43 Small Bathroom Ideas You’ll Want to Try ASAP

When it comes to small-space living, it often seems like the first room that suffers is the bathroom. And if you’ve ever tried to update your teeny bathroom to maximize space or carve out more storage space in a small bathroom, you know that it feels like an impossible task. But don’t worry: we’re delivering some of Apartment Therapy’s favorite small bathroom decor ideas from our years of house tours, to lend you some inspiration for a water closet work-over.

The following homes have incorporated everything from floating shelves and tiny sinks to mosaic tile and chic towel racks, but they all have one thing in common: a beautifully designed small bathroom. 

Continue scrolling for 43 ingenious small bathroom ideas to maximize even the smallest of spaces — all without sacrificing an inch of style.

The orange shower curtain and blue walls in the bathroom of a stylish New Orleans shotgun house pull the eye up and around the space. They also help visually elongate the room, emphasizing the tall ceilings and taking attention off of the narrowness of the space.

Bring a burst of color into a small, minimalist bathroom by painting your sink cabinets in a vibrant hue, as we saw in this soothing space in a Michigan kit home.

Take a cue from this Santa Barbara home by bringing some boho flair to a small bathroom. Here, you’ll see a mix of textures and textiles, like the woven rug, linen shower curtain, and rattan baskets.

Looking for easy small bathroom ideas for a chic upgrade? Replace your current mirror with a more sophisticated one — like the round floral bone mirror we found in this San Francisco apartment — to elevate the entire ambiance of your bathroom. No renovations necessary!

A bathroom in a tiny home is about as small as you can get, but this Washington DC abode’s bathroom doesn’t feel cramped. If you keep products to a minimum and select only your favorite plant or candle to display, things will feel more spacious, even if they’re actually far from it.

Searching for a stylish way to free up space around your sink? Swingarm sconces — like the ones in this Michigan home — are a great small bathroom idea. They’ll  provide plenty of accent lighting without taking up an inch of surface space.

Cover a single wall in a fresh coat of chalkboard paint to make an artful statement in a small bathroom, which is not only a great small bathroom idea, but a handy source of entertainment while you’re in there. Let this Rhode Island home serve as the perfect bathroom inspo.

Bring a pop of color and contrast to your small bathroom by painting your baseboards and door trim in a bright hue. The owner of this Kansas City home nailed this design trick.

Maximize a small, awkwardly shaped bathroom by covering the walls with some playful wallpaper, as we saw in this charming house in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Place a few gorgeous leafy green houseplants in your small bathroom to naturally energize the space — and purify the air. This Albuquerque, New Mexico home proves that it’s very easy being green (her vibrant shower curtain that’s beloved by Apartment Therapy editors doesn’t hurt, either!).

Not working with a ton of wall space to hang art in your tiny bathroom? Learn from Cupcakes and Cashmere founder Emily Schuman and prop a piece of art above your toilet tank. Let it lean against the wall for a sleek, nails-free display like she did inside her Los Angeles home.

In this dramatic Brooklyn brownstone, small but stately twin mirrors bring a touch of grandeur to a small bathroom.

Dark walls allow flashy gold-finished fixtures to shine in a small bathroom, as we found in an Art Deco-inspired Indiana home, which hits a high note in our book.

Too much of a good thing can be wonderful, and gallery walls in a small bathroom are no exception. Take a cue from this eclectic Nashville home and install floor-to-ceiling gallery displays on every wall of your bathroom for an impactful maximalist scene.

You can always count on wood-paneled walls to create an outdoorsy atmosphere in your tiny bathroom, just like we saw in this inspiring Austin, Texas bungalow. Who needs to trek to a log cabin when you have this?

When you don’t have enough room to place houseplants in your powder room, but you’re looking for small bathroom ideas to add a touch of nature to your space,  consider vibrant leaf-patterned wallpaper. This trick definitely pops in a lush Beverly Hills home.

In this modern and airy San Francisco home, clean-lined black accents create depth and contrast in a small earth-toned bathroom.

Don’t let a lack of square footage hold you back from designing your dream bathroom. Take a cue from Lauren Naimola and Chad Pratt and paint the walls a bold color and hang a statement plant in your bathroom to prove that good style will always trump size.

As proven in this maximalist Philadelphia home, a micro sink doesn’t mean micro style. The sink features stately gold fixtures, which helps it stand out in this teeny powder room.

