Absolutely lovely. I bet your girls are so happy to have such a sweet spot to fluff and primp! By the way, where did you get your subway tiles for $.22? Love your style.
Thanks, Alyce – I got the subway tile for $.22 each at Lowes!
AMAZING! I love the emerald green and gold combo. You did an excellent job, why wouldn’t you! Thank you so much for sharing!
Beautiful! I really appreciate this post because I, too, am working on a bathroom and can appreciate how many decisions have to be made and all the obstacles to be overcome.
Mine is more of a partial remodel than a complete renovation, and space is not an issue. The hardest part was getting started and deciding how far I wanted to go. I couldn’t decide if I should replace my vanity which I disliked because it had no drawers and the ivory vanity top didn’t match the marble tile in the rest of the bathroom. It wasn’t until I came across a beautiful gray quartz vanity top at a local big name hardware store that I was able to make a decision and get the ball rolling. There was an error in the custom order, so they put it on clearance… the original price was $1,200 and they were selling it for $300!!! After taking careful measurements and consulting with my contractor, we decided we could make it work and it was worth buying the top and getting a larger more useful vanity to match. That’s when it all came together and I could finally start making my purchases.
The work is still in progress (he’s upstairs banging and sawing as I type), and although there were a few weather delays and a bit of stress along the way, things are moving along nicely.
Congrats on your new bathroom!
Thank you, Loroy! Sometimes it’s a good idea to start with the one thing most important to you and build the design around it. For you, it sounds like that was great deal of a countertop. Good luck on your remodel, and let us know how it turns out!
Love it! Love your paint color choices, floor, hooks, window, everything! Great job as usual my friend!
I’m curious about the tub – did you eliminate it in favor of a shower? I’m remodeling a couple years before resale and have an 80s master bath with a shower just big enough to stand up in. The hall bath has both tub and shower… Do you (and your readers) think it would be good for resale to replace the master’s tub with a large shower and using the old shower space to build a better storage area ?
Good question, Sandy. Although I would have liked to do a shower/tub combination, we just couldn’t figure out a way to make that happen without it sitting in front of the window – which is on the front of the house! The kids never take a bath – they wanted a shower. And we still have a full bath on the main level. In answer to your question, I think most people really prefer a great shower and garden tubs have fallen out of favor with most buyers. That being said, it wouldn’t be good for resale if your home had NO tub at all. As long as you have one tub in the house, the rest could be showers only.
Well done and the green paint included on the ceiling is the icing on the cake!!!
Thanks – yes, emerald green icing!
Gorgeous!! We have a decent sized bathroom upstairs, but it’s longish/narrowish. I’m definitely painting the window at the long end black. Love that look!
You will love it – I decided to do black on three more windows in the upstairs renovation (all in the same room) and I am thrilled with how it looks. It really pulls your eyes to the outdoors.
You are way braver than I am to undertake such a big remodel and with such bold color, but I love it. I l also ike how the gold empty picture frame is a bit of a nod to your logo. So what happened to that pretty chandelier and little sink from before?
I lived in a home with two full baths, but each was divided into a water closet and a bath. Does have its uses to accommodate more folks in less space and is a very popular set up in Europe. I never understood the bathtub or shower even in front of a large window set up in the US, especially one facing the street or the neighbors, but I have seen it in a lot of houses.
Kathy,
I think I may be passing on the chandelier to someone else now – it came from an old house my sister-in-law purchased as a rental years ago. I am keeping the sink – not quite sure what I’m going to do with it. Maybe mount it on a wall somewhere and use it as a planter???
Whoa!!! That is awesome! Your timing is perfect, Kristie! We are set to turn a small laundry room into a bathroom in the 1855 portion of our house. You have soooo many good tips in this post! You just saved us in at least a couple of ways! No big tile for us now–we had been advised to use larger tile to “expand the space visually”. What a disappointment that would have been. Thank you for your timely advice and inspiration!!!
Susanne,
I’m so glad this is going to help you! There are lots of good options for black and white hex tile that would be perfect for a historic home – take a look at some of them on my Pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.com/thedecorologist/bathroom-love/
LOVE this, Kristie! Amazing use of space and the tile is gorgeous, and that green —- beautiful!
Thank you, Rory – we are all so happy with how it turned out 🙂
It turned out gorgeous! Emerald green deserves more appreciation. 🙂
The bathroom is beautiful!! I am in love with small hexagon floor tiles❤❤❤
Great Job!
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The bathroom is beautiful. I grew up in an old historical home that still had all the tiny tile bathroom floors intact. Too bad I had no appreciation for them then! I’m simply an amateur home owner with a couple of questions. When you talk about the gold sink fixtures as “not your 80’s gold” are you simply talking about the quality of the fixtures? What made these fixtures special except for being so gorgeous? I love how you retained the integrity of your home’s historical value. This was always my Dad’s goal while growing up. Also, (amateur!) What made you decide to paint the ceiling the same color as the walls? Though BEAUTIFUL, you don’t think makes room feel smaller? (Teach me, Kristie!) Thanks!
PS: The only use for a tub is to sit on the edge while you shave your legs!
The toilet in a separate room is pretty common in many other countries around the world. It’s actually a brilliant idea I’d say and the fact that your toilet room had a sink was pretty great. Usually you have to leave the toilet room to go to the bathroom to wash your hands. Anyway, I know it’s not common in the states and your new bathroom is gorgeous! Just wanted to share that little piece of info 🙂
Hi Kristie. I love the hanging light fixture! Is it a period piece or wad it new! If new, do you remember the name/brand and where you purchased it? If not, no worries. Love the way this bath turned out!
It’s new – Murray Feiss, from Ferguson’s in 100 Oaks area.
Hi Kristie,
I am a long time reader, first time commenter. I am considering painting the window trim black in our 1940s Tudor upstair bathroom. The floor tile is original the the home and is similar to what you used. I was curious if you would share what black paint you used for the window?
Thanks,
Jennifer