Before and After: 4 Bathrooms in 60 Square Feet or Less
See how designers borrowed space, rearranged layouts and used visual tricks to open up these modestly sized spaces
No one wants to rub elbows in a bathroom — or feel crowded when they’re solo, for that matter. But when your bathroom isn’t roomy, how do you avoid it? That’s exactly the question these pros answered in their designs, creating a more open feeling not just by knocking down walls but by reconfiguring layouts and using materials strategically. If you’re wishing you had more elbow room in your own bath, see if any ideas from these makeovers might help.
After: Ditching the bathtub made room for a more spacious shower, and a glass partition creates an open feel. Viola extended patterned floor tile from the main floor to the shower floor for a wet-room vibe, and she even hid the floor vent in the vanity’s toe kick to avoid breaking up the tile. The toilet is now tucked away in the former shower nook.
Classic elements such as marble surfaces and vintage-look antiqued brass fixtures speak to the home’s period architecture, while geometric floor tile, oversize subway tile and that glass shower panel provide a contemporary update. The gray palette allows the antiqued brass fixtures to stand out and provides a calm feel.
Mirror: Kenitra, Uttermost; sconces: Thomas O’Brien’s Bryant in hand-rubbed antique brass, Visual Comfort
Read more about this makeover
Classic elements such as marble surfaces and vintage-look antiqued brass fixtures speak to the home’s period architecture, while geometric floor tile, oversize subway tile and that glass shower panel provide a contemporary update. The gray palette allows the antiqued brass fixtures to stand out and provides a calm feel.
Mirror: Kenitra, Uttermost; sconces: Thomas O’Brien’s Bryant in hand-rubbed antique brass, Visual Comfort
Read more about this makeover
“After” photos by Bax+Towner
2. Bathed in Light
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: Ann Jones, Jonathan Witt and their three sons
Location: Miraloma Park neighborhood of San Francisco
Size: 60 square feet (5.6 square meters)
Designers: Hideaki Kawato (lead designer and project manager) and Stephen Shoup (principal) of building Lab
Before: A family of five used this space, on the second floor of its San Francisco home, as the main bathroom. But it was dark and lackluster, and having one bath for five people wasn’t ideal. The owners asked building Lab to remodel the space for their three boys and to separately redesign their master bath with a dressing room for them.
2. Bathed in Light
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: Ann Jones, Jonathan Witt and their three sons
Location: Miraloma Park neighborhood of San Francisco
Size: 60 square feet (5.6 square meters)
Designers: Hideaki Kawato (lead designer and project manager) and Stephen Shoup (principal) of building Lab
Before: A family of five used this space, on the second floor of its San Francisco home, as the main bathroom. But it was dark and lackluster, and having one bath for five people wasn’t ideal. The owners asked building Lab to remodel the space for their three boys and to separately redesign their master bath with a dressing room for them.
After: The designers gutted the bathroom to give the boys a sleek new space with plenty of light and an airy feel. Bright white walls and cabinetry beautifully set off the shimmering blue terrazzo wall and floor tiles.
Other updates enhance functionality. The shower door is hinged instead of sliding to make it easier to get in and out, and a handheld shower head slides on a vertical bar to accommodate the boys’ different heights. A niche stretches the width of one shower wall so each person has plenty of space for products.
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Other updates enhance functionality. The shower door is hinged instead of sliding to make it easier to get in and out, and a handheld shower head slides on a vertical bar to accommodate the boys’ different heights. A niche stretches the width of one shower wall so each person has plenty of space for products.
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Natural light via a new skylight and a translucent window behind the cabinets joins LED strip lighting to banish the former darkness.
The cabinets have an opaque conversion varnish for durability and easier cleaning, and the countertops are a solid-surface material called Krion, known for being hard-wearing, low-maintenance and antibacterial. The designers also floated the double vanity and toilet for a more open feel and easier cleaning.
Learn more about this project
The cabinets have an opaque conversion varnish for durability and easier cleaning, and the countertops are a solid-surface material called Krion, known for being hard-wearing, low-maintenance and antibacterial. The designers also floated the double vanity and toilet for a more open feel and easier cleaning.
Learn more about this project
“After” photos by Cristina Danielle Creative
3. Scandinavian-Style Sensation
Bathroom at a Glance
Who uses it: A young couple
Location: Seminole Heights neighborhood of Tampa, Florida
Size: 50 square feet (4.7 square meters)
Designer: Kelly Pedersen of 7th House Interiors
Before: The existing master bath in this Tampa, Florida, home wasn’t just dim and dingy — it was only 24 square feet. Tasked with readying it and the rest of the home for a quick resale on a tight budget, designer Kelly Pedersen went for broad appeal with modern Scandinavian style.
