62-Square-Foot Bathroom and Laundry Room in One
A smart layout delivers a proper shower, an efficient laundry space and French country style
When a Newtown, Connecticut, couple decided to overhaul their 62-square-foot hallway bathroom, the challenges were significant: a cramped shower stall, side-by-side washer and dryer, a swing door eating into floor space and an immovable chimney inside a wall — all in a 1977 Colonial-style house. They wanted to preserve the dual bathroom-laundry function but trade the awkward layout for something more refined.
Designer Jonathan Gordon, who uses Houzz Pro software, solved the space problem by swapping the locations of the shower and appliances and switching to a stacked washer and dryer, which freed up enough room for a generous low-curb shower. Zellige tiles in two colors bring depth and texture to the shower walls, and a custom vanity with integrated shelving and a medicine cabinet address storage. A built-in cabinet around the washer and dryer — complete with a pullout hamper and retractable hanging rod — makes the laundry side equally hardworking. Throughout, a palette of brown, gray and off-white with accents of moss green and unlacquered brass ties the French country aesthetic together.
Designer Jonathan Gordon, who uses Houzz Pro software, solved the space problem by swapping the locations of the shower and appliances and switching to a stacked washer and dryer, which freed up enough room for a generous low-curb shower. Zellige tiles in two colors bring depth and texture to the shower walls, and a custom vanity with integrated shelving and a medicine cabinet address storage. A built-in cabinet around the washer and dryer — complete with a pullout hamper and retractable hanging rod — makes the laundry side equally hardworking. Throughout, a palette of brown, gray and off-white with accents of moss green and unlacquered brass ties the French country aesthetic together.
A handmade concrete vessel sink in a slate finish combines a sculptural shape with an integrated backsplash. The wall-mounted lavatory faucet with cross handles saves counter space and has the same unlacquered polished brass finish found throughout. The vanity counter is Crema Marfil marble, known for its warm, creamy tones and subtle veining. “It’s classic,” Gordon says. “We used a custom stepped-up vanity top to accommodate the function of the sink and vanity together.”
A pill-shaped, metal-framed mirror in unlacquered brass hangs above the vanity. “We wanted something that added a little bit of softness to the room,” Gordon says. “The room is quite angular, so we wanted to lean into some curvature.” To the right, a new medicine cabinet sits in front of the enclosed chimney behind it. “We took advantage of as much of the space as possible,” Gordon says. “That’s the cabinet where the medications go and the other items you don’t want to see.”
Sink: Newterra in slate, Lacava
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A pill-shaped, metal-framed mirror in unlacquered brass hangs above the vanity. “We wanted something that added a little bit of softness to the room,” Gordon says. “The room is quite angular, so we wanted to lean into some curvature.” To the right, a new medicine cabinet sits in front of the enclosed chimney behind it. “We took advantage of as much of the space as possible,” Gordon says. “That’s the cabinet where the medications go and the other items you don’t want to see.”
Sink: Newterra in slate, Lacava
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The floor is handmade 4-by-4-inch natural clay terra-cotta tiles in a charcoal colorway, in a star-and-cross pattern. “The homeowners were asking what we could do to make it more French country,” Gordon says. “So we went a bit south of France into Spain. But this is very authentic. You would see this in a French country home. This space has a truth of materials.”
Floor tiles: XOXO Terracotta in Charcoal Clay, LiLi Tile
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Floor tiles: XOXO Terracotta in Charcoal Clay, LiLi Tile
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A spacious low-curb walk-in shower now occupies the former site of the side-by-side washer and dryer. “It was pretty obvious the washer and dryer were front and center and the shower was so tiny,” Gordon says. “We had to rescue that space back.”
The shower features a custom glass enclosure with an unlacquered brass finish. On the walls, 2-by-2-inch mosaic zellige tiles crafted from natural Moroccan clay cover the upper half, while 4-by-4-inch moss green zellige tiles from the same manufacturer line the lower half. “When you have a tiny space, you can expand it a bit by creating an illusion that the bottom of the shower is smaller than the top,” Gordon says.
