I’ve resisted doing a styled bathroom post for a while now, since its a room in my flat with zero natural lighting and limited angles for photography.
But its also one I’ve been spending a whole lot more time recently, as the nights have drawn in and the allure of a regular warm and frothy bath began to call..
I realise that the bathroom is often a room you can feel shortchanged stylistically if you’re renting, with bulky built-in fixtures, poor or limited storage options and – more often than not – questionable decor choices. I’m lucky that mine has been decorated in a fairly neutral palette, and while I most certainly would not have chosen the large textured wall tiles and dark grey granite effect surfaces, it’s not been too difficult for me to bring a little bit of my own personality into the room against these muted background hues.
Bathroom furniture is no longer just for bigger bathrooms! Through light colouring and gloss finishes reflecting the light, furniture can make a small bathroom look bigger. Using it to your advantage is all about creating a perception of spaciousness, so whites, light greys or oaks really work to help achieve this.
The first thing I noticed in the room was the lack of storage; the built-in sink had surface space beside it, but underneath there was just a void of wasted space. I knew immediately that I wanted to have a low-level unit here for storing extra towels, but was limited in configuration options given that I still needed to access the sink above easily, without having to lean too far over a protruding piece of furniture beneath. Channeling the Scandi-boho spa vibes I’d been coveting on my Pinterest board, I opted for the versatile MOLGER bench from trusty IKEA, with its warm birch wood and slatted shelves personifying the look and feel of an exotic spa. The lower shelf houses my collection of fringed towels from Christy** and The White Company** (I’m such a sucker for fringing at the mo), while the top shelf is kept free from clutter by collecting all my everyday bathroom essentials into a basket (one of my recent Homesense finds)
I had also observed ‘dead space’ near the doorway – both beside the bath and next to the towel rail – and knew it would be a perfect space for a small, lightweight stool that could be easily moved and repurposed for a variety of uses. I’ve long been a fan of the A Stool** from ByAlex and mine has found a happy home in here, serving as the perfect vessel upon which to display a vibrant bouquet of faux mop head hydrangeas during the day, before being deployed come bath time as a stand for my favourite candles and my Pure radio.
My top tips for adding style to a small bathroom:
- Overdoor hooks are a godsend in any rental home and are perfect for keeping bathrobes and towels close to hand. My minimalist white hooks are cheap and cheerful ones from IKEA (ENUDDEN).
- Organise toiletries on decorative trays to keep surfaces both organised and styled beautifully. I’ve opted for a sturdy metal option that is easy to clean should any oils or creams spill, and its important to remember the steamy atmosphere of the room when choosing your design.
- Adding artwork to the bathroom is a quick and easy way to enhance the vibe you’d like to create in the space, whether that be escapism through evocative landscapes, the tranquility of deep blue ocean scenes, or sensuality through alluring portraiture. Word to the wise though, the steamy atmosphere can damage prints so don’t hang anything of value – cheap and cheerful photo prints are the way to go, framed securely behind glass (or Plexiglass).
- Equally, adding greenery to your bathroom helps to invite calm tranquility into the bathroom. Cacti and houseplants can thrive in the room’s warm steamy atmosphere and create a dreamy exotic appeal, but if you’re lacking in natural light like I am, then artificial blooms are the way to go! Oka** and Rose & Grey both have great options.
- Baskets are your friend! Keep your everyday essentials close to hand, but stash any products you use infrequently away in beautiful small storage vessels that tie in with the look and feel of your overall decor scheme.
- A bath tidy** is an absolute lifesaver if you have a combined bath/shower unit, allowing you to keep shower essentials close-to-hand on a far more sturdy surface than the edge of the bath, and preventing the inevitable gunk that accumulates around the bottom of wet bottles by allowing the excess water to drain away through the slats. Then, come bath time, it’s the perfect place to rest your book and cup of tea (or glass of fizz!)
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Do you have a small bathroom? How have you stamped your personality on the space?
Some items in this post have been gifted. All thoughts and opinions are, as always, my own. All photography © Kate Baxter.
9 Responses
I do have a small bathroom and I agree, it’s hard to stamp personality onto a developers space. I’ve had to resort to storing extra toiletries elsewhere and just keep out the ones I use everyday. Some lovely ideas here. I’ll have to revisit my bathroom and see if I can adopt some of them xx
You’ve definitely made your mark hun! And you’re so right about the storage. It’s funny, our old bathroom was FULL of junk because we had no strorage. Now, we’re in a larger bathroom in the new house, lots of storage and STILL JUNK EVERYWHERE. Haha I think it’s me…
No, I think that’s just the law – the bigger the space the more crap you accumulate to fill it.. xx
I also have a small bathroom. It looks beautiful, will you please pop down to Oxford and style mine?! I hope you have a lovely weekend. x
hehe! Happy to come for a visit hun, can’t believe you’d make me work for it though.. ;)
I think you’ve done an amazing job styling that bathroom – it looks gorgeous, the perfect place to relax! And I have to admit, compared to ours, it doesn’t really look too small to me ;) Ha! Ours is TINY but we were able to remodel so we packed in as much attractive storage as possible. Totally agree about art and plants – it really just brings so much more personality to a space :) Great tips and beautiful choices! xxx
Thanks lovely, was a lot of fun trying to create such a relaxing space within the constraints of the existing decor scheme! x
Your bathroom looks great. You’ve definitely stamped your mark on it. I’ve got a tiny bathroom with no storage at all except for a tiny under sink cupboard. We put in a shelf up by the ceiling which really helped. Think I need a bath tidy now I’ve seen yours. And I definitely need more greenery.
Thanks darling! Yes, hugely recommend a bath tidy – so versatile and incredibly useful for keeping things close to hand if your shower is over the bath.. x