
These spaces may be small, but they certainly don’t lack panache.
Just because bathroom is on the small side, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be full of personality. From bold decor choices, to stylish storage ideas, these small bathrooms and powder rooms aren’t afraid of making a design statement- and shouldn’t be either.
- The small bathroom in French architect Jacque Grange’s Paris apartment houses a narrow étagerè holding towels and toiletries. The bathtub, sink and faucet are by L’Epi d’Or, the chandelier is 19th-century and the inlaid marble floor is based on a Byzantine pattern.
- A neutral bathroom in the Spanish-style home of Create & Cultivate founder Jaclyn Johnson is given a “Cali cool” update with the addition of Hygge & West’s Strike wallpaper and the Marabou vanity by Kohler. The space was designed by Johnson’s friend, Whitney Lee Morris.
- EXUBERANTLY FLORAL In a New York City home’s bathroom with limited countertop and cabinet storage, designer Katie Ridder used a medium-height antique shelf for books, towels and a plant.
- When all else fails, keep it simple. A compact sink by Duravit and sleek fittings by Arne Jacobsen for Vola complete this West Village apartment designed by S. Russel Groves.
- In an imperial getaway near St. Petersburg, a narrow bathroom is given ornamental details with a mirror from the 1940s and a 1950s stool from Newel. The 1970s chandelier was found in Palm Beach, the curtains are of a silk by Manuel Canovas and the bathroom’s sink, tub and fittings are by Villeroy & Boch.
- Mixing tiles is one of the easiest ways to boost a small bathroom’s visual appeal. For this design scheme in a Orem, Utah home, glass and mother-of-pearl tile from Oceanside Glasstile were used to cover the walls and play off of the geometric stone flooring. Coastal sisal wallpaper from Thibaut adds warmth to the space.
- A 19th-century washbasin is the highlight of this vibrant Bordeaux, France bathroom designed by Michael Coorengel and Jean-Pierre Calvagrac.
- In a relaxed Portugal home, the small master bath sink was made locally and the fittings are by Grohe. The mirror is by Ikea and the floor is poured concrete.
- This bohemian-inspired bathroom in the Dallas home of Homepolish designer Erika Yeaman proves that a simple large mirror can open up a space. It’s the perfect solution if mirrored walls aren’t your style.
- Who said pebbles are just meant for the beach? Skin LLC designed this bath, featuring floor-to-ceiling pebbled tile and sand-inspired hues.
- In fashion exec Trent Wisehart’s home in South Orange, New Jersey, the small bathroom is decked out in varying shades of gray. A 1920s Venetian mirror hangs above the sink and the tiles are by Waterworks.
- An exuberant grid of colors in designer Jamie Drake’s New York apartment pays homage to the 1960s artist Gene Davis, drawing from the palette of his striped silk screens. The vibrant squares were painted by Moira Kelly, and the artwork is by Lucio Fontana.
- Sometimes bigger is better, especially when it comes to powder rooms. Make a statement by experimenting with pieces like oversized sconces or a stone sink, as featured in this 17th-century Italian farmhouse.
- Sometimes bigger is better, especially when it comes to powder rooms. Make a statement by experimenting with pieces like oversized sconces or a stone sink, as featured in this 17th-century Italian farmhouse.
- In a laid-back New York City apartment, the bathroom vanity and tub are by Waterworks, the fittings are by Lefroy Brooks and the sconces are by Ozone. The walls and floor are sheathed in Calacatta Viola marble.
- To emphasize the beachy feel in this surf retreat in East Hampton, the small bathroom forgoes the shower enclosure for a more casual feel. The sink is by Vermont Soapstone Co. and the shower fittings are by Samuel Heath. The light is by Restoration Hardware, the wall is lined in Nemo Tile, and the ceiling is painted in Stiffkey Blue by Farrow & Ball.
- For a small space, Andy Cohen’s lamé bathroom packs quite the punch. The walls are lined with Flavor Paper’s Cherry Forever mylar wallpaper, the vanity is by Waterworks, and the vintage Milo Baughman mirror is from Chairish. An Andy Warhol portrait of Diane von Furstenburg on a framed silk scarf resides over the room.
- When designing his 1950s ranch house on the Hudson River, Ernest de la Torre expanded his small bathroom by pulling the mural by Shantell Martin throughout the room and onto the door. The wainscoting is painted in Benjamin Moore’s Midnight.
- An inviting powder room in a Big Sky, Montana, home features walls clad in reclaimed whitewashed wood and a custom sink made of stone. The sink fittings, mirror, and wall light are by Waterworks.
- This rustic L.A. home masters California cool decor, even in its petite guest bathroom. The chair is upholstered in the California state flag, the sink and fittings are by Waterworks, the custom wallcovering is by Nathalie Lété, and the door is painted in Farrow & Ball’s Studio Green.
- For a dose of quirky decor, the tiny powder room of this Windsor Terrace home features shibori wallpaper by Amber Interiors for Studio Four NYC and a mirror by Rejuvenation.
