When your master or guest bathroom has a long and narrow layout, it can be difficult to maximize the space. Bathrooms are often limited in space, so you may need to find creative storage solutions or consider a minimalistic style that isn’t always cluttered.
A narrow bathroom can be awkward to navigate as it doesn’t have the right dimensions, but with the correct decor and colors, you can turn it into a functional space while still maintaining an aesthetic value. If you have a bathroom with a limited size, here are some ideas to maximize the space.
Table of Contents
How To Transform Narrow Bathroom?
Install a Wall-Mounted Toilet
Many homeowners take the first step in transforming their bathrooms into comfortable spaces by replacing their old toilets with sleek wall-mounted ones. Sleek wall-mounted toilets take up less space than traditional options, and they can be maneuvered easily when you’re on the way to your shower or vanity. To make a compact toilet even more comfortable, you can install the toilet spritzer or the heated toilet seat.
Place a Shower Room at the End of Your Bathroom
Most narrow bathrooms are more like a walkway than an area of relaxation. Instead of showering on the long side of the room, give your designated bathroom a more prominent location by installing it at the end. Bathrooms narrow in width necessitate a luxurious shower room. Take note of the small details, too; for example, use adjustable wall-mounted and detachable showerheads whenever possible.
Use an Oval-Shaped Basin Sink
Traditional sinks don’t make sense in the narrow bathroom. Vessel sinks, which have traditionally been slimmed down, can get in the way when you’re trying to go from one end of your grooming area to the other.
If you’re struggling to make do with the limited space in your bathroom, install a specifically designed sink for this type of space. For example, some sinks are curved or oval-shaped, making it easier to clean your hands without getting in anyone’s way.
Make Your Floor Tile Uninterrupted
In many bathrooms, the main part of the bathroom stops when the floor tile meets the shower. You can make your small bathroom look bigger by letting your floor tile go into your walk-in shower to give it a more comfortable and roomy feel. Regardless of the type of flooring in your bathroom, you want it to be seamless and uninterrupted. Creating the illusion of more comfort is as simple as ensuring that bathroom flooring provides a smooth transition between rooms-without any gaps or seams.
Don’t Let Your Corners Be Sharp
There are a few reasons to add rounded corners in your small bathroom. First, it will make navigating the space more manageable for you and any other users. Second, soft corners make your bathroom feel larger because they do not directly touch the edges of the room. Finally, sharp angles force you to shrink back into your small space and potentially expose yourself.
Don’t Add Anything That Blocks Your View
The opaque shower curtain and narrow bathroom are not the right combinations. It is best to choose a shower room when you have a narrow bathroom, but frosted glass can make the space feel cramped. One of the most important components for your shower room is a clear door. While it may look clean on the outside, you’ll need to clean up between your showering sessions if you want to maintain its appearance.
Install a Slim Vanity
Narrow bathrooms come with vanities that take up a lot of space. To maximize the little space you have, find toilets with slimmed-down vanities available for purchase. When navigating your bathroom with a bulky vanity, you might hit it every time you turn around. Solve this problem by switching it out for a slim one that will give you plenty of room to move.
Deploy Lots of Lighting
Small spaces always look better with ample lighting. Putting a strip of unobtrusive LED lights behind your mirror is a simple method for adding more light to the area, but some people find it clutters that space instead. However, hanging lights in front of their vanity provides an excellent way to see every inch of the most important room for others.
Build a Ledge into the Wall
When you live in a space without much storage, it can be not easy to find room for all of your bathroom items. Thankfully, there are plenty of easy solutions! One option is to install wood paneling or marble wall tile halfway up the wall and put a long wooden or stone ledge on top.
The ledge is relatively compact, so you should be able to store small items like makeup brushes and toothpaste here. However, in this case, you must have a place for bulky items like extra toilet paper since they won’t fit in the microcosm of the ledge.
Increase the Greenery
If a narrow, squat bathroom or small space is expected of you, adding plants to the room can make it seem larger. Plants don’t have to be large in size to make an impact. You need to choose the best places possible for optimal effect.
The ledge next to your bathroom window is the perfect seat for pot plants. But you can also hang a vine basket from the ceiling, which will soak up all of the sun that would otherwise go to waste in front of your window. Finally, if your narrow bathroom is well-lit, you can put a few unobtrusive plants on your vanity to liven things up.
Make Every Piece of Furniture Count
Ensure every piece of furniture in your narrow bathrooms, such as a toilet rack, a stool, or a mirror, has storage potential. Make sure you keep track of the item you keep.
