Before and After: 4 Stylish Bathrooms in 50 Square Feet or Less
Dramatic before-and-after photos show off the magic that designers can create in small spaces
Making a bathroom that’s 50 square feet or less feel larger and more comfortable is a design challenge. But these four designers put a lot of thought and care into creating inviting and airy designs for compact bathrooms. Check out how they did it to find good solutions for your own bathroom.
After: The homeowners shared inspiration photos that featured lots of elegant Carrara marble. This provided a strong jumping-off point. Khuong was able to get the look for less by sourcing digitally printed large-format porcelain tiles that looked like marble. She carefully matched up the veining patterns in the 36-by-36-inch tiles to give the shower surround the look of large continuous marble slabs.
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Browse vanities in the Houzz Shop
With the shower door placement dictated by the location of the toilet and a budget that didn’t have room for thermal controls outside of the stall, Khuong had to get creative. She chose a shower fixture with a handheld unit. The homeowners can divert the water flow to the handheld before getting in the shower so they don’t get soaked by cold water.
Khuong wanted to add wood to warm the room up. To save money, she used thermally fused laminate from Egger on the vanity. These wood-based boards are coated with a printed paper soaked in melamine resin. They’re durable and look just like wood. The countertop is white quartz.
The one-piece toilet is the dual-flush O Jazz model from Kollezi. It has a simple curved skirt that makes it easy to clean. Other details include an elegant LED light bar over the mirror, chrome plumbing fixtures and a pair of nature-inspired prints purchased at an online shop that Khuong framed in wood.
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The one-piece toilet is the dual-flush O Jazz model from Kollezi. It has a simple curved skirt that makes it easy to clean. Other details include an elegant LED light bar over the mirror, chrome plumbing fixtures and a pair of nature-inspired prints purchased at an online shop that Khuong framed in wood.
Read more about this bathroom remodel
2. Inspired by a Glamorous Photograph
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: Mark and Amber Sokolowski and their two young children
Location: Long Beach, California
Size: 50 square feet (4.6 square meters)
Designer: Amber Sokolowski of Soko Interior Design
Before: Interior designer Amber Sokolowski wanted to turn her 50-square-foot hall bathroom into a special room for her kids and guests. The decor was dated, and the sliding doors across the tub were hard to manage, especially during bath time for the little ones.
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Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: Mark and Amber Sokolowski and their two young children
Location: Long Beach, California
Size: 50 square feet (4.6 square meters)
Designer: Amber Sokolowski of Soko Interior Design
Before: Interior designer Amber Sokolowski wanted to turn her 50-square-foot hall bathroom into a special room for her kids and guests. The decor was dated, and the sliding doors across the tub were hard to manage, especially during bath time for the little ones.
Hire a local bathroom remodeler
After: The refreshed room mixes soft organic materials with vintage-inspired touches. Sokolowski saved money by repainting the existing vanity. The soft gray tone of Farrow & Ball’s Pigeon has subtle green undertones. She also added a new marble countertop, polished-nickel plumbing fixtures and aged-brass cabinet hardware. She called around to local stone yards to score a remnant piece of marble, which also helped save money.
The organic color palette includes warm white walls and new shiplap wainscoting painted off-white. Sokolowski removed the glass sliding shower enclosure and replaced it with a stonewashed Belgian flax linen shower curtain. Its texture and color help soften the room. The tiles she chose for the shower surround also add a variety of warm organic tones. The marble tile floor brings elegance to the material palette as well as some cool contrast to the warm tones.
Wall paint: Alabaster, Sherwin-Williams; wainscoting paint: Off-White, Farrow & Ball
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The organic color palette includes warm white walls and new shiplap wainscoting painted off-white. Sokolowski removed the glass sliding shower enclosure and replaced it with a stonewashed Belgian flax linen shower curtain. Its texture and color help soften the room. The tiles she chose for the shower surround also add a variety of warm organic tones. The marble tile floor brings elegance to the material palette as well as some cool contrast to the warm tones.
Wall paint: Alabaster, Sherwin-Williams; wainscoting paint: Off-White, Farrow & Ball
Shop for a shower curtain
Photographer Gray Malin’s The Touch-Up, Beverly Hills Hotel inspired the neutral palette. While the iconic hotel is best known for its bold pink-and-green color palette, Sokolowski was drawn to the soft neutrals in the photo. She also thought the glamorous woman putting on her makeup would be a fun addition to the space. “I gave this bathroom a more romantic feeling and chose to do a softer take on the look,” she says.
Before: Having lived with the bathroom awhile, Sokolowski was also familiar with its functional shortcomings. The low-hung double towel bar didn’t work well for the family.
After: Small changes can make a big difference. The designer determined that three towel hooks would work much better for her family.
