Don't worry. I am not going to torture you with photos of cavernous bathrooms that resemble formal parlors straight out of Downton Abbey. I think we all know those sumptuous Elle Decor and Architectural Digest bathrooms adorned with grandoise antique armoires, chaise lounges and massive armchairs. It's a wonder the homeowners don't entertain guests in their lavatories.
But mammoth pieces of furniture are no use to those of us with regular or small-sized bathrooms. Never fear. You, too, can incorporate interesting case pieces, chairs and tables into your bathroom. Integrating furniture not normally associated with the bathroom (from little night stands to wicker chairs to vintage medicine cabinets) is a lovely way to soften a bathroom's harshness while adding storage and character.
FIRST ROW
1 A 1950s style armoire adds warmth and character to this bathroom from House to Home.
2 A Biedermeier side chair softens the marble and tile in a Manhattan master bath. Elle Decor
3 Elle Decor. A vintage lucite table is perfect for a bathroom; projects a nice clean look without adding visual clutter. The collection of art includes works by Steve Miller and Michael Perrone.
4 Elle Decor. In the master bath of Cristine and Craig Gillespie's Los Angeles home, the mirror is vintage, the stool was a fleamarket find and the glass-top wicker cabinet provides extra storage.
5 Domino via Desire to Inspire. Lots of little pieces of helpful furniture here.
SECOND ROW
6 Here a weathered wicker chair and small Saarinen tulip table make for a cozy and eclectic bathroom. The wicker is a great choice for a bathroom, especially if it is all-weather! House to Home.
7 Scott & Marie's Perfectly Put Together Home. Love this vintage cabinet.
8 Love this green vintage dental cabinet from My Home Ideas.
9 This DIY project from Painting the Roses White turns an old dresser into a lovely white vanity.
10 UK Vogue via Ink on My Fingers. The opposite of minimalist in this cozy, vintage bathroom.
THIRD ROW
11 Vintage dentist cart from Home Again.
12 This bathroom was designed by Dale Saylor. Love the vintage cabinet to the left of the sink. Elle Decor.
13 A little painted vintage nightstand provides excellent storage in this bathroom from Real Simple.
14 Martha Stewart designed this room in the 1990s. I love the antique plant stand next to the sink. Designer's Muse.
15 This vintage (or vintage-looking) cabinet provides storage when a pedestal sink does not. Martha Stewart.
(Images: as linked above)
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The rectangular vessel sink in the 9th picture does not match the style of the base or mirror at all...it would have looked more cohesive to do an oval or round vessel bowl instead of a modern rectangle. Seems to throw off the whole look.
I've been doing this for years. I have a large bathroom, but a clawfoot tub and a free standing sink. I have two low profile bookcases side by side, and have large baskets in each that are filled with towels. Very spa like. Also, use the top for lamps and vintage perfume bottles. It's very cozy.
**with, not but**, lol
I wish I had enough room to bring furniture into either of my bathrooms!
can't do it here, mine are too small and here in S FL is so humid.
I love # 1. # 8 and the last one.
I was watching Sarah's House once and her home had a 200 sq ft bathroom. MY WHOLE HOUSE IS 400 SQ FT! I laughed so hard. There were armchairs in there. I dont know about you, but I never felt the urge to curl up with a good book in the bathroom!!
I love furniture in the bathroom, but I think a vanity hack with a dresser is the the only way I could manage it in my tiny place!
www.wafflingdesign.blogspot.com
My bathroom is pretty standard but the layout isn't big enough for anything but the sink, toilet and tub. I do LOVE having a full size window but after adding a hamper I've FILLED it up!. I love the pictures of small furniture in the bathroom. I think the cabinets used for linens are the best use.
Perfect timing. I purchased a condo 3 years ago & slowly trying to update both bathrooms (the full bath is done; the 1/2 bath needs doing) and the kitchen.
I finally found a plumber I feel confident with. I'm taking out the 80's, beat-up and I do mean beat-up vanity and putting in a pedestal. So I will lose my storage but do have the room for a tall cabinet. Love both greens ones posted here so off to CraigsList I go.
Thanks for a great post. BTW: I do like all the ideas in the post as well as how they have been executed.
I've been looking for a medical cabinet for my bathroom for years now. I just simply can't afford one. So now I'm thinking of how to create my own version.