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3. Scandinavian-Style Sensation
Bathroom at a Glance
Who uses it: A young couple
Location: Seminole Heights neighborhood of Tampa, Florida
Size: 50 square feet (4.7 square meters)
Designer: Kelly Pedersen of 7th House Interiors
Before: The existing master bath in this Tampa, Florida, home wasn’t just dim and dingy — it was only 24 square feet. Tasked with readying it and the rest of the home for a quick resale on a tight budget, designer Kelly Pedersen went for broad appeal with modern Scandinavian style.
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After: Pedersen borrowed space from a windowless room in the middle of the house to more than double the bathroom’s size, bringing it to 50 square feet. Then she made the long, narrow space feel more open with strategic design choices, such as a streamlined vanity on feet versus a blocky one set directly on the floor.
Vanity: Portree collection, Karton Republic
Vanity: Portree collection, Karton Republic
Two more elements that enhance the openness: a frameless glass shower enclosure at one end and matte black floor tile that continues under the vanity. Pedersen made the inexpensive porcelain tiles look more upscale by choosing a large-scale format (8 by 36 inches) and arranging them in a herringbone pattern.
Dark pebble shower tile creates a continuous look with the main flooring, while white painted walls and shower subway tile walls add contrast and brightness.
Read more about this transformation
Dark pebble shower tile creates a continuous look with the main flooring, while white painted walls and shower subway tile walls add contrast and brightness.
Read more about this transformation
Photos from Michelle Lauren
4. Spa-Like With a Sauna
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: Imani Grant and her friend Dianetra Jackson
Location: Atlanta
Size: 56 square feet (5.2 square meters)
Designer: Michelle Lauren of Change Your Bathroom
Before: With a door that opened to the toilet, this 40-square-foot guest bath in Atlanta was ripe for a redo. The standard tub-shower combo and vanity had to go, and the homeowner also had a special request for designer Michelle Lauren: Add a sauna.
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4. Spa-Like With a Sauna
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: Imani Grant and her friend Dianetra Jackson
Location: Atlanta
Size: 56 square feet (5.2 square meters)
Designer: Michelle Lauren of Change Your Bathroom
Before: With a door that opened to the toilet, this 40-square-foot guest bath in Atlanta was ripe for a redo. The standard tub-shower combo and vanity had to go, and the homeowner also had a special request for designer Michelle Lauren: Add a sauna.
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After: Lauren gutted the bath and expanded the walls to add 16 square feet. She also relocated the room’s entrance to the former vanity wall to create the right layout for a generously sized sauna.
In place of the old shower-tub, a new glass enclosed area contains the cedar-walled sauna as well as a steam shower (in the back right corner) with eight jets, a rain shower head and a handheld sprayer.
Cedar for sauna: Your Bath Store
In place of the old shower-tub, a new glass enclosed area contains the cedar-walled sauna as well as a steam shower (in the back right corner) with eight jets, a rain shower head and a handheld sprayer.
Cedar for sauna: Your Bath Store
From inside the sauna, you can see the sauna system by the bench as well as the vanity-toilet area beyond. Lauren built out the shelving wall to double its depth and coated it in a glossy blue paint for a dynamic touch. A black walnut live-edge countertop with vessel sink, an elongated black one-piece toilet (behind the pony wall, seen in the previous photo) and a mirror with a dramatic wavy gold band give the spa-like space a delightfully eclectic feel.
Sink: Rectangular gray onyx glass vessel, Vigo
Learn more about this spa-style retreat
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Sink: Rectangular gray onyx glass vessel, Vigo
Learn more about this spa-style retreat
More on Houzz
Read more bathroom stories
Browse bathroom photos
Find a local bath designer
Shop for your bathroom
1. Traditional With a Twist
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A young couple
Location: Nyack, New York
Size: 60 square feet (5.6 square meters)
Designer: Nicole Viola of Ivory & Oak
Before: You’d never know this bath was in a Victorian-style home. The owners, a couple in Nyack, New York, brought in designer Nicole Viola of Ivory & Oak to create a design that would honor the home’s architecture in an updated way while also feeling luxurious and upscale. They also wanted a more open shower area to replace their existing cramped nook, which you can glimpse at the front left of this photo.
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