When our great, great grandmothers wanted their small bathroom decorated, it included a new paint job and a repaired roof.
Fortunately, for us living in the 21st century, we have a lot of powder room choices that go beyond outdoor accommodations.
Why Do You Want to Decorate Your Small Bathroom?
- It has looked the same for the past 20 years.
- You have small kids, so you need a small bathroom to be functional and fun.
- You’re building a new small bathroom either near the main living area or near another area of your home. This modern bathroom could add value to your home or because you need an extra bath area for your growing family.
Once you nailed down a reason for decorating your small bathroom, you need to make a list of things to add to it.
There’s a wide variety of ideas to think about when you start on a small bathroom decoration project.
12 Decorating Ideas for Your Small Bathroom
There are many ideas to consider when decorating your powder room. Some of these ideas mentioned below may benefit you while others don’t speak to your needs at all.
Read these ideas and see how they fit your décor budget and checklist:
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- Take the actual square footage of your bathroom into consideration: You need to know how much space you have to work with, so start by measuring your bathroom. Include your sink and toilet as part of your available space.
- If you’re building a new bathroom, what can be turned into storage space? If you’re on a tight budget, you need to get creative. Go vintage and add a vanity skirt in colorful or bold patterns to a stand-alone sink. Strip down a vanity to the wood and whitewash it. Lighten up a bathroom with white or a cool-toned gray.
- Figure in your budget for this project: Before you go to your favorite home goods store, crunch the numbers. What can you afford? Where can you scale back?
- Embrace minimalism: Small bathrooms are well, small. You’re limited on space. Plan how to use the area without cluttering it. Think about making the space light and airy. Cut back on knick-knacks and stick with what works without overdoing it.
- Don’t forget to add the ceiling into your decorating plan: Most people don’t think about the ceiling as part of the décor.
But you can paint it black and paint the rest of the walls in a bolder color. The idea is to draw the eye upward to make people think your bathroom is more extensive than it is.
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- Use all four walls as your canvas: Paint or tiles? That’s up to your budget. But you have four walls where you create a perfect small bathroom.
Again, whites and cool grays or light blues will open up the small bathroom and make it seem bigger that it is. Lighter colored walls also make the room feel airy and comfortable.
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- Get creative with your door choices: If you can fit it in your budget, try a different type of door than the traditional one. Some ideas include pocket, sliding and barn doors.
- Invest in your sink and vanity: If you can afford it, go whimsy with your sink. You can invest in
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- A floating sink
- A vintage sink
- A mini porcelain pedestal sink
- A mounted sink on the wall
- A sink with an overflowing faucet
- A semi-recessed sink.
You can purchase vanities or skip them altogether. You can build shelves under the sink or on both sides of the sink to store hand towels, candle and soap.
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- Use curves to your benefit: Go with the flow and get a curvy countertop for your small sink. It draws the eye and provides the optical illusion of movement.
- Where are you going to put restocking and cleaning stuff? Toilet paper, tissues and extra soap are three reasons why you might want to consider a vanity. Conversely, you can get a side table with doors or spaces for storage baskets to hide those necessities.
- Mirror, mirror on the wall: Make your mirror your centerpiece. Gilded frames are popular and can be painted white or gold to add a pop of color. You can find gilded frames in antique stores, estate sales and your favorite home décor store.
- Brighten up a windowless bathroom with green: So, what about those homes that have a windowless bathroom? Again, you want to lighten it up with recessed lighting and light paint. But you can brighten it even more with a splash of green.
Here is a list of live plants that can handle the lack of natural light in exchange for the high humidity of a bathroom:
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- Aloe
- Bamboo
- Orchids
- Potted grass
- Reed palms
- Spider plants
If you opt for fake green plants, go with small green varieties. Avoid artificial flowers—that’s so 1980’s. Remember, though, that you’ll need to wipe these plants periodically because of dust build-up.
You can decorate your small bathroom on a budget and stylishly. Use the above ideas to help you brainstorm and create a powder room that meets your needs and shows off your creativity.
Additional Resources:
If you want more ideas and tips on decorating a small bathroom, look at these articles:
"Small Updates, Big Return: 5 Ways to Increase Your Home's Value"
"Small Bathroom Decorating Ideas"
"Decorating a Small Bathroom with No Windows"
"4 Surprising Things That May Increase How Much Your Home's Worth"