Wish my bathroom was large enough for furniture - as it is, the only "furniture" is a litter box. No room for anything else!
I discovered the need for storage furniture in the bathroom when I first moved into a place with no storage, other than a tiny medicine cabinet, in the bathroom, and no linen cabinet just outside the bath where I could store bathroom items, as well as linens, which I'd had previously. What you can use depends on what fits...in the space, and with the style of the bath. The first time, I found a nightstand at my local thrift store in an off-white speckled laminate with blue accents in French reproduction style, which I would have hated normally as furniture, but which fit the space well, and helped tone down the pink in that very pink bath. It actually looked great in the bath, and added some great drawers for storage. Even though it was more than I wanted to spend, it worked because it fit in the space.
In a later situation, a really narrow old bath, with fixtures all on one side, and again just a tiny medicine cabinet, it was much more challenging. I wanted a little white cabinet with doors and/or drawers, but nothing I could find in stores or thrift stores or online was narrow enough...a few inches makes a big difference when space is tight as to whether you'll be bumping into it or not. I finally found one on craigslist someone was selling, originally from a cheap big box store, but narrower in depth than anything they sold then or now, which was only 12 inches, my maximum depth, that fit.
Then I found a little table at Penny's, by looking online, that would fit over the toilet for a nice shelf, with little back and side rails so stuff doesn't fall off...way too expensive for what it was, but it fit...I had to have the top shelf cut down at a cabinet making shop, as it was too deep, and would have dug into my back when sitting on the toilet, but it then worked well. I couldn't use a typical spacesaver made for this space due to the lone wall shelf above (couldn't remove in rental) and light switch/outlet in the way. I liked this little table better...way less imposing visually than the tall shelving units that spacsavers are...they usually are hulking and ugly...and didn't know these tables for over the toilet space existed until I went searching online. Unfortunately, they were made in China, where they must not know about U.S. toilet sizes, as they were all too deep, but I found one I could cut down. Cheaper than having one custom made, which would be an option.
Then I went on another years long search for a console table less than 12 inches deep, with skinny legs near the corners, such that it would fit over the radiator. Finally found one at The Company Store...no longer available, I think...that worked well, though also too expensive for that it was.
It really shouldn't be this hard...manufacturers (Ikea?) should make narrow depth furniture that people can use in old bathrooms and other odd small spaces where you need storage furniture without having to pay for custom made, which you don't want to invest in for a rental or some place you may not be long term. I have spent probably days looking online for such stuff...when I land someplace longer term again, I'll have stuff custom made to save time, or better yet, if I have workspace, learn to build stuff for myself.
#10! I die!
I have a tall cabinet from Home Goods in my bathroom. The footprint is roughly a foot square (and 6' tall) so it doesn't take up much floor space. There are two open shelves at the top and two glass-doored shelves on the bottom. (I use the open shelves for spare towels and the closed ones for decorative items.) The whole unit swivels on a lazy-susan type turntable, and the back holds a full length mirror, so it's really versatile for such a small space! (I used to have an orchid plant on top, but after I killed it, I replaced it with a collection of Chinese vases...)
I have thought you could improvise a slightly bigger version of this with a narrow IKEA Billy and lazy-susan hardware from a lumber company or woodworker's store.
I recently moved in to a home in England with almost zero built-in storage. This was especially a problem in the bathroom. Fortunately, there was room for a big dresser, and this one piece has solved all of our storage needs for that room. The dresser was in our dining room in the last house, and so was a rug we moved into the bathroom-- I like mixing furniture up, not having a piece only work for one kind room.
Here's our result: http://and-here-we-are.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/british-bathroom-one-can-never-be-too.html
(This post also includes quirky tidbits on British bathrooms!)
I have a vintage bathroom with a pedestal sink and zero storage. I had to bring in two small cabinets to store hair stuff etc. and due to the small size I really had to think hard and look hard to find things that fit. It works now but I still have to store a ton of stuff outside of the bathroom (like TP!)
The opposite of the post's idea of adding furniture to the bath would work better for me. If I were to shift some stored items from my bath to the linens closet just outside the bath door, then I could replace the vanity sink with a pedestal sink. The storage features remaining in the bath would be enough. Having more open floor space would be less cramped and more comfortable.