Before and After: 4 Bathrooms Under 57 Square Feet Lose the Tub
Roomy walk-in showers and even a sauna occupy the spaces where bathtubs once stood
Having a tight bathroom is challenging enough. Add in a space-hogging tub that you don’t want or need — or worse, that presents a safety hazard — and it’s time to call in a design pro. For the four small to medium-size bathrooms below, two designers kept the size and layout the same, while two added square footage and moved things around. All feel dramatically more open and work far better for the homeowners. Could any of the ideas work for you? Let us know in the Comments at the end.
Photo by Lara Kimmerer
After: The team removed the tub-shower combo (another bathroom had a tub) and shifted a wall into the bedroom to gain 3 square feet. Now a roomy double vanity sits to the right, and a bigger shower with a low curb and a rain shower head feels positively luxurious in the compact space. A pony wall creates privacy for the toilet.
The black-and-white palette got to stay, but this version is cleaner and more modern, with all-black porcelain floor tiles in a herringbone pattern and striking matte black fixtures against expanses of white. The vanity’s walnut base brings in a dose of warmth, while recessed medicine cabinets with brass frames boost storage and contribute shine. A walnut shelf to the left of the shower adds an artistic touch.
Wall paint: White Dove by Benjamin Moore; vanity: Serenity door style in natural walnut, Candlelight Cabinetry; floor tile: Topography porcelain in black, 4 by 12 inches, Best Tile
Read more about this bathroom
After: The team removed the tub-shower combo (another bathroom had a tub) and shifted a wall into the bedroom to gain 3 square feet. Now a roomy double vanity sits to the right, and a bigger shower with a low curb and a rain shower head feels positively luxurious in the compact space. A pony wall creates privacy for the toilet.
The black-and-white palette got to stay, but this version is cleaner and more modern, with all-black porcelain floor tiles in a herringbone pattern and striking matte black fixtures against expanses of white. The vanity’s walnut base brings in a dose of warmth, while recessed medicine cabinets with brass frames boost storage and contribute shine. A walnut shelf to the left of the shower adds an artistic touch.
Wall paint: White Dove by Benjamin Moore; vanity: Serenity door style in natural walnut, Candlelight Cabinetry; floor tile: Topography porcelain in black, 4 by 12 inches, Best Tile
Read more about this bathroom
Photo from Michelle Lauren
2. Heated Treat
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: A sauna might not be the first thing you’d think of for this 40-square-foot guest bath in an Atlanta townhouse. A door that didn’t open right into the toilet? Maybe. More breathing room? Definitely. But the homeowner didn’t just think of a sauna; she sketched a layout and then hired designer Michelle Lauren to bring her vision to life.
5 Hot Tips for Home Saunas
2. Heated Treat
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: A sauna might not be the first thing you’d think of for this 40-square-foot guest bath in an Atlanta townhouse. A door that didn’t open right into the toilet? Maybe. More breathing room? Definitely. But the homeowner didn’t just think of a sauna; she sketched a layout and then hired designer Michelle Lauren to bring her vision to life.
5 Hot Tips for Home Saunas
Photo from Michelle Lauren
After: Yes, Lauren had to do more than ditch the shower-tub combo across from the vanity to create a sauna area; she bumped out the space on both sides to add 16 square feet. From there, it was all about layout changes and aesthetics. Although it looks like this photo was taken from the same vantage point as the previous one, the orientation of the whole space has rotated. The room’s entrance is now on the former vanity wall, and everything else has shifted accordingly.
The new wet room at the back has both a sauna and a shower area with an eight-jet multifunction shower panel system, an adjustable rainfall shower head and a handheld shower head. Cedar covers the ceiling and defines the sauna portion on the left, marble-look porcelain flooring flows from the sauna to the shower, and the shower area sports wavy 3D ceramic stone-look tiles on one wall and blue porcelain tiles on the other. That waviness has been picked up in the vanity edge and a dramatic textured gold river flowing through the mirror above, creating a spa-style vibe to complete the experience.