- The extravagant floral wallpaper inside the powder room of a West Village apartment turns the entire space into a piece of artwork. The sink is by Barclay and has fittings by Samuel Heath.
- In John Robshaw’s Connecticut country house, the upstairs bath manages to pack in furniture and decor from around the globe. The stunning sink cabinet is from Syria, the shower curtain and rug are by Robshaw, the sconce is by Schoolhouse Electric & Supply Co., and the 19th-century Spanish encaustic floor tiles are from Michael Trapp.
- The boathouse of a country home in Uruguay has a bathtub with views that look straight out to the lake. The bench is from Zimbabwe, and the room’s colors we custom-mixed by Claessens.
- The tub and sink fittings in the guest bath of designers Kevin Roberts and Timothy Haynes’s home are by Barber Wilsons & Co., and the paint-on-mirror artwork is by Rashid Johnson.
- The metallic-and-marble shower door and vanity in this Steven Gambrel-designed Manhattan home are custom-designed, and the floors and shower feature tiles by Mosaic House.
- Cynthia Rowley created a decidedly feminine master bath in the Greek Revival townhouse she shares with husband Bill Powers. Rowley designed the wall treatment, which is printed on billboard vinyl, and the painting is by Rob Pruitt. Touches of pink brighten up the small black-and-white room, and a Venetian-style mirror is the perfect complement to the classic pedestal sink.
- A circa-1950 brass mirror hangs in the powder room of the Paris pied-à-terre shared by designer Steven Volpe and his business partner, Roth Martin, who helm the San Francisco gallery Hedge. The French collapsible tripod table is vintage.
- A Duravit sink with Dornbracht fittings is located in the guest bath of designer Susan Hable Smith’s Athens, Georgia, home. The room is papered with old AAA maps. The wainscoting is painted in Farrow & Ball’s Cornforth White.
- A mural by Jean Horihata hangs in the dainty powder room of an Arts and Crafts cottage in Beverly Hills. The circa-1890 Tramp Art mirror is American, the stool is Chinese, and the sink fittings are by THG.
- A drawing by Robert Longo makes a big statement in the small powder room of this New York City home. The sink is by Toto, with Lefroy Brooks fittings.
- In this Manhattan apartment, brass trimming outlines the husband’s bathroom, making the space appear larger than it really is. The sink is from Urban Archaeology and the fittings are by Waterworks. The walls are clad in Saint Laurent marble and the flooring is limestone.
- A metallic side table and teak étagère are used to store bathroom necessities in a small Martyn Lawrence Bullard-designed bathroom inside actress Ellen Pompeo’s home.
- On this rustic yet refined 1870 farm in Bedford, New York, the powder room wall features a strip of modern blue shelving as simple as the bathroom itself. The photos of mummies were taken by the original owners on a trip to Egypt; the light fixture is by Schoolhouse Electric.
- In Academy Award winner Marisa Tomei’s Manhattan apartment, a bathroom makes up for little storage space with an Empire cabinet lined with Cole & Son wallpaper. The sink and fittings are by Waterworks, the mirror is by Made Goods, the sconces are by Aerin and the wallpaper is by Sister Parish Design.
- In an apartment on Paris’ Right Bank, a daughter’s bedroom features colorful cubby shelves that make organizing in the small space easy. The tub fittings are by Dornbracht, and the Corian sink is of a custom design.
- Etchings by James Brown fill this Greenwich Village penthouse’s small bathroom with character three times its size. The tile and sink are original, while the ceiling light is by the Federalist.
- The small bathroom in Emmy Rossum’s renovated home features a custom vanity with fittings by Kallista, a medicine cabinet by Robern and a sconce by Circa Lighting. The walls, sink and floor are lined in Ann Sacks Marbles.
- This small master bath in a historic New York house has a tub, sink, fittings and black limestone flooring by Waterworks. The kilim is from West Elm, the sconces are by Vaughan and the artworks are from London and Paris.
- This Connecticut weekend house with midcentury design boasts a quaint master bath with big style: The tub is by Sunrise Specialty and has fittings by Sigma, the armchair is antique, the ebonized Louis XVI commode is from Duane and the walls are painted in Benjamin Moore’s Gray Owl.
- This small guest bath in a Hamptons summer house is anchored by a claw-foot tub that’s original to the house and has fittings from Waterworks. The stool and artwork is by Michael Dweck.
- This Northern California family home features a dainty bathroom with a master tub by Waterworks, sink and fittings by Lefroy Brooks and a painting by Hugo Guinness. The walls are painted in Benjamin Moore’s White Dove, the floor in Farrow & Ball’s All White.
- An East Hampton home inspired by Grey Gardens flaunts a small bathroom where fish are the muse, floating along the walls in a wallcovering by Cole & Son. The mirror is by Made Goods and the sconce is by Visual Comfort.
- Mirrored walls are one of the easiest ways to create the illusion of more space. Ann Pyne, head of one of America’s oldest and most distinguished design firms, crafted this petite bathroom for a Manhattan client using the age-old trick. A photograph by Luisa Lambri hangs above the bathtub.