Before and After: 3 Bathroom Makeovers in 75 Square Feet or Less
Discover the clever tips and tricks pros used to make the most of every square inch in these remodels
The following bathroom makeovers range from 52 to 75 square feet in size. While most people wouldn’t describe these bathrooms as tiny, the designers and remodelers still had to make wise decisions to maximize space and utilize every square inch.
Ditching a radiator for in-floor heating, combining a a shower and tub in one function and stealing a few square feet from a redundant hallway closet are among the clever ways the designers boosted these bathroom remodels. Check them all out and let us know which space-saving ideas might work for your next remodel.
Ditching a radiator for in-floor heating, combining a a shower and tub in one function and stealing a few square feet from a redundant hallway closet are among the clever ways the designers boosted these bathroom remodels. Check them all out and let us know which space-saving ideas might work for your next remodel.
After: Herbert stripped the bathroom to the studs and removed the shower-tub combo. The new glass-enclosed curbless shower is covered in textured blue tiles and has black matte fixtures.
The shower has a fixed frameless glass partition. “Anything we could do to make the bathroom feel larger was what we wanted to do,” Herbert says.
A new bamboo storage tower to the right of the shower replaced the built-in cubbies, allowing the owners to discreetly store linens and other bath products.
The in-floor heating that replaced the radiator freed up floor space and made the room feel more streamlined.
The shower has a fixed frameless glass partition. “Anything we could do to make the bathroom feel larger was what we wanted to do,” Herbert says.
A new bamboo storage tower to the right of the shower replaced the built-in cubbies, allowing the owners to discreetly store linens and other bath products.
The in-floor heating that replaced the radiator freed up floor space and made the room feel more streamlined.
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The new bamboo floating vanity features lots of drawers and another storage tower. “Making the vanity a floating vanity gives you that breathing room underneath and that spa-like feel,” Herbert says.
An LED-backlit defogging mirror hangs above the vanity. There are also recessed lights above the vanity. An existing skylight over the entrance to the room provides natural light.
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Read more about this bathroom remodel
An LED-backlit defogging mirror hangs above the vanity. There are also recessed lights above the vanity. An existing skylight over the entrance to the room provides natural light.
Shop for a bathroom vanity on Houzz
Read more about this bathroom remodel
2. Shower-Tub Combo Superstar
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their kids
Location: Oakland, California
Size: 75 square feet (7 square meters)
Designer: Jen Montague Clark of The Home Co.
Before: The former bathroom in this 1950s Oakland, California, home had an awkward layout and bland finishes. A toilet sat out in the open across from a basic single-sink vanity. A white cast-iron tub original to the home took up one corner. Behind the open door seen here stood a dark shower stall.
The homeowners hired designer Jen Montague Clark to reimagine the space by combining the shower and tub in one function, freeing up space for a double vanity. She also added a water closet in place of the former shower stall, allowing for more than one person to use the bathroom at the same time and still have privacy.
To punch up the space with some color and texture, the designer chose a patterned floor tile in muted blues and greens, a light wood vanity and creamy zellige-style shower tiles.
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their kids
Location: Oakland, California
Size: 75 square feet (7 square meters)
Designer: Jen Montague Clark of The Home Co.
Before: The former bathroom in this 1950s Oakland, California, home had an awkward layout and bland finishes. A toilet sat out in the open across from a basic single-sink vanity. A white cast-iron tub original to the home took up one corner. Behind the open door seen here stood a dark shower stall.
The homeowners hired designer Jen Montague Clark to reimagine the space by combining the shower and tub in one function, freeing up space for a double vanity. She also added a water closet in place of the former shower stall, allowing for more than one person to use the bathroom at the same time and still have privacy.
To punch up the space with some color and texture, the designer chose a patterned floor tile in muted blues and greens, a light wood vanity and creamy zellige-style shower tiles.
After: Montague Clark ditched the tub for a new shower-tub combo, which she placed at the end of the narrow room. This made room for the new acacia double vanity.
In the spot that held the shower stall, the designer took space from a nearby bedroom closet to expand the area and create the water closet, accessed through a space-saving pocket door.
Off-white walls, ceiling and trim (Chantilly Lace by Benjamin Moore) and creamy shower tile in varying shades create a soothing backdrop for the patterned floor tile. “We used a lot of texture and warmth in this bathroom,” Montague Clark says. “I thought a softer, warmer white was more appropriate.”
In the spot that held the shower stall, the designer took space from a nearby bedroom closet to expand the area and create the water closet, accessed through a space-saving pocket door.
Off-white walls, ceiling and trim (Chantilly Lace by Benjamin Moore) and creamy shower tile in varying shades create a soothing backdrop for the patterned floor tile. “We used a lot of texture and warmth in this bathroom,” Montague Clark says. “I thought a softer, warmer white was more appropriate.”
