When renovating a small bathroom, the right design choices transform even the smallest spaces into stylish and functional areas.
To show you just how meaningful these choices can be, we’ll show you all the details of a small bathroom renovation in a 1980s-era Bay Area home. This before-and-after guide highlights how clever paint selections and thoughtful design elements can significantly enhance a small bathroom, creating a visually appealing and practical space.
Before: Washed Out and Bland
Small bathrooms often lack personality and style. This was the case with designer Laura Ulam’s guest bathroom in her Yountville, CA, home. Although the rest of her 1982 house had a light and bright mix of modern farmhouse and cottage styles, the small guest bath lacked character and felt cramped due to its washed-out colors and builder-basic materials.
After: Stylish Transformation
Ulam transformed the space into a larger, more luxurious bathroom by using strategic design elements and a bold color palette. Key upgrades included installing a skylight and recessed ceiling lighting to brighten the windowless room, allowing the use of dark wall colors without feeling cramped.
Oversized white-marble hex tiles on the floor reflect light and enhance the sense of space, while shiplap walls painted in Benjamin Moore’s Iron Mountain add depth. A rolling shower door maximizes floor space and adds farmhouse charm. The result is a comfortable yet refined bath that Ulam—and her guests—love. “In fact,” she says, “it’s become my favorite room in the house.”
How She Achieved the Look
Now we’ll walk you through all the design choices Ulam made to achieve this dramatic result.
The overall layout of the bathroom stayed the same, but strategic updates completely transformed the space. We’ll review those upgrades below:
- Custom storage: A new custom vanity, with its shiplap front and quartz countertop, maximizes storage capacity while adding style.
- Enhanced reflection: Above the vanity, a tall mirror flanked by sconces helps to further reflect light and create the illusion of more space.
- Improved lighting: A skylight was added to the shower area, and recessed lighting was installed throughout the ceiling, brightening the windowless room significantly.
- Space-saving shower: The new glass shower door on a rolling track preserves floor space while upgrading the look of the shower area.
- Luxury touches: A towel-warming rack adds extra comfort for guests.
Custom Vanity
The custom vanity from Smith’s Custom Cabinets in this renovated bathroom exemplifies how thoughtful design maximizes both style and function in a small space. The vanity introduces texture and visual interest, complementing the quartz Caesarstone countertop and integrating seamlessly with the farmhouse aesthetic of the house.
Despite the limited space, the vanity offers ample storage with well-planned drawers and cabinets for toiletries, towels, and essentials, enhanced by sleek, modern drawer pulls from Rejuvenation. The contrast between the dramatic wall color and the lighter vanity creates a striking focal point, making the room feel larger and more dynamic while improving the overall flow and functionality.
Tip: “In small spaces, experiment with different colors than you normally use,” Ulam says. “The rest of my house is light and bright. It’s nice to have a dark, cozy room, too!”
Space-Saving Shower Door
In small bathrooms, every inch counts, and the space-saving shower door in this renovation exemplifies how clever design solutions can make a big difference. Considering the bathroom’s tight footprint, the contractor opted for a rolling door from OVE Decors on a barn-door-style track instead of a traditional swinging door. This innovative approach saves valuable floor space while adding a unique design element. The sleek, frameless glass door allows light to flow through, enhancing the room’s bright and open feel, and the chrome hardware adds a modern touch that complements the bathroom’s fixtures.
The shower features floor-to-ceiling tile work from Agora, creating a seamless look that visually expands the space. Together with the space-saving door and thoughtful tile design, the shower area feels luxurious despite its compact size. The door’s easy-glide functionality also improves user convenience, making daily routines more enjoyable.
Hex Tile
The five-inch marble-and-basalt hex tiles from Mission Stone & Tile create a stunning visual impact that elevates the entire space. Their large scale minimizes grout lines, providing a more seamless and spacious feel. The white marble and dark basalt mix adds depth and ties in beautifully with the room’s color scheme.
Beyond aesthetics, this flooring choice is practical for a windowless bathroom. The light-colored marble reflects light, brightening the space and enhancing its airy feel. This clever use of materials addresses both style and functionality, ensuring durability and a timeless appeal that will remain stylish for years.
Cross Faucet
The Rohl cross-handle faucet embodies the bathroom’s modern aesthetic. Its clean lines and polished chrome finish introduce a contemporary flair, while the classic cross-handle design adds a touch of traditional style. This blend of old and new harmonizes with the room’s rustic and modern elements.
The faucet’s sleek, minimalist profile enhances the room’s spacious feel without overpowering the vanity. This allows other design features, like the custom cabinetry and dramatic wall color, to stand out. The Rohl faucet’s high-quality craftsmanship ensures durability and reliability, demonstrating how thoughtful fixtures can elevate a small bathroom’s visual appeal and functionality.
Shiplap Walls
The shiplap walls add texture, depth, and farmhouse charm. The V-groove shiplap, installed with a 1/8-inch gap between planks for expansion, reflects meticulous attention to both aesthetics and practicality.
To ensure durability in the moisture-prone environment, the contractors primed and painted the shiplap with three coats of Benjamin Moore’s Iron Mountain. This thorough preparation protects the wood and provides a rich, long-lasting finish capable of withstanding daily use.
The dark gray paint offers a dramatic backdrop, contrasting sharply with the white fixtures and light-colored flooring. This bold color choice, combined with the shiplap’s texture, creates a cozy yet sophisticated atmosphere in the small bathroom. The shiplap’s design integrates seamlessly with other farmhouse elements, such as the vanity and Restoration Hardware sconces, reinforcing the room’s cohesive and well-thought-out aesthetic.
Towel Warmer
Adding luxurious touches to a small bathroom can elevate the space, making it feel high-end and comfortable. The chrome towel-warming rack in this renovation exemplifies how a single element can significantly enhance the guest experience.
The sleek design of the Warmrails towel warmer complements the bathroom’s chrome fixtures, creating a cohesive look. Beyond its visual appeal, it offers the luxury of warm, cozy towels—a small detail that greatly improves comfort.
The towel warmer not only provides heated towels but also serves as extra towel storage, helping to keep the space organized. This blend of practicality and indulgence makes the towel warmer a valuable feature, enhancing the overall experience and adding a spa-like touch to the bathroom.
