10 Compact Bathroom Ideas

Small bathroom ideas are a great way to spark inspiration and get you on the way to making the most of your smaller space. Yes, it’s fun to renovate a large bathroom space but we need to give our compact bathrooms some love too.

Want to give your bathroom some life? Check out our 10 compact bathroom ideas for inspiration to make the most out of your space.

From creating a wet room to careful colour placement, discover our favourite small bathroom ideas to transform your space.

Using the same tiles across floors and walls is a great way to make a small space feel larger. You can also use this technique to play with a room’s proportions; a vertical laying pattern will create height, a horizontal flow will create width.

In this look, we have used our Kanzi tile across the floor and all the way up the wall. This vertical laying pattern with long rectangular plank like tiles elongates the wall and adds a feeling of extra height to the compact shower area. We recommend opting for a wood effect tile in a light colour as lighter shades are a foolproof way to open up a space. On the other walls opt for a bright and airy tile as it allows the other features to pop against it and doesn’t swallow up any of that open feeling you want to create.

In a small bathroom, it is important to make the most of your space. One way to do this is to turn your bathroom into a wet room. You will fall in love with an open shower area that blends seamlessly with the rest of your compact space.

Not only are wet rooms a great way to avoid extra fixings and keep clutter to a minimum, but they are much easier to maintain than traditional bathrooms. Plus, they give you more floor space as the drain is set into the floor, ensuring that space is maximised.

Achieve the look with our Regal Collection, choosing a glossy tile on the wall to bounce light with an elegant edge and a coordinating slip resistant tile on the floor for added safety. Your bathroom may be compact but it will definitely be grand.

Using bathroom tiles to create a centrepiece is a quick way to inject a sense of character into a compact bathroom. However, it can also clutter the space too much if each wall feels too full. Therefore, keep the decor specific to one area while choosing the colours as a red thread throughout the room.

A cool trend to follow is to tile only half the wall and pair it with a lighter paint colour above. This ensures the space still feels open. Then go for a stripped-back unit that shows the tiles behind and is less of a large feature itself. Instead, the sink and accompanying accessories act cohesively as intricate décor.

Achieve this look with our Zellica Bronze tile laid in a chevron pattern.

A popular décor choice in small bathrooms is to choose bright, eye-catching shower tiles Just like creating a feature, this is a great way to jazz up your space without overwhelming it.

To achieve this look, why not go big on colour in the shower? For some inspiration check out @thehomethatkirstybuilt on Instagram. This may be a compact bathroom, yet by choosing bright yellow tiles in the shower and pairing them with a matt black shower screen, the eye is drawn to this punch of colour. To bring this further to life, the sink area and paint colours chosen completely contradict the shower décor. This contradiction only makes the feature pop more while the neutral tones perpetuate a feeling of extra light and space in the bathroom.

In a compact bathroom, opting for pale and soft colours is a great way to add the illusion of space. While it’s best to keep these hues to paint and soft furnishings, you can add extra character to a bathroom by using stronger colours in towels and accessories.

Typically, small bathrooms lack natural lighting due to having small windows or because they face in the wrong direction to capture a decent amount of sunlight throughout the day. As such, extra lighting should be incorporated into the space – whether it’s recessed into the walls or ceiling, or simply fitted into strip lights or wall sconces.

Getting tiling correct in a small bathroom is arguably the most important thing. After all, the waterproofing that it provides, as well as the wipe-clean nature of the materials involved, make it indispensable to maintaining a great look.

In a small bathroom, it’s the size of the tiles that matters: too big, and the room may seem dwarfed; too small, and the grouting can become a little too dominant and look less attractive. Look to medium-sized tiles but if you prefer a small tile – such as our Metro range – then stick to a matching grout colour and you could have your space looking fantastic in no time.

If you’re decorating a WC then art, frames and ornaments can all add a cool and eclectic vibe to a small space but if you’re decorating a main bathroom then you want it to feel calm and serene. Strip back the ornamentation and use wall mirrors to create the illusion of more space.

To maximise the space in a compact bathroom and keep clutter to a minimum, consider incorporating wall-mounted units. Not only do they create a streamlined look, but they also come in a variety of colours, finishes, and sizes, allowing you to choose a design that complements your interior preferences.

To create an illusion of space in a compact bathroom consider laying tiles vertically. In a small space, this laying pattern creates the illusion of height and can make a space feel taller, creating a sense of spaciousness. This effect is most noticeable in rooms with low ceilings. If you have a really compact space then consider using a horizontal herringbone design instead, providing the illusion of more height and width as it draws the eye up and across the room.

Compact bathrooms might come with a few more creative challenges than heaps of space do. However, there are so many ways to make the most of your space and create something you can relax in as well as kick-start your day. We love these compact bathroom ideas, and we hope you do too!