Renovating a half bathroom. How hard could it be? We figured it was such a small space that it would take no time! My husband is super handy and talented and was ready for this refresh. It actually was a challenge though because of the size. Everything had to fit in that small space and fit just so. That ended up being our time sponge. My vision and style for the bathroom changed frequently also just due to lack of items in the size we needed in certain finishes and looks. Finally though, it all came together and we are so happy with the final look of it! Here are small bathroom design ideas and our inspiration for it!
If you are looking to redo a bathroom in your home, below are some small bathroom design ideas and inspiration for all of the items we placed in ours. If you have someone who is handy, they can handle taking on this job and if not, just hire someone. It shouldn’t take too long if you have everything sourced out and you know what you want in the space. Just come up with a focus and vision for the space to keep it cohesive. A refresh will go a long way in a bathroom and turn it from drab to fab!
This was the drab bathroom before. It was your typical bathroom from the 1970’s with all of the finishes back then. I couldn’t wait to redo this bathroom and turn it into a beauty! This refresh brought such life back to it and really made it shine!
Small Bathroom Design Ideas- Flooring, Wall Paint and Wall Design
Flooring
The original look I wanted for this bathroom was more of a modern farmhouse look, but the vanity really constituted that whole vibe. Anything that was modern rustic was either too big or too expensive so I had to adjust my vision. I went back and forth (way too many times…just ask my husband) on the colors I wanted in this bathroom. I’m a libra so I tend to be super indecisive. I’m surprised he hasn’t killed me yet! We had bought these porcelain tiles months before the reno of this bathroom so these truly dictated the whole design. I loved the heavy detailing in these tiles and knew the upper half of the bathroom would have to be more solid and plainer in style to contrast.
wall color
So instead of matching the black and white tiles perfectly, we offset them with a dark deep gray color on the walls. The paint color is Peppercorn by Sherwin Williams and it is almost a classic charcoal color. It is dark enough to give that contrast, but doesn’t darken the whole space like black would. My dad used to paint houses and all I could hear in my head when I picked this color is, “You are painting your bathroom black? What are you nuts?” Luckily, he liked the finished product.
wall design
Now that we settled on the dark charcoal paint color, I had to come up with a way to keep this small bathroom looking bright and clean. Board and batten it was! We have a lot of board and batten in our house that my husband has become a pro at installing it now. Once you get the measurements down and materials for it, it goes pretty quickly and makes such a great statement. We did a gridlike board and batten a quarter way up the wall to really contrast with the dark charcoal color.
Small Bathroom Design Ideas- Hardware & Vanity
hardware
Did I mention my love for gold? Even though I was working with black and white in this space, I knew I needed to incorporate gold. It just has a way of making everything look fancy and it looks great with black and gold. We have gold hardware and a gold faucet in our kitchen next to this bathroom so I felt carrying it through made the most sense. After much deliberation, I found this gold faucet that my husband and I both agreed on and one that matched the other golds in the space. Gold can be tricky though to match as well especially when you are picking items all out online so be conscious of that.
In addition to the gold faucet, we needed a gold towel bar holder and a toilet paper holder. Sometimes picking a specific finish can limit you, but we were able to find options we liked and we went with a very streamlined modern look for both of those. This heathered hand towel perfectly matched the entire vibe of the bathroom as well.
Of course I had to have the toilet bowl flusher match as well (my husband thought I was crazy and claimed no gold ones existed), but low and behold I found this one and I love how it all matches and is cohesive.
vanity
This vanity was the bane of my existence. We finally found this vanity in white to match the bottom portion of the walls and the style matched. We didn’t love the handles that were on the original vanity (they were silver) so we swapped them out and replaced them with these thin gold handles to match the other hardware. This is a simple way to update a piece of furniture to what you want if all details on it aren’t what you are looking for.
Small Bathroom Design Ideas- Decor: Mirror, Wall Shelves, Wall Art & Lighting
mirror
The mirror had to be a specific size to fit nicely above the vanity and to have enough room at the top of the mirror to add in lighting. This mirror fit the bill nicely. Make sure to always read the item description and dimensions to make sure it truly will fit.
wall shelving & decor
To continue with the fancier look for this bathroom, I went with marble shelves with gold brackets (of course). These are able to hold up to a decent amount of weight and the double shelves above the toilet filled the space nicely. The décor pieces chosen were taller vertical pieces for the top shelf to draw the eye up and horizontal pieces for the lower shelf to drawn the eye across. A few additions of greenery add some great pops of color to the space. Also interesting items always make for some great décor pieces. I love adding in old books to stack items with also. Go to your local book donation place, reuse books they have by taking off the outside cover and just showcasing the book itself. It’s an affordable way to incorporate books into your décor!
wall art
We don’t have a lot of wall space in this bathroom so I went with a single framed art piece that was interesting. I loved the gold frame this one had and just the simple gesture of the girl’s face. I don’t think my family loved it being they said she stares at them in the bathroom, but I love it. Find interesting artwork and pieces that make a statement.
lighting
I love the ceiling light we selected for this bathroom. It is untraditional for a bathroom, but that is why I love it. We have taller ceilings in this space so we were able to get away with a pendant that hung a bit lower. We adjusted the chain it hung on so it hung at the right level. Select items in your house that make you smile. This one surely makes me smile every time I look at it. The light above the mirror also compliments the ceiling light in design. Keep your lighting similar in styles to match one another and everything will look streamlined and cohesive.
Toilet Paper Holder/ Hand Towel Ring/ Toilet Bowl Lever/ Delta Trinsic Faucet/ Marble Shelves/ Gold Brackets/ Gold Cabinet Pulls/ Heathered Hand Towel/ Vanity/ Artificial Fern/ Artificial Succulent/ Jack Decorative Object/ Black Candle/ Black Candlestick Holders/ White Tapered Candles/ Black Soap Dispenser/ Black Wastebasket/ Wall Art/ Chandelier/ Tissue Box Cover
I hope you love this bathroom transformation and some small bathroom design ideas to incorporate into yours! A bathroom refresh makes such a difference. Even if you aren’t able to do the complete look, just updating some pieces and using some of our small bathroom design ideas will go a long way. Let us know what you favorite part of this transformation is by writing in the comments below.
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