The shower floor is laid in cream-colored honed natural stone mosaic tiles in a jasmine flower pattern with gold dots. The exposed thermostatic shower head with hand shower has the unlacquered polished brass finish found elsewhere in the space. Crema Marfil marble reappears on the shower curb, the built-in corner bench top and as a liner for a long niche. A hook just outside the shower entrance keeps a robe or towel within easy reach.
Wall tiles: Linen beige zellige mosaic, 2 by 2 inches, and Thyme green zellige square, 4 by 4 inches, LiLi Tile
The shower features a custom glass enclosure with an unlacquered brass finish. On the walls, 2-by-2-inch mosaic zellige tiles crafted from natural Moroccan clay cover the upper half, while 4-by-4-inch moss green zellige tiles from the same manufacturer line the lower half. “When you have a tiny space, you can expand it a bit by creating an illusion that the bottom of the shower is smaller than the top,” Gordon says.
The shower floor is laid in cream-colored honed natural stone mosaic tiles in a jasmine flower pattern with gold dots. The exposed thermostatic shower head with hand shower has the unlacquered polished brass finish found elsewhere in the space. Crema Marfil marble reappears on the shower curb, the built-in corner bench top and as a liner for a long niche. A hook just outside the shower entrance keeps a robe or towel within easy reach.
Wall tiles: Linen beige zellige mosaic, 2 by 2 inches, and Thyme green zellige square, 4 by 4 inches, LiLi Tile
A stacked washer and dryer now occupies the former shower stall footprint. (It’s shorter than it looks in the photo, and the controls are on the bottom.) “It’s an industrial, commercial-looking piece but it somehow fits in,” Gordon says. “We didn’t feel like we wanted to hide it.” He updated the double-hung window and added a new ceiling exhaust fan (not shown) to improve ventilation.
Custom millwork around the washer and dryer coordinates with the vanity and adds meaningful storage, including a pullout hamper.
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A slim pullout above the hamper serves as a folding surface right at the dryer.
A slim pullout above the cabinet conceals a rod for hang-drying delicates.
Before Photo
Before: The previous layout packed a pedestal sink and toilet (bottom left), a side-by-side washer and dryer (bottom right) and a tiny stall shower (upper right) into 62 square feet, with a swing door (center top) eating into floor space and an immovable chimney (upper left) in the corner. “It was coming up from the basement as an exhaust for the furnace,” Gordon says of the chimney. “We couldn’t move that.”
After: A pocket door replaced the swing door at the hallway entrance. The vanity and toilet remained in place, but swapping the washer-dryer and shower locations opened up room for a proper walk-in shower (bottom right). “We managed to fit unbelievable functionality into a very small space,” Gordon says.
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Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with kids
Location: Newtown, Connecticut
Size: 62 square feet (5.8 square meters)
Designer: Jonathan Gordon of Design by the Jonathans
Gordon knocked the bathroom back to the studs. A new pocket door replaced the swing door, freeing up valuable floor space. (See before-and-after floor plans below.) “They didn’t initially want to do that necessarily,” Gordon says. “But in order to get a washer and dryer in and out of that space, you need a certain width. It made good sense. And when a swing door is open, you lose a few inches.”
The existing pedestal sink gave way to a custom single-sink vanity in full-overlay beaded Shaker style, finished in a dark gray-and-brown wash. “That finish makes it look like the wood is antiqued,” Gordon says. “That’s how it ties into the French country look. They really like that style and overall aesthetic, and we went to the roots of the style. It means terra cotta, it means mosaic, it means a little bit of color and exposed piping in unlacquered brass. All of that was taken into account and incorporated.”
Open recessed shelves to the upper right of the vanity hold smaller items like soaps and toiletries. A new elongated, bone-colored, one-piece toilet with a traditional design sits in the same location as the old one. Above it, a wall-mounted 24-inch hotelier towel rack in unlacquered brass keeps towels within easy reach. “We tried to make the most of that space,” Gordon says.
A classic single sconce above the hotelier has an unlacquered polished brass finish and cone shade in opal glass. The color scheme pairs upper walls in a warm beige (Sail Cloth by Benjamin Moore) with white ceilings and paneling in a warm taupe-brown-gray (Weimaraner by Benjamin Moore). “There’s a natural look and feel to this space,” Gordon says. “We went with colors that you see in nature.”
Custom cabinetry: EHL Kitchens
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