If your bathroom is short on square footage, welcome, you’re in the right place. Whether you rent or own, a small bathroom doesn’t have to feel cramped or uninspired. Most of us are willing to try anything to avoid major renovations that entail moving walls and spending stacks of cash. Luckily, we have tested and tried trends, fads, and design tricks to bring you options that work to make small spaces feel larger. With a few intentional design choices you can turn even the tiniest bathroom into a stunning, serene retreat. Who knew that the unsung hero of a bathroom could make a comeback to become a point of pride in your home. Let’s check out some options for how bathrooms that inspire and relax are made.
Nature Belongs in the Bathroom
Nature has a proven calming effect on our minds and bodies. Biophilic design (bringing natural elements indoors) is more than a trend, it’s a lifestyle. From reducing stress to boosting mood, nature-inspired décor can turn your bathroom into a daily wellness ritual. Integrating wood, stone, and natural textiles wherever you can is a great place to start. Greenery should be incorporated as well, real or faux. A real plant is the better option and we explained the benefits of plants in the bathroom in our 8 Stunning Bathroom Upgrades blog. However, there are circumstances when faux is a better choice, such as when you do not have a window in your bathroom or cannot remember to care for the plant. Plant murder is bad, save the plant, your money and go for faux. Bring in a small potted plant or hang eucalyptus from your shower head. Certain plants purify the air, which is wonderful for confined spaces. Check out the blog 8 Stunning Bathroom Upgrades to get more information on air purifying plants. Greenery is wonderful as it softens the hard lines of tile and adds that peaceful, spa-like feel. Hanging planters is a great way to draw the eye up to the ceiling to give the impression of more space. Elevating the eye in this way is a great trick for smaller bathrooms to appear larger.
💡Pro Tip: Choose plants that thrive in humidity and low light, your bathroom is their dream home.
Plants suggestions:
-
Air plants, snake plants, and ferns thrive in humidity
-
Eucalyptus in the shower for a spa-like scent
-
If lighting is poor, opt for high-quality faux greenery in ceramic pots or hanging planters
The Power of the Shower Curtain
One of the largest canvases in a bathroom is the shower curtain, yet it is one of the most overlooked. There is so much design potential for a shower curtain when utilized properly. Natural scenes of great open spaces are ideal when you want to feel more at peace, ease, and relaxation. Like a big breath of fresh air, a wide open clearing melts the stress away. Imagine viewing an expansive blue sky over a turquoise lake, a glowing sunset in a valley, or the view of a majestic mountains with a rushing river in the forefront. Not only do these inspire and bring the beauty of nature inside, they also offer the optical effect of a large open space, which is perfect for a small bathroom. Much like an optical illusion, bringing in a shower curtain that has this spacious, expansive view will provide an open feeling to your space. Similar to how a mirror can make a space look larger, but more on that later.
💡 Pro Tips:
-
Choose a nature-themed curtain that reflects the mood you want: a golden sunset for peace, bright sunshine for joy, ocean waves for calm.
🌿Editor’s Choice: A Rubber Ducky Bathrooms shower curtain that shows a large open space. This will make your bathroom seem more spacious instantly, no renovation required. -
Opt for high-quality fabric that hangs well and feels more like décor than a necessity.
Light It Up
Bring on the light baby. If your bathroom has to be small at the very least it can be well lit. Natural light is ideal (this ties in to the Biophilic design we discussed earlier), but if your bathroom doesn’t have a window, mimic the glow with warm, soft LED bulbs. Add a large arched LED mirror to reflect light and visually expand the space. If there is no natural light in your tiny bathroom feel free to use small decorative mirrors in your design that will reflect light from the light fixture. This way the mirrors will bounce light off of each other mimicking sun beams. Hand made Peruvian mirrors are really unique and fun. If you don’t have a medicine cabinet mirror make sure to read through the ‘Keep it Clutter-Free’ section below. Bonus points if you choose a mirror that has lights in it, we’ve got a pretty nice recommendation in the last paragraph of this blog. Multifunctional items are ideal when working with limited space.
Lean into Color and Texture
The "bring nature inside" design movement is here and we are here for it! Continuing with Biophilic design use a nature-inspired color palette: soft greens, sandy neutrals, deep blues, or earthy browns. Ideally, pick your Rubber Ducky shower curtain and then pull colours from the shower curtain’s design to incorporate into the rest of your bathroom. This is a fool proof way to get a cohesive and well thought out design. Let Mother Nature be your muse.
A fun way to break up the space is to paint two walls that share a corner one color and then the two other walls another color. Ensure the colors you choose are monochromatic. Check out some examples here. If you enjoy more dramatic design, pick a darker color, like navy blue or dark sage green, to be one of your paint colors. Then choose a lighter version of your chosen color for the other two walls.
