Before & After: A Modern Update for an Itty-Bitty Bathroom

Purchasing real estate in Manhattan is not for the faint of heart. Not many people would think of making a commitment after 15 minutes, but after a single visit — and about that much time — Elizabeth was ready to put down a bid on her West Village co-op. Her boldness paid off: she got the apartment. But it needed a little bit of work.

The first order of business? The bathroom. Aesthetically, the space was very late-90s mid-range hotel room: wallpaper, speckled granite countertop, floor-to-ceiling mottled-beige tile. And on the practical end, the inswinging door and teeny, tiny sink made the bathroom feel awkward and cramped.

Elizabeth turned to Sweeten, a New-York area resource that connects homeowners with architects, designers, and contractors, and found Sweeten expert Gennadiy. Gennadiy helped her realize that she had the money to fix up not just her bathroom, but the rest of the apartment as well (more on that in a future post).

But the bathroom continued to be the main focus. In that space, a lot of little changes made the difference between crammed and glammed (please excuse my little liberties with the English language). The new toilet, a wall-mounted style, saves about a foot of space next to the shower. And a new in-wall medicine cabinet provides extra space for storage, which allows for a floating vanity, which really helps to open up the space.

The new open, doorless shower also helps the space feel larger, and an allover white palette opens up the space visually. And the new door swings out, instead of in — a big difference in a small space.

To read more about Elizabeth’s renovation, check out the project page at Sweeten. And stay tuned for Apartment Therapy’s coverage of her budget-minded kitchen, bedroom, and living room makeover, coming soon.