8 affordable small bathroom ideas you’ll love!
image: ca’pietra
Guys, if you’re sick to death of living with your small bathroom, staring at those dated tiles with a cramped layout and mouldy silicone peeling off around your bath… but you have no idea where to start and your bank balance is like… *facepalm*
I’m going to show you 8 easy, affordable small bathroom ideas for your renovation.
These ideas will make your bathroom:
Feel a lot bigger
Be insanely practical to live with
And beautiful to wake up to every morning!
Some ideas will even save you money when your renovation gets started
OK let’s dive in…
First up, why listen to me?
Well if we haven’t met yet I’m Fi, I’m an interior designer and I’ll help you renovate your dream home confidently and affordably. I share a lot of mistakes to avoid, how to save money on your renovation and all the nitty gritty details that will make your design perfect! So be sure to check out my free guide and online courses if you’re tearing your hair out doing home improvements right now, and you need professional support.
Oh, I forgot to say…
I also want to show the number 1 affordable bathroom design idea that I keep applying to all my client’s bathrooms when their budget is tight. It never fails to transform their space and it’ll be a super affordable design to bring into your small bathroom plans.
Small bathroom idea 1: Go for wall hung everything!
OK, my first idea for your small bathroom renovation is to create the feeling of space by increasing the visible floorspace wherever possible.
When you’re planning your bathroom layout, be mindful of how much flooring is going to be freed up and on show. Small bathrooms will never feel big and spacious if you try to squeeze in a separate shower and freestanding bath to an already tiny bathroom. So instead choose sanitaryware that fits your space well, don’t try to cram in baths if they won’t fit and go for wall mounted options where possible to show gestures of the floor beneath.
That means…
a wall hung toilet
a wall mounted towel radiator
and a wall mounted vanity unit
These will all sit up and off the floor, they’re easy to mop and vacuum beneath and will increase the space and light around your bathroom.
Money saving tip for your small bathroom:
Quick money saving tip here is to try to keep your plumbing locations relatively the same and you’ll save you hundreds of pounds in labour. So for example, keep your vanity, toilet and shower or bath relatively close to where it currently is. Trying to move a toilet stack to a different side of your property isn’t cheap so keep it on the same wall if you can.
Small bathroom idea 2: Avoid wall mounted taps at all costs…
OK my next idea for you, will again keep your labour costs down and optimise the space in your small bathroom, and that’s to choose deck mounted taps and avoid wall mounted taps if you can.
Deck mounted taps will save you money in labour fees because the pipework runs inside the vanity beneath it. It doesn’t require a lot of time or complexity to fit them.
Whereas wall mounted taps, need to be either chased into a wall or they require a stud wall being built to house the tap’s pipework, which again costs more in labour and also takes up precious space in your small bathroom.
So keep things simple and choose deck mounted taps 👌🏻 By the way if you’re curious about “how much does it cost to renovate?”, check out this blog post next.
Small bathroom idea 3: Get your tile designs correct ✅
image: ca’pietra
This next idea will help you get your small bathroom tiles spot on because you want to make sure your tiles make your bathroom feel bigger than it actually is, and provide enough visual interest in your design.
I really don’t think there’s any rule of thumb between having large tiles vs small tiles when you’re renovating a small bathroom, both can look great but I do think that if you want your bathroom to feel bigger than it is, pay close attention to your grout colour.
I recommend matching or choosing a similar grout colour to your tile colour when you’re designing a small bathroom.
Don’t have them contrasting heavily.
This is because too many visible grout lines in high contrast can make a small bathroom feel busy and crowded. We often use Mapei or Fugabella grout as they have a great range of colours and are good quality.
The same applies for using heavy and very busy patterns in your bathroom. Avoid it. It can be a bit too much on small bathroom walls and make the room feel even smaller. The only caveat here is your floor. Pattern is great in a small bathroom but keep it to the floors to prevent the room feeling closed in.
Another Money saving tip for your small bathroom:
Large bathroom tiles are faster to install whereas small tiles take quite a bit longer, so if you want to bring down labour costs the larger the better!
If you haven’t downloaded my free Survivor’s Guide to Renovating yet, it’s going to give you lots of tips on your renovation costs, budgeting and hiring the right people to get your bathroom design finished well.
Small bathroom idea 4: Apply colour correctly…
My next super affordable idea is to choose your bathroom paint colour and “Colour drench”. This is where you paint all of the walls, ceiling and woodwork in your bathroom the same colour.