Narrow Bathroom Design Ideas Inspiration
High-Ceilinged Narrow Bathroom
In this contemporary bathroom, the masterfully used colors create an inviting space. The white walls and high ceilings open up to a light-filled room with dark cabinetry that adds contrast in every direction. A skylight showcases the sky from all angles proving a sense of openness and airiness for the room.
Two-Toned Symphonies
Black and white have always been a pair that naturally complements each other. This bathroom, with its hexagonal tiles and black-bordered pieces, is a wonderful embodiment of this idea. This bathroom is both retro and modern! The black ladder serves as a stand for the contemporary faucet, which perfectly fits the room’s colors.
Simple Attic Narrow Bathroom
Bathrooms with low ceilings and sloping roofs can be challenging to design. Keeping it simple, minimalist, and purposeful are better options for this type of interior space.
Minimalist Narrow Bathroom Design
The master bath has enough space for all the basic amenities – bathroom, toilet, and storage spaces are available, whereas shower doors create privacy.
Although the narrow bathroom is crowded, it doesn’t feel claustrophobic because they opted for an open and airy glass shower door instead of a shower curtain. In addition, the counters are sparse, which really helps make this small space feel larger than it is.
Narrow Bathroom Storage Design
Long, narrow bathrooms are notorious for petite storage opportunities. Make the most of your space by installing shelving and drawer organizers to pack in any leftover objects from inside your countertop.
Warm Narrow Bathroom
Modern bathrooms may be small, but they have their advantages. For example, the shower area can easily be separated from the washing area. Longer bathrooms also need even and uniform lighting, which these yellow spotlights are doing an excellent job of providing! Decorating your bathroom with fun accessories is easy to do with pre-made trollies like the light brown one!
Compact Narrow Bathroom
If your bathroom is too narrow to accommodate standard fixtures, consider replacing them with more compact ones. For example, you could install an elongated or squat toilet to save space in the room.
Some of the most common small narrow bathroom ideas are to ditch the bathtub for a shower and to opt for any decoration other than blue.
Narrow Bathroom Wallpaper
If you’re running out of storage in your narrow bathroom, get a ledge above the sink. The ledge can hold your daily necessities and art- but won’t take up as much floor and wall space as other storage options.
Narrow Bathroom Flooring
Rather than making the walls or a piece of art stand out, why not put the focus on the floor instead?
This bathroom includes decorative tile on the shower floor. The design draws the eye and makes it appear as though there’s more room than there really is, adding to the illusion of spaciousness.
Boho Blues Narrow Bathroom
A trendy wallpaper can completely change the mood of a room. This blue and white abstract patterned wallpaper does wonders for this drab bathroom! The rectangular cream white sink has a faucet that only sprays water downward, causing it to reflect in the mirror, making this bathroom look more dimensional!
Shelves Storage For Narrow Bathroom
If you plan to convert your half bath into a full living area, don’t worry about giving up on the vanity. Instead of finding a large one, try finding an attractive small one that will work just as well!
The shower takes up more than half of the room in this bathroom, and there is a small vanity. Still, they were able to add storage by installing extra shelves and cabinets under the sink. The finished product looks great, but there’s no getting around the lack of counter space.
Accent Wall Narrow Bathroom
One of the most popular small bathroom ideas is adding an accent wall. The best location for such a wall is on one of the side walls. You can opt to paint all or some sections of the wall with a different color. An accent wall can add visual depth to the room and is a perfect way to introduce color. Since it only consists of one pattern, it does not overwhelm for an interesting effect.
Beautifully Beige Narrow Bathroom
People often prefer beige paint because it can instantly brighten a room. It is a light color that creates a seamless transition between other elements in the bathroom. The designer inserted this dark-colored cabinet against the lighter tone of the wall to create an interesting contrast.
Glass Wall Narrow Bathroom
One way to save space in your bathroom is by opting for a stand-up shower instead of a bathtub. This will eliminate the need for a washing area, and it will use half the floor space of other models.
If you’re converting a half bathroom to the full by installing a stand-up shower, consider using glass like the one in this photo. A stand-up shower with glass will make the space feel spacious and wide, where a shower curtain would have made it feel cramped.
Dark Lime Wall Narrow Bathroom
This bathroom has a lot of textures. The dark green tiles and the semi-matte vanity top look great, and glass doors in the shower area make it feel more reflective. Natural light from the window also adds to the natural beauty of this space.