Cedar: Your Bath Store; wavy shower wall tile: Rialto Flow ceramic, Floor & Decor; blue shower and main wall tile: Pier Blue porcelain, Floor & Decor
Read more about this bathroom
After: Yes, Lauren had to do more than ditch the shower-tub combo across from the vanity to create a sauna area; she bumped out the space on both sides to add 16 square feet. From there, it was all about layout changes and aesthetics. Although it looks like this photo was taken from the same vantage point as the previous one, the orientation of the whole space has rotated. The room’s entrance is now on the former vanity wall, and everything else has shifted accordingly.
The new wet room at the back has both a sauna and a shower area with an eight-jet multifunction shower panel system, an adjustable rainfall shower head and a handheld shower head. Cedar covers the ceiling and defines the sauna portion on the left, marble-look porcelain flooring flows from the sauna to the shower, and the shower area sports wavy 3D ceramic stone-look tiles on one wall and blue porcelain tiles on the other. That waviness has been picked up in the vanity edge and a dramatic textured gold river flowing through the mirror above, creating a spa-style vibe to complete the experience.
Cedar: Your Bath Store; wavy shower wall tile: Rialto Flow ceramic, Floor & Decor; blue shower and main wall tile: Pier Blue porcelain, Floor & Decor
Read more about this bathroom
3. Safety First
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A husband and wife and the wife’s mother
Location: Hudsonville, Michigan
Size: 45 square feet (4.2 square meters)
Designer: Leah Velzen of Delight in Designs
Before: The mother of one of the homeowners had fallen getting out of the tub in this 45-square-foot Michigan bathroom. So when she was planning to move in, they brought in designer Leah Velzen to make the space safer to navigate — and to give the bare-bones look a bit of flair.
10 Top Trends in New Faucets, Sinks, Vanities and More for 2026
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A husband and wife and the wife’s mother
Location: Hudsonville, Michigan
Size: 45 square feet (4.2 square meters)
Designer: Leah Velzen of Delight in Designs
Before: The mother of one of the homeowners had fallen getting out of the tub in this 45-square-foot Michigan bathroom. So when she was planning to move in, they brought in designer Leah Velzen to make the space safer to navigate — and to give the bare-bones look a bit of flair.
10 Top Trends in New Faucets, Sinks, Vanities and More for 2026
Photo by Troy VanLangen of Above the Horizon Media
After: Keeping the same footprint, Velzen brought in an easy-to-access low-curb shower to replace the hazardous tub-shower combo. Matte tile with plenty of grout lines for slip resistance has replaced the previous wood-look vinyl, and though you can’t see it here, the sink has a three-hole faucet with two handles for ease of use.
The black-and-white palette with patterned tile and gleaming hardware brings pizazz, and the floor tile pattern also helps deemphasize the room’s narrow profile. Frameless glass at the shower, along with black shower fixtures and a black niche amid a field of white glazed tile, pulls the eye through to the back wall.
Floor tile: Cassettone in black, The Tile Shop; vanity: Aria door style, Showplace Cabinetry; vanity paint: Iron Ore, Sherwin-Williams; hardware: Mod Hex and Modern backplate in satin brass, Emtek
Read more about this bathroom
After: Keeping the same footprint, Velzen brought in an easy-to-access low-curb shower to replace the hazardous tub-shower combo. Matte tile with plenty of grout lines for slip resistance has replaced the previous wood-look vinyl, and though you can’t see it here, the sink has a three-hole faucet with two handles for ease of use.
The black-and-white palette with patterned tile and gleaming hardware brings pizazz, and the floor tile pattern also helps deemphasize the room’s narrow profile. Frameless glass at the shower, along with black shower fixtures and a black niche amid a field of white glazed tile, pulls the eye through to the back wall.