Sure, the bathroom in this 825 square foot Brooklyn apartment is large by New York standards, but it’s not exactly a cavernous retreat. To help enlarge the space, the owners installed a window pane glass shower door, which tricks the eye into thinking the room goes on for miles.

When your bathroom is small, you want every square inch of shower space you can get. Enter the curbless shower — as seen in this gorgeous Munich dorm room (the American envy is real here) — which typically has a drain in the center of the floor and allows shower users to walk right in without stepping over a lip or a door.

Even if your shower takes up your entire bathroom, you can still make the most of the space, as evidenced by this gorgeous Swedish studio. A water-resistant bench for holding your belongings and towels is a great small bathroom idea. 

A cheery shower curtain can amp up just about any space, and the one in this boho-style Bronx apartment creates an artful display. When it comes to small bathroom ideas, adding decor in your favorite style will make up for a lack of space. 

Even the smallest bathroom has at least one place to sit… and we all know what that one place is! But if you need extra seating and simply don’t have room for it, cop the look we found in this Austin, Texas home and add some seating to your shower. 

Short on space? No one will even know when you opt for a super bold shower curtain like the one in this Washington, DC bathroom. 

Plant parents don’t need to sweat it, if shelf space is taken, and there’s no room on the floor. Many plants do perfectly fine chilling with you in the shower. Just take note of how the owners of this stunning Montreal home did it and research to see if your green-fronded friends can find a home in your bathroom. You can even hang a few off of your shower rod!

The blush Zellige wall tile paired with the beige floor tile in this California desert bathroom make this small space look larger than life.

Chevron-style marble walls a la Brian Mitchell and Ericka James’ San Francisco home bring a touch of texture and movement to a tiny bathroom without taking up any floor space.

The tile in this Los Angeles bathroom is as classic as it gets. White subway tile with black grout in the shower and black and white penny tile on the floor go together seamlessly and make the small bathroom appear larger than it is.

Smaller square footage means less room for decor, but when you install striking tile, like what’s seen in this cozy Vermont getaway, who needs anything more? The colors and patterns in the ceramic squares instantly brighten up the room and take up zero precious space, since they’re used as a countertop material and to trim out the shower.

Add mosaic tile to the walls surrounding your bathtub or shower to create an artful display in your small bathroom, just like we saw in Shana Cohen’s cozy cottage in Florida. 

Working with little to no surface space for storage on your pedestal sink? Mount a floating picture ledge above your sink to store cosmetics, perfume bottles, and other small bathroom necessities, as we saw in this Paris apartment.

Installing hanging baskets for shower storage makes your bathroom look so much more fun — just take a look at this chic Pennsylvania home as an example. Your walls also won’t feel as cluttered, and you’ll avoid the pain of drilling or putting together a flat packed shelf.

When you’re short on space, you’ve got to use every inch. And that often means hanging things from the ceilings and walls (instead of using the cabinetry), like this Ontario bathroom displays. 

In a very small bathroom, built-ins are an absolute must to save wall space. This white built-in cabinet is sleek and doesn’t crowd this teeny bathroom in an Airstream trailer. And a coordinating rug and shower curtain give the space cohesiveness.

Just because you’ve opted for a floating vanity doesn’t mean you can’t store things below. These oversized jute baskets are the perfect touch in this rustic bathroom in a 500-year-old Italian countryside home, and allow for plenty of storage space as well. 

A pair of wall-mounted shelves turn a cramped bathroom corner into a storage-savvy scene. Let a chic Washington, D.C. apartment show you how it’s done.

A well-placed tray instantly creates an additional storage opportunity on top of your toilet tank, as we saw in this modern Chicago home.

Score some extra sink-side storage space by replacing your wall-mounted towel rack with a multifunctional leaning ladder, like the one in this Australian home.

Invest in a sleek and slender hanging rail system, like the FINTORP series at IKEA, so you won’t waste an inch of precious sink space on toiletries. Jordan and Brittany Griggs take their storage strategy to the next level in their RV with this hack.

A petite side chair provides a place to perch and surface space for tub-side storage in a small bathroom, as seen in this English farmhouse.

If you’re working with little to no storage space around your shower or bathtub, mount a floating shelf or picture ledge on the wall above the tub to store your shampoo, conditioner, and soap. This Buenos Aires home strikes a balance between form and function.

When you don’t have any surface space around your pedestal sink, a great small bathroom idea is to consider employing a petite, tiered side table to create some instant storage opportunity. This Austin abode shows how to get the job done in style.