How We Transformed a Tiny 3.8 sqm Bathroom in a Brezhnev-Era Apartment by Ourselves (Before and After Photos)

Natalia and her husband decorated the apartment in light tones with bright accents. They came up with the entire design themselves, and some items were made by hand. They found a lot of furniture at IKEA and painted it themselves.

We already told you about Natalia's wonderful kitchen and tiny but stylish entrance hall. Today we're sharing details of creating a cozy interior in a small bathroom.

About the Layout

Originally, the bathroom was separate. We decided to combine it right away because the bathroom was so small that we had to choose between placing a sink or a washing machine there. That didn't suit us. We demolished the entire box and rebuilt it from scratch.

About Doing the Renovation by Ourselves

The new bathroom area is about 3.8 sqm. I came up with the design and bought materials, while my husband brought the ideas to life. He made everything by himself in this bathroom: built the plumbing box, laid tiles, installed plumbing fixtures and mixers, doors, and painted the walls. According to him, the hardest part was installing the box and the toilet installation. But look at how beautiful it turned out.

About the Sink

Previously, I associated sink basins with hotels and shopping centers, but they’ve recently become more common in stylish home interiors, and I wanted one for myself too.

The advantages of a sink basin are that it’s quite easy to install on any horizontal surface, no matter the size — whether it’s a cabinet or a stone or wooden countertop — and that there’s useful space around the sink for various bathroom accessories. Also, it doesn’t take up storage space inside the cabinet like built-in models do.

After using such a sink (45 cm MELANA MLN-78111) at home, I can say it’s very convenient. You get used to it quickly, it's easy to clean, and there aren't more splashes than in a regular sink.

Wall-mounted cabinet — Velvex Klaufs 70.2Y.
Countertop — Velvex Klaufs 70 cm satané.

About the Plumbing Cabinet

A plumbing cabinet with slatted doors is super budget-friendly.

Inspired by images of Scandinavian bathrooms with such cabinets, I really wanted one for myself. However, the cost of custom-made ones seemed disproportionate to me. My husband, naturally, decided to make the cabinet himself.

All materials were bought at Leroy Merlin. There are almost all sizes of doors there, and nearly free of charge. You can paint them in any color you like. For the frame, you can use timber, strips, or, as in our case, wooden corners. You can buy furniture hinges — we used royal ones. Also needed are furniture magnets, handles, and screws. And, of course, clumsy hands with tools. Our cabinet’s budget was under 700 rubles.

About Materials

• Wall paint Dulux Vinyl Matt color 90GG 57/146.
• Posters from AliExpress.
  
• Doors “Australia” from Leroy Merlin.
  
• Mixer for sink GROHE Eurosmart 32154002 single-handle (bought on Beru).
  
• Sink MELANA MLN-78111 45 cm.
  
• Wall-mounted cabinet Velvex Klaufs 70.2Y (on Velvex.shop).
  
• Countertop Velvex Klaufs 70 satané.
  
• Water heater “Tera Classic” 500×800.
  
• Door and wooden shelf (furniture panel) from Leroy Merlin.
  
• Hanger IKEA ENUDDÉN.
  
• Sheets Funny Sheeps Tatkraft from Leroy Merlin.
  
• Grohe Rapid SL 38772001 system with toilet Cersanit Delfi and micro-lift seat.
  
• Baseboard Perfect Plus P29 (bought on disoul.ru).
  
• Ceramic tile Goldentile Victorian Mix 2.
  
• Shower screen Alavann Still 170.
  
• Bath Cersanit Lorena.
  
• Wall tile Goldentile Metrotiles from Leroy Merlin.

• Mixer for bathtub GROHE Euroeco 32743000.
  
• Shower rod GROHE Tempesta Cosmopolitan 600 mm 27521000.
  
• Shower hose GROHE Relexa 1.5 m 28105000.
  
• Handheld shower GROHE Tempesta Cosmopolitan 26082002.
  

Before Repair Photos

Watch the detailed tour of this apartment (17 minutes)