Floor tile: Cassettone in black, The Tile Shop; vanity: Aria door style, Showplace Cabinetry; vanity paint: Iron Ore, Sherwin-Williams; hardware: Mod Hex and Modern backplate in satin brass, Emtek
Read more about this bathroom
4. Modern Family
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A family of five, part time
Location: Port Angeles, Washington
Size: 51 square feet (4.7 square meters)
Designer: Jasmine Galle of Sage & Soul Interiors
Before: Modernizing their 1970s Washington state vacation home was this family’s directive to designer Jasmine Galle. That included the 51-square-foot bathroom, which had not only carpeting (!) but an outmoded beige tub-shower combo, heavy-looking furnishings, a clunky soffit with boxed lighting and an overall ho-hum look.
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A family of five, part time
Location: Port Angeles, Washington
Size: 51 square feet (4.7 square meters)
Designer: Jasmine Galle of Sage & Soul Interiors
Before: Modernizing their 1970s Washington state vacation home was this family’s directive to designer Jasmine Galle. That included the 51-square-foot bathroom, which had not only carpeting (!) but an outmoded beige tub-shower combo, heavy-looking furnishings, a clunky soffit with boxed lighting and an overall ho-hum look.
Photo by Cindy Marie Photography
After: Without changing the size or layout, Galle dramatically upgraded the space’s look and functionality. As the adjacent kids’ bathroom had a tub, she replaced the one here with a low-curb shower. Fixed glass at the entry creates a more open look and ease of entry, while playful green-and-gray geometric tile runs from the main floor to the shower curb and then up the back wall, drawing the eye through the space.
The bathroom is awash in energizing midcentury modern style, not just with the statement geometric tile but with matte black rectangular wall tile and a ceiling clad in knotty cedar. A walnut double vanity with integrated walnut drawer pulls and straight legs is a star in its own right. Globe vanity lights, circular ceiling lights and a skylight ensure plenty of illumination for tasks and taking in all the beautiful details.
Floor and shower back wall tile: Brando Green, 8 by 8 inches, TileBar; black tile: Makoto in Kuroi Black, Bedrosians; vanity: Draftwood Design; vanity lights: Linear Globe in natural brass, Shades of Light
Read more about this bathroom
Your turn: Did you lose your tub to make your bath work better for you? Let us know in the Comments!
More on Houzz
Read more bathroom stories
Browse bathroom photos
Find a bathroom remodeler
After: Without changing the size or layout, Galle dramatically upgraded the space’s look and functionality. As the adjacent kids’ bathroom had a tub, she replaced the one here with a low-curb shower. Fixed glass at the entry creates a more open look and ease of entry, while playful green-and-gray geometric tile runs from the main floor to the shower curb and then up the back wall, drawing the eye through the space.
The bathroom is awash in energizing midcentury modern style, not just with the statement geometric tile but with matte black rectangular wall tile and a ceiling clad in knotty cedar. A walnut double vanity with integrated walnut drawer pulls and straight legs is a star in its own right. Globe vanity lights, circular ceiling lights and a skylight ensure plenty of illumination for tasks and taking in all the beautiful details.
Floor and shower back wall tile: Brando Green, 8 by 8 inches, TileBar; black tile: Makoto in Kuroi Black, Bedrosians; vanity: Draftwood Design; vanity lights: Linear Globe in natural brass, Shades of Light
Read more about this bathroom
Your turn: Did you lose your tub to make your bath work better for you? Let us know in the Comments!
More on Houzz
Read more bathroom stories
Browse bathroom photos
Find a bathroom remodeler
Sponsored
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A young couple
Location: Newton, Massachusetts
Size: 43 square feet (4 square meters)
Designers-builders: Jason and Megan Hoffman of J.P. Hoffman Design Build
Before: Vintage charm, courtesy of a pedestal sink and classic floor tile, weren’t enough to redeem this 40-square-foot bath in a 1934 Colonial near Boston. An aging shower-tub combo and insufficient storage and counter space, along with lackluster style, prompted the homeowners to call in design-build pros Jason and Megan Hoffman.
Find a bathroom designer