Small Bathroom: We Know How to Fit Everything You Need

We reviewed innovative products, found out which techniques are actively used by Russian designers, and collected successful ideas for decorating small bathrooms.

3 Commandments of a Successful Small BathroomVERTICAL STORAGEIf square meters are in short supply, it's better to use the walls all the way to the ceiling, equipping them with cabinets, shelves, and hooks.TOUCH MATERIALSIn a small bathroom, you're more likely to lean against walls, plumbing, and furniture. It's important that they are pleasant to the touch.FUNCTIONALITYIn compact bathrooms, it's barely possible to fit everything you'd like. A bathtub with shelves in the body or a toilet with bidet function will come to the rescue.Design: Concept 58What's New: 3 Innovative Solutions for Compact BathroomsTowel Warmer with Shelf

If you choose such a model, you won't need to mount an additional shelf for bath textiles. Besides, towels and robes taken off this shelf are always warm.

Photo: Dina AleksandrovaWallpaper-like Tile

In trend are "living" bathrooms and "living" decor: woven baskets, curtains, or mats that are easy to imagine in a living room or bedroom. Large-format tile imitating wallpaper, combined with a wall-to-wall mirror, will transform a small bathroom into a spacious one.

Design: Design Hall StudioBathtub + ShowerProduct two in one Shower + Bath was developed in collaboration with Austrian designers EOOS. It's both a shower and a full bathtub, offering the possibility to sit and use a shelf for small items. Design: Duravit

Simon RaimerExpertGeneral Director of Duravit

Duravit created Shower + Bath specifically for spaces where every centimeter must be used to the maximum. With such plumbing, you can take both a refreshing shower and a bath by candles, or bathe children without worrying that water will splash onto the floor, open shelves, or your washing machine.

Moreover, Shower + Bath is an ideal solution for both big families and individuals who want to have a shower cabin and bathtub in their bathroom but can’t afford it due to small space or modest budget. The compact dimensions of this new product — just 170×75 cm — allow placing it even in the smallest bathroom.

How Russian Designers Decorate Compact Bathrooms: 5 Ideas to Note

In the project of a compact bathroom in an apartment on the Baltic Sea coast, Marina Kuznetsova tiled one wall with large-format tiles, combining them with paint. The asymmetry in the finishing, lighting fixtures, and a sink with a "handle" added dynamism and air to the room.

Design: Marina Kuznetsova

Designers from Prosvirin Design couldn't avoid the trendy terrazzo tile and used it in the design of a Moscow studio bathroom. But the main thing here is not the tile, but maximizing vertical storage and built-in systems — even the washing machine was hidden.

Design: Prosvirin Design

Designer Nikita Zub isn't afraid of experiments and is sure that black color is not a taboo for a compact bathroom. Indeed, a total black look and white contrasts in the form of floor, ceiling, ceramics, and towels make the bathroom space bright, fresh, and not at all cramped.

Tile and paint, pedestal sink, open and closed storage next to the shower — classic for small bathrooms. Designers from Legkocom know this and successfully used these techniques in the design of a Moscow studio bathroom.

Design: Legkocom

In the design of a bathroom in a St. Petersburg two-bedroom apartment, Tatiana Vorontsova made a bet on bright blue accents combined with tile resembling Gzhel painting and calm gray color. She didn't hesitate to choose compact items — a narrow towel warmer and a vertical-loading washing machine.

And Also 4 Proven Ways to Make a Small Bathroom Comfortable

Use not only compact plumbing and furniture but also electrical appliances

"Hotel-style" hair dryers with wall-mounted stands will save space on shelves, while a mini boiler and compact washing machine will save space for the shelves themselves.

But if you can dry hair with a hair dryer in the bedroom, move the washing machine to the kitchen, and the boiler isn't needed in every house, the most important thing is to choose compact plumbing and furniture.

Think About Anti-Grime Coatings

Compact bathrooms are places with high concentrations of steam, water, and dust, so cleaning in them has to be done more frequently.

Helpful for daily life are anti-grime coatings — transparent hydrophobic compositions that prevent dirt from accumulating on the surfaces of washbasins, toilets, and shower glass.

Investing in such a coating is definitely worth it: for example, plumbing with anti-grime coating WonderGliss from the brand Duravit only needs to be wiped with a damp cloth.

Make a Bet on Built-in Storage Systems

The optimal option is to design them on order, planning storage according to your personal needs. Another option is to choose a minimalist and spacious vanity unit and a cabinet.

Don’t Overdo the Decor

Minimalism and simplicity are best friends of small bathrooms.

On the cover: Design project by Alena Vlasova