Room with a skylight
This idea is perfect for those with narrow bathroom space. The skylight will instantly make the space feel unique and brighter. Including a skylight to take advantage of natural daylight is an important selling point for those looking to buy property. As such, this homeowner has beautified the area with exotic, tropical indoor plants that make your bathroom straight out of a magazine page.
Traditional Aztec Wallpaper Narrow Bathroom
This slanted ceiling incorporates a narrow window ever so cleverly, making it the perfect place for natural light! It keeps the bathing area well-lit with an optimum amount of brightness. The Aztec print wallpaper paired perfectly with the porcelain bathtub below is superb. The last stop in our tour is the minimalistic yet bold style of the vanity area. No corners have been cut here either, with borderless mirrors and a black iron vanity-top.
White Narrow Bathroom Design
Give your bathroom a facelift from the inside out by updating the vanity. Sitting atop these less deep vanities, you will be able to find room for an unmatched style and function that matches your taste. Of course, you’ll have to make room on the counter space in your bathroom for hair accessories, but it will be well worth it if an extra inch of floor space would greatly benefit you.
Narrow Bathroom With Double Sink
If you plan on redoing the layout of your narrow bathroom, you will need to prioritize what’s most important because if it comes down to it, there is no such thing as an entirely perfect design.
In this photo, the vanities are tiny, but they could put a soaking tub into their space. Some people would be willing to trade off counter space for a bathtub, while others may not like such a cramped room. Ensure you’re clear on the most important thing for you, and then be realistic about what items in your possession might have to be sacrificed.
Wall Mirror Narrow Bathroom
Small bathrooms can be especially challenging. A great way to make the most of them is by adding a length of mirrors at the end. This technique will give your bathroom an executive feel and add illumination, too. The paint on the radiator is elegant gold, which provides a comforting warmth. The addition of spotlights also provides an intimacy to space.
Creamy White Wall Narrow Bathroom
The brown-tinted glass doors reflect the light, creating a warm glow in this narrow bathroom. The bathtub is positioned next to the cream wall, which creates space for decorations. Multiple shelves give character, and seductive lighting completes the look!
Narrow Bathroom WIth Window
This small, narrow bathroom is a prime example of how to make the most of smaller spaces. The designer has chosen limited pieces of hardware that create a neat and clean look while also separating the shower area not to overwhelm this small space. The addition of a white fur rug to this narrow bathroom is perfect for the minimalist design. It also looks aged, thanks to the natural light coming through the window.
Sweet Melancholy Narrow Bathroom Style
This black bathroom has a grunge theme, which many people are drawn to. The pendant light is shiny, bringing an intriguing texture into the room. A window allows natural lighting while adding some artificial light for those who still need it.
Modern Narrow Bathroom
Clients who need small bathroom design ideas would be best served by finding professional designers who specialize in conceptual solutions for these spaces. The inspiration you will find here is for a minimalist contemporary bathroom, and I particularly like the floor and wall tile color choices.
Floating Vanity Narrow Bathroom
Yes, we’ve mentioned using all of the available space throughout our article. However, for small bathrooms, floating vanities are definitely worth looking into.
If you like a little vanity counter, but don’t like the space in between it and your floor to seem too large, then consider purchasing a floating vanity. This type of sink creates an open feeling which can make any bathroom appear larger than it is.
White And Bright Narrow Bathroom
This lovely narrow bathroom with a wooden floor is reminiscent of whimsical corridors, and it’s possible to do so much more with them!
This white-themed bathroom has been turned into an elegant space using french windows and yellow lighting. Setting the bar high for the style, candles arranged on silver trays are another excellent initiative to enhance.
Narrow Bathroom Rug
One of our favorite decorating techniques is trying out different styles in a room. But sometimes, one or two small rugs can make the space feel cluttered, even when there is plenty of floor space between them.
Instead of opting for an average-sized rug, opt to buy one long enough to cover most of the floor space. This will add length and make it seem like a larger space. In addition, you can create a striking effect by using a runner with a linear design.
If the size of your bathroom vanity doesn’t satisfy your storage needs, don’t worry. There are plenty of clever ways to maximize space without sacrificing too much floor space or cabinet room.
An open storage shelf along the bottom makes this a useful vanity, stylish, and contains just as much storage space as a traditional vanity. In addition, you don’t have to put together your own organizational system because it’s built right in for you.
Final Thoughts
A narrow bathroom floorplan can be challenging to decorate, but with the right lighting and adequate storage solutions, making a small space look large and inviting while living feels cramped.