7 Ways to Get Around a Little Bathroom
Arm yourself with these smart design and efficient features to make the most of a compact bathroom
Smart design decisions can make the difference between fitting the toilet, the sink and the shower into your existing bathroom or having to expand. And once you fit all that stuff in, you certainly don’t want it to feel stuffed to the gills. Here are seven ways to accommodate everything you need in a compact bathroom while making it feel more expansive.
2. Wall-mounted taps
Countertop taps require space on the vanity top between the sink and the wall, while those mounted over the sink save you that precious surface area. It can mean the difference between being able to fit in a tight sink or not.
If you’re not a fan of wall-mounted taps but are short on bench depth, see if you can place the tap to the side of the sink. This will save you from having to expand the vanity to accommodate the tap behind the sink.
Countertop taps require space on the vanity top between the sink and the wall, while those mounted over the sink save you that precious surface area. It can mean the difference between being able to fit in a tight sink or not.
If you’re not a fan of wall-mounted taps but are short on bench depth, see if you can place the tap to the side of the sink. This will save you from having to expand the vanity to accommodate the tap behind the sink.
3. The toilet-sink combo
Designed for the tightest of bathroom spaces, this shrewd invention has fresh water come out of the tap, then drain into the tank for flushing.
I must admit I have yet to use one of these and am not sure whether, in a tight space like this, it’s just an extended lean-over, a commode straddle or a knee on the seat that’s required to reach one’s hands under the tap. If you’ve used one, please report in the Comments section.
Profile Smart 305 toilet: Caroma
Designed for the tightest of bathroom spaces, this shrewd invention has fresh water come out of the tap, then drain into the tank for flushing.
I must admit I have yet to use one of these and am not sure whether, in a tight space like this, it’s just an extended lean-over, a commode straddle or a knee on the seat that’s required to reach one’s hands under the tap. If you’ve used one, please report in the Comments section.
Profile Smart 305 toilet: Caroma
4. A low-profile toilet and extended countertop
Interior designer Bridget McMullin deems this a ‘hotel trick’, a clever move she picked up from hotel bathrooms. The low-profile toilet leaves enough space to extend the countertop into a shelf above it, so you gain more surface for a box of tissues, an orchid or other items you want to keep handy. With its location right next to the shower, as you see here, it can also serve the shower by holding shampoo, conditioner, shave gel and more. This is especially useful in a shared bathroom or holiday home where you have limited space inside the shower stall.
Interior designer Bridget McMullin deems this a ‘hotel trick’, a clever move she picked up from hotel bathrooms. The low-profile toilet leaves enough space to extend the countertop into a shelf above it, so you gain more surface for a box of tissues, an orchid or other items you want to keep handy. With its location right next to the shower, as you see here, it can also serve the shower by holding shampoo, conditioner, shave gel and more. This is especially useful in a shared bathroom or holiday home where you have limited space inside the shower stall.
5. Recessed medicine cabinets
Keeping clutter at bay is key in a small bathroom. These cabinets don’t intrude into the room and allow you to stash everything you’ll need at the sink within easy reach. This particular bathroom has three cabinets so that the two people who share the bathroom each have their own.
Keeping clutter at bay is key in a small bathroom. These cabinets don’t intrude into the room and allow you to stash everything you’ll need at the sink within easy reach. This particular bathroom has three cabinets so that the two people who share the bathroom each have their own.
6. Clear glass surrounds
Where other types of surrounds can chop up a room and make it feel closed-in, clear glass keeps everything open and larger. While clear glass does not literally save space, it makes a tight room feel bigger, which is almost as important.
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Where other types of surrounds can chop up a room and make it feel closed-in, clear glass keeps everything open and larger. While clear glass does not literally save space, it makes a tight room feel bigger, which is almost as important.
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7. A cantilevered vanity
Much like the clear glass, these pieces are about expanding the space visually. The extended floor underneath makes the room feel more open and larger than it really is.
TELL US
What are your favourite space savers in the bathroom? Please share them with us in the Comments.
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Browse bathroom vanities and storage
Much like the clear glass, these pieces are about expanding the space visually. The extended floor underneath makes the room feel more open and larger than it really is.
TELL US
What are your favourite space savers in the bathroom? Please share them with us in the Comments.
MORE
Browse bathroom vanities and storage
The tanks from these toilets are stored behind the wall, saving all that space they usually take up in a room. These centimetres play an important role because there are requirements for how much space there should be in front of and around the commode.
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