Small Apartment Bathroom Ideas: How to Make a Tiny Bathroom Pretty
Living Pretty Ep19 | Small Apartment Bathroom Ideas: Tiny Bathroom Decor Made Easy
Studio apartment bathroom ideas, right this way! I’m going to show you 3 tips for tiny bathroom decor made easy, while also giving you a little bathroom tour in my studio apartment for some tiny bathroom decorating ideas.
My bathroom is a whopping 35 square feet, and yet its tiny-ness doesn’t really bother me. I’ve figured out how to make a small bathroom look bigger while also reflecting my personal interior decor style!
If you’re looking for interior decor inspiration, studio apartment tips, pointers on how to decorate a small apartment, and enjoyed my studio apartment tour video, you’ll want to watch this!
Watch the video now!
↓ Wanna read the episode? ↓
I’ve made some slight edits in the transcript below so that everything makes more sense in text form. But overall, this is almost a word-for-word dictation of what I say in this episode. I’m a much better writer than this, I swear, haha.
My bathroom in my studio apartment is 35 sq ft. 😅
If you too have a tiny bathroom, you’ll want to stick around because I’m going to talk about how to make a tiny bathroom stylish, even when you don’t have much space - or counter space, specifically - to do so.
When I moved into this studio apartment about 3 years ago, I had to figure out how to work around the space constraints and tricky layout planning that inherently comes with styling a studio.
And in the end, I created my dream apartment. So it is possible!
And even in my tiny bathroom, a place that has barely any room for any objects - let alone decor - I was able to create a space that reflects my style personality and also just feels pretty.
Don’t you think that bathrooms seem extra tricky to decorate? Tell me in the comments below, what’s your biggest struggle when it comes to styling your bathroom? Is there a specific style you’re going for? Have you achieved that style? Tell me about your bathroom in the comments below!
The reason why I think bathrooms are extra tricky to style is because you don’t really have a lot of wiggle room when it comes to where things can go. You’re kind of working within some very set parameters - the shower is staying where it is, the toilet is staying where it is, so is the sink.
You don’t get to move those things around like a couch or a table. There’s just not a lot of flexibility when it comes to bathroom decorating, especially in a tiny bathroom where all those physical obstacles are smooshed up against each other.
So styling a tiny bathroom really comes down to working around those physical obstacles in small but impactful ways.
And there are three simple things you can focus on that will help you create that big style impact in your little bathroom. And I’m gonna tell them to you right now.
1. Countertops: pretty things only
First I’m going to talk about countertop accessorizing, because this is the most immediate issue that comes up with tiny bathrooms.
You probably want to add little decorative accents to your bathroom, but how are you supposed to do that when you barely have any counter space?
Well, I recommend starting with functional items - the items you need around your sink no matter what. You need hand soap and you need a hand towel. There’s no getting around that, and luckily you can buy a stylish hand soap dispenser that can be both decorative and functional.
This one I have was part of a three-pack from Costco - you don’t have to spend a ton of money on something like this!
After you have the functional items taken care of, you can sparingly add decorative embellishments to the space you have leftover on your counter. I’ve used every bit of counter space here, but you definitely don’t have to fill in all the empty space. My counter space would look just as nice (or nicer, according to some of the minimalists out there, I’m sure) if I edited things down a bit.
I’m just very extra when it comes to decor, and there’s no avoiding it.
If there’s one thing you should avoid at all costs when it comes to bathroom counter space, it's leaving toiletries, beauty items, and grooming tools out. Nothing makes a bathroom look shittier than cans of hairspray, drug store face cleansers, makeup, and hair tools scattered everywhere.
Try to only leave aesthetically pleasing things on your counter tops, and store everything else away. If you need storage tips, by the way, watch this video where I share my favorite storage solutions I’ve used since my tiny New York apartment days.
There are some beauty and skincare items out there in pretty packaging, like this cleanser I have, so this would be the exception to the rule. It looks nice and matches the look in here, so it’s one of those things that doubles as functional and decorative.
But watch what happens when I take my drugstore cleanser out of my shower and place it by my sink. Suddenly, the whole picture is thrown off.
When it comes to tiny bathrooms, it’s all about the tiny details, and when it comes to limited counter space, there really isn’t any room for dicking around here.
There’s your wise, elegantly stated quote for the day.
Anyway, just keep those unattractive items stored away as best you can. I know it’s hard in a small bathroom
2. Large wall art > small wall art
The second thing you can focus on when styling your tiny bathroom is to use larger wall art, rather than small wall art.
It may sound counterintuitive for me to suggest big wall art for a tiny bathroom, but trust me, one larger piece is better in a tiny space than a bunch of small pieces of wall art that will only create a sense of clutter and busy-ness in the space.
Now, of course, there are exceptions to this depending on the bathroom, but if you want a no-muss-no-fuss solution for wall art for your small bathroom, I suggest choosing one substantial piece that makes an impact over a small piece, or several small pieces.
This allows your wall art to act as an anchor, a focal point, in your tiny bathroom, rather than a contributor to clutter.
I have this gold foil map of LA here, which makes an immediate visual impact in the space. Imagine if I had one little piece of art or a few little pieces of art there instead - it would just add chaos to the wall.
Another option would be to add a mirror here, which is a popular solution for small spaces, but let me caution you about using mirrors, especially in bathrooms: think about what the mirror would be reflecting. In my case, a mirror right there would only reflect my shower door, which is not exactly one of the more visually pleasing aspects of my bathroom.
Having a mirror here would basically be like hanging a photo of a shower door, and that’s not very pretty.
Find one substantial piece of wall art that really speaks to you. Quality over quantity, you know?
3. Rug = style statement opportunity
The third thing to pay special attention to in your small bathroom is your rug selection.
I’m going to let you in on a little tip I’ve learned from styling my own tiny bathrooms from apartment to apartment over the years: skip the bathroom rugs. You know, the rugs that are specifically made for bathrooms.
I’m going to say something potentially controversial here, but fuck it: bathroom rugs may be soft on your feet, but that’s about all they have going for them. More often than not, they’re not the most stylish addition you can make to your bathroom.
What I like to do is use a visually appealing rug that isn’t necessarily meant for a bathroom.
In a small space, your rug is a big opportunity to communicate the style you want to convey. It utilizes the largest piece of visual real estate in your bathroom - your floor - and therefore has the potential to make the biggest statement.
Why would you waste that opportunity for a style statement on a basic bathroom rug?
Now, don’t get me wrong, bathroom rugs are fine. And one thing they do have is the soft-and-cozy-on-your-toesies factor. So if you prioritize your foot sensations over style, I totally get that.
But if you’re frustrated with your tiny bathroom - if it feels like it’s just not coming together in terms of style - then you may find that replacing your bathroom rug with a more stylish rug that wasn’t necessarily meant for a bathroom could be the missing piece that will make the overall picture of your bathroom come together in one single stroke.
So there you go! Those are three very simple things you can focus your attention on to create that big style impact in your tiny bathroom.
Just because your bathroom is tiny, doesn’t mean you can’t still have those big bursts of style, even if they come in smaller packages. And really, it’s all about how they come together. So, one object by itself may not make that impact that you’re going for, but once you have everything together, it’s like this big symphony that you somehow fit in a tiny little… tiny little space.
For more glimpses into my studio apartment life, follow me on Instagram @moda.misfit. And for more interior style tips and apartment lifestyle inspiration, subscribe to my YouTube channel and hit the bell to be notified when a new episode goes up every week.