This view toward the entrance to the bathroom provides a peek inside the water closet on the right.
“My thought was how to create a space that multiple people could use at the same time,” Montague Clark says. “With the door there, a person could be using the toilet and have privacy from someone at the vanity.”
Read more about this bathroom remodel
“My thought was how to create a space that multiple people could use at the same time,” Montague Clark says. “With the door there, a person could be using the toilet and have privacy from someone at the vanity.”
Read more about this bathroom remodel
3. Nifty New Layout
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: James Roberts and Sue Theberge, their daughter Olive and their two dogs
Location: Corvallis, Oregon
Size: 52 square feet (4.8 square meters)
Designer: Desia Graybill of atomic * design
Builder: Jared Thayer of Thayer Construction
Before: These Oregon homeowners knew their former bathroom with peachy walls and pink laminate countertops was small at just 42 square feet, but it wasn’t the size that was the main problem. The poorly laid-out vanity, shower stall and toilet weren’t making good use of the limited space.
They looked to Houzz for design ideas and then turned to designer Desia Graybill and builder Jared Thayer for help. The design-build team stole space from a redundant hallway closet to add 10 square feet to the bathroom, then relocated the main components into a more functional layout.
Those moves allowed them to fit in a slim but efficient double-sink vanity and an alcove for the toilet. Meanwhile, new white wall tiles bounce light around for an airy feel, and alder cabinetry and matte emerald green tile give the space a fresh style that nods to the 1966 ranch home’s origins.
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: James Roberts and Sue Theberge, their daughter Olive and their two dogs
Location: Corvallis, Oregon
Size: 52 square feet (4.8 square meters)
Designer: Desia Graybill of atomic * design
Builder: Jared Thayer of Thayer Construction
Before: These Oregon homeowners knew their former bathroom with peachy walls and pink laminate countertops was small at just 42 square feet, but it wasn’t the size that was the main problem. The poorly laid-out vanity, shower stall and toilet weren’t making good use of the limited space.
They looked to Houzz for design ideas and then turned to designer Desia Graybill and builder Jared Thayer for help. The design-build team stole space from a redundant hallway closet to add 10 square feet to the bathroom, then relocated the main components into a more functional layout.
Those moves allowed them to fit in a slim but efficient double-sink vanity and an alcove for the toilet. Meanwhile, new white wall tiles bounce light around for an airy feel, and alder cabinetry and matte emerald green tile give the space a fresh style that nods to the 1966 ranch home’s origins.
After: This photo was taken from about the same angle as the previous one. The window, upgraded to a double-hung version with a frosted section for privacy, is in the same spot as the former window above the vanity.
The homeowners stripped the space to the studs themselves. The design-build team’s incorporation of the closet into the new space made room for the toilet alcove. It also allowed them to shift the new double vanity down the back wall and place a roomy curbless shower in the spot formerly occupied by the vanity.
A glass partition runs from the vanity countertop to the ceiling, separating it from the shower. A waterfall countertop edge protects the vanity cabinet from water.
The homeowners stripped the space to the studs themselves. The design-build team’s incorporation of the closet into the new space made room for the toilet alcove. It also allowed them to shift the new double vanity down the back wall and place a roomy curbless shower in the spot formerly occupied by the vanity.
A glass partition runs from the vanity countertop to the ceiling, separating it from the shower. A waterfall countertop edge protects the vanity cabinet from water.
The new vanity sits symmetrically on the rear wall, creating a design that’s nice to look at but that also puts whoever is at one of the sinks out of the direct path of someone else who might be entering the bathroom.
A contemporary dimmable two-light sconce between the medicine cabinets provides mood lighting and coordinates with the black faucets and cabinet pulls and other details.
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A contemporary dimmable two-light sconce between the medicine cabinets provides mood lighting and coordinates with the black faucets and cabinet pulls and other details.
Read more about this bathroom remodel
More on Houzz
Read more bathroom stories
Browse bathroom photos
Find a local bathroom remodeler
Shop for your bathroom
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: Todd Wooten, Stacy Chin and their son
Location: Washington, D.C.
Size: 65 square feet (6 square meters)
Designer: Amy Herbert of Aesthetic Answers
Before: These Washington, D.C., homeowners felt their main bathroom lacked personality and storage. The basic 65-square-foot space had a dark-stained wood double vanity with little counter space and no drawers. They didn’t use the tub function in the shower-tub combo. The built-in cubbies next to the shower looked dated. And a radiator that stuck out like a sore thumb took up valuable floor space.
The couple turned to designer Amy Herbert for help and to Houzz for design inspiration. Herbert devised a plan to maximize storage with a floating bamboo vanity and two storage towers. She ditched the tub for a roomy glass-enclosed curbless shower. And heated floors replaced the radiator for a pampering spa-like feel.
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