Visually it will elongate your bathroom, bring height to your ceiling and create the illusion of space in your bathroom. And aside from it costing you less in paint supplies because you’re using one tin, it creates a really elegant, spa-like look to the room that is easy to DIY with no cutting in required – Another big win, we want an easy life and a beautiful home here!
Small bathroom idea 5: Give some love to your existing vanity…
IMAGE: ARMAC MARTIN
As we’re talking paint, another affordable small bathroom idea for you is to repaint your existing vanity – or bath panel, for that matter.
Using a high quality primer to help your paint adhere to the surface (we highly rate the Zinsser primers) will allow you to paint and refresh surfaces of your bathroom that are in need of a little TLC but you can’t afford to replace completely right now.
I always suggest muted, calm colours to smarten a small bathroom and I usually keep it bright or mid-toned rather than too dark if I’m trying to make a space feel bigger.
Colours like French Gray or Shaded White by Farrow & Ball offer a neutral but interesting colour scheme and you’ll be so surprised how expensive everything suddenly looks because you’ve chosen a colour scheme that looks quite high end.
Small bathroom idea 6: Get your bathroom design done for you…
If you’re on a budget but want a pro feel in your bathroom, there’s no way you can justify the cost to hire an interior designer. That’s why I’ve released a Bathroom Design Pack – all the stress and decisions done-for-you.
It’s a fraction of the cost of hiring a designer
You get all the colour schemes, tile selection and supplies chosen for you
And there’s no waiting around for the designs. It’s instant.
Best of all, it contains affordable options for everything from tiles, bathroom flooring, vanity units, sanitaryware, and more.
So if you’re stressed and want to remove all your bathroom renovation decisions, let me help and get your hands on a design pack today.
Small bathroom idea 7: Swap tiles for panelling…
If your budget is pretty tight to remodel your bathroom and you really need to make some swaps to spend in some areas and save money in others, there’s a design idea I keep returning to on client projects that you should consider too.
Install affordable panelling which is more cost effective than tile. But apply it in non-splash areas only. It’ll bring a really elegant, considered finish to your small bathroom or en suite.
Bathrooms are humid so I specifically propose sheets of moisture resistant MDF that’s either been routed to look like Tongue & Groove or is supplied by pre-fabricated suppliers and I do this because as I’ve mentioned when you consider the supply and installation costs, panelling actually costs less per square metre than tile would.
Not to mention it’s easier to cut and decorate than tile, and it covers any exposed pipework or wiring nicely, too.
Also some panelling manufacturers like Accupanel act as a form of sound insulation in bathrooms and can update the acoustics as well as the aesthetic, if this is important to you, say, if you’re trying to keep extractor noise to a minimum near bedrooms.
We’re almost there, I’ve got 2 more super affordable bathroom ideas for you. If you’re enjoying these tips so far remember to get access to our free Survivor’s Guide to Renovating which will help you budget for your renovation & hire trades you can trust.
Small bathroom idea 8: Get your lighting spot on!
So at this stage you may not have given much thought to your bathroom lighting, but lighting will really enhance the look of your small bathroom, giving it a luxurious feel in the evenings, so don’t overlook this part of your design.
For quick and affordable updates to your bathroom lighting, don’t bother with rewiring and consider installing wireless wall lights. You’ll save a couple of hundred pounds in wiring and plastering and you won’t have any cables on show.
Companies like Pooky and Pridola have rechargeable, bathroom rated lighting that will bring that luxury touch around your vanity for a very affordable price.
image: ca’pietra
Small bathroom idea Bonus Tip: Consider the details… and this is why:
My final idea to get your small bathroom looking beautiful and standing the test of time, is to pay attention to the design details. I always think that smaller rooms need to work harder for you in terms of design, because everything is closer and the finish is more in your eyeline whereas larger rooms are a little more forgiving with details being further away.
So as your bathroom design planning gets underway, I really encourage you to find design solutions for even the smallest of details, like covering that scruffy air vent or ways to neaten bottle storage. The details matter and they’ll be well worth your time and money.
If you enjoyed this, take a look at our online courses & Bathroom design pack if you’re struggling with your project and you’re keen to get more support.
I hope this has given you some affordable ideas for your small bathroom renovation.
Are there any you’re going to try out? Thank you so much for reading, and I’ll see you in another post! Bye guys!