Read more about this bathroom remodel
Read more about this bathroom remodel
3. Hardworking Powder Room and Family Bath
Bathroom at a Glance
Who uses it: A family of four and guests
Location: Wellesley, Massachusetts
Size: 50 square feet (4.6 square meters)
Interior designer: Katrina Bogart of Bogart Interiors
Contractor: Mike Bogart of The Bogart Finish
Before: This first-floor bathroom in a 1950s Cape Cod in Wellesley, Massachusetts, needed to serve multiple functions. The family of four who live here usually shares one full bathroom upstairs, where the bedrooms are. This bathroom serves not only as a powder room but as a second full bath when everyone is trying to get ready at the same time.
The style of the bathroom was stuck in the 1980s and wasn’t very inviting. Inspired by Katie Ridder’s beautiful Peony wallpaper, interior designer Katrina Bogart and her contractor husband, Mike, transformed the dated room into a bright, pretty and more functional space.
New to home remodeling? Click here to learn the basics
Bathroom at a Glance
Who uses it: A family of four and guests
Location: Wellesley, Massachusetts
Size: 50 square feet (4.6 square meters)
Interior designer: Katrina Bogart of Bogart Interiors
Contractor: Mike Bogart of The Bogart Finish
Before: This first-floor bathroom in a 1950s Cape Cod in Wellesley, Massachusetts, needed to serve multiple functions. The family of four who live here usually shares one full bathroom upstairs, where the bedrooms are. This bathroom serves not only as a powder room but as a second full bath when everyone is trying to get ready at the same time.
The style of the bathroom was stuck in the 1980s and wasn’t very inviting. Inspired by Katie Ridder’s beautiful Peony wallpaper, interior designer Katrina Bogart and her contractor husband, Mike, transformed the dated room into a bright, pretty and more functional space.
New to home remodeling? Click here to learn the basics
After: The wallpaper adds life and color to the small bathroom. The white subway tile wainscoting and shower surround reflect the light and make the room feel larger and airier.
After: Bogart kept a light look with her custom vanity design. It is a light-colored oak and sits atop legs to maintain a more open look. She maximized storage in the compact piece by adding a shelf inside and a drawer on the bottom. Not seen in the photos is a small closet on the opposite side of the room.
Read more about this bathroom remodel
Read more about this bathroom remodel
4. Fresh Take on Classic
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their two daughters
Location: Queens, New York
Size: 45 square feet (4.1 square meters)
Designer: Saoli Chu of Block Renovation
Before: This New York City couple wanted to transform their 45-square-foot bathroom for their two daughters, ages 2 and 6. The biggest problems they wanted to rectify were the lack of storage, the dated tiles and the extra-loud toilet flush that would wake up the whole family. They were planning to move within five to seven years, so they kept widespread appeal in mind for resale purposes. They enlisted the help of Saoli Chu of Block Renovation to complete the transformation.
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their two daughters
Location: Queens, New York
Size: 45 square feet (4.1 square meters)
Designer: Saoli Chu of Block Renovation
Before: This New York City couple wanted to transform their 45-square-foot bathroom for their two daughters, ages 2 and 6. The biggest problems they wanted to rectify were the lack of storage, the dated tiles and the extra-loud toilet flush that would wake up the whole family. They were planning to move within five to seven years, so they kept widespread appeal in mind for resale purposes. They enlisted the help of Saoli Chu of Block Renovation to complete the transformation.
After: Chu mixed traditional and contemporary styles to create a transitional style that worked well with the apartment’s prewar architecture. A furniture-like wood vanity adds warmth to the crisp black-and-white palette. The black hexagonal tiles are an updated take on traditional 1-inch hexagonal tiles. And elongated subway tiles composed in a herringbone pattern around the shower give the classic look a fresh twist.
Given the tight space, Chu made the most of wall space for storage. In addition to the vanity, she added a recessed medicine cabinet and floating shelves. On the opposite side of the room, she installed two towel bars.
The existing cast iron tub was in good shape, so the couple decided to preserve it. Reglazing it made it look good as new. This was a great budget saver. Along with the wood vanity, the brushed-brass fixtures and hardware add warmth and versatile style. And now the family has a new, much quieter toilet that won’t awaken the entire household with late-night flushes.
Read more about this bathroom remodel
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The existing cast iron tub was in good shape, so the couple decided to preserve it. Reglazing it made it look good as new. This was a great budget saver. Along with the wood vanity, the brushed-brass fixtures and hardware add warmth and versatile style. And now the family has a new, much quieter toilet that won’t awaken the entire household with late-night flushes.
Read more about this bathroom remodel
More on Houzz
Read more bathroom stories
Browse photos of small bathrooms
Find a bathroom designer
Shop for your bathroom
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple
Location: Toronto
Size: 42½ square feet (3.9 square meters)
Designer: Ketty Khuong of Ke Design Collective
Before: The Toronto couple who live in this home wanted to give their blah 42½-square-foot bathroom a luxurious update. They hired interior designer Ketty Khuong of Ke Design Collective to transform the design. The largest part of the renovation was converting the tub-shower combo into a roomier shower stall.
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