Another paint design option to consider is to create an arch focal point (on probably the only wall that is unobstructed since these are small bathrooms), however you can accentuate whatever you please as it is your bathroom. Have some fun, get creative. To execute this paint design first paint the entire space one color. You do not have to paint your ceiling, but you can if you like the challenge. The additional labor will be worth it from a design perspective at the end since painting the ceiling will make the space feel more expansive. Curious why designers are painting ceilings? HGTV asked a few experts to share their insights. If you can’t decide, we like the reasoning in this blog that breaks down when to and when not to paint the ceiling. Next, on the focal wall paint an arch with your secondary color and fill it in. This arched shape is perfect for creating heightened visual interest. Need some arch design inspiration? We got you, head on over to Pinterest. This creates a specific space to put a black two tier vertical towel storage, rustic floating shelves, or a slim, modern, oak storage cabinet. Creating a focal point draws the eye to this area and creates a point of interest. A friendly reminder if you are going to paint your bathroom, please buy paint that is meant for a bathroom.
🌿Editor’s Choice: Matte Black Vertical Towel Storage - A top pick for small bathrooms that don’t have any storage. Functional and unique storage with an elevating effect.
Another option, if you are handy with tiles or would like to hire a tile setter, you can make a completely tiled wall instead of using paint to create a focal point. If you are opting for tile you could tile the entire space behind the vanity or make a fun arch design. Check out our inspiration board on Pinterest. The whole purpose is to create a visual point of interest. If you want to draw the eye upward tile all the way to the ceiling. We recommend using colored tiles to make this design feature more aesthetically pleasing. Alternatively, if you want to stick to neutrals, place the tiles in a sequence, such as a chevron pattern, to increase the visual appeal. If you have a tiling dream, a small bathroom is the ideal time to move forward with fulfilling this dream. A smaller space means less tiles.
Public service announcement 🚨: If you are new to tiling please do extensive research and preparation prior to jumping into this upgrade. Here is a video tutorial to get you started.
Add texture through stone tiles, a tasseled, patterned, cream bath mat, or a wicker trash can. Incorporating natural elements is the goal, but given it is a small space be cautious, as less is often more. Our recommendation is to go with two to four textural elements at most in any small space.
Keep it Clutter-Free
Small spaces need breathing room and bathrooms need to store a lot. It’s a conundrum, which requires some out of the box thinking. If you have never heard of Marie Kondo, go binge her show Tidying Up on Netflix to get some inspiration. Our recommendations can only go so far without seeing your space and providing specific recommendations. Here are the generalized solutions we do have to offer for your small bathroom: tall corner storage cabinet, black corner shower caddy, rustic over the toilet storage, brushed stainless steel swivel towel rack (better option for holding multiple towels and can be hidden on the wall behind the door), and earthy, woven storage baskets for organization. If your bathroom vanity is raised off of the ground, put more baskets under the vanity for additional storage. If you have a mirror that doesn’t open up for storage, today is the day you give yourself the best gift and buy a mirrored medicine cabinet. More storage in a small bathroom is a godsend. Go big as you can for the mirrored medicine cabinet for the space you’re working with. We promise you, more storage capabilities and more of the illusion of space will result in a new found heavenly bliss in your small bathroom. Having too much storage is never a nuisance while not having enough definitely is. Being a minimalist isn’t for everyone, but don’t fret. Implementing some of our recommendations for clutter-free solutions will surely alleviate the overwhelm of too much stuff in a small space.
🌿 Editor's Choice: Mirrored Medicine Cabinet - A top pick for small bathrooms, combining necessity with space-saving function, while making it look good.
Final Thoughts: The Power of One Beautiful Change
You don’t need a full makeover to feel a difference. Sometimes, one bold, intentional piece, like a Rubber Ducky shower curtain, is all it takes to refresh your bathroom and uplift your mood. Thanks for opening your mind to the design possibilities for your small bathroom.
💚 We Give Back
Rubber Ducky Bathrooms donates 25% of profits to Protect Our Winters to help protect the places that inspire us most.
Show us your bathroom transformation!
📸 Facebook: @RubberDuckyBathroom
📸 Instagram: @Rubber.Ducky.Bathrooms
📸 TikTok: @Rubber.Ducky.Bathrooms
📸 Pinterest: RubberDuckyBathrooms
#BringNatureInside
#RubberDuckyBathrooms
This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through them we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products we love and hope you do too.
If you loved these small bathroom upgrades be sure to check out the 8 Stunning Bathroom Upgrades blog for more fun and innovative ways to decorate your personal oasis.
Love/Everything,
Rubber Ducky