If you’re doing a small bathroom remodel and want to keep a large spa bathroom look and feel, then you’ve made it to the right place! We recently renovated our new home and wanted to create an elevated aesthetic in our primary bathroom. Here are 5 additions that truly made all the difference.
1. Curbless Shower
A curbless shower creates a seamless flow from the bathroom floor all the way through to your shower. It’s a visually appealing and modern look. For a smaller bathroom, it creates a surprisingly spacious aesthetic that I’m in love with. This is easier to do with a new build, or a complete renovation, as it requires the floor to slope towards a drain. A huge reason I love it so much is that it’s easier to clean! There’s less space for mold and dirt to build up and my Swiffer just glides right into it.
The only downside to a curbless shower is how open the shower is. If you’re like me and freezing 90% of the time, try to add heated floors with this design choice. I love the look of our glass partition with gold accents, and it genuinely makes the bathroom look much larger. It’s worth being slightly chilly at times 😉
If you’re curious about where we got our gold shower fixtures, they are all linked below for you!
2. Center Drain
If you choose the curbless shower route, a center or linear drain is crucial. The center drain would obviously be placed in the middle of the shower with the floors gently sloping towards it. The other option is to have a linear drain near the entrance of the shower or against one of the walls. The floors would slope towards it instead of towards the center. During our remodel, we initially wanted to have a linear drain closest to the shower wall, however, with the age of the home and after a few hiccups, we ended up needing to do a center drain. I’m so happy we did!
3. Statement Tile
Gone are the days of tile being called outdated. Honestly, there’s no better wall treatment than tile for a bathroom. It’s incredibly waterproof, easy to clean, and can be visually STUNNING. We chose floor-to-ceiling tile in the shower in a color that contrasts our floors. While I love a neutral home, tile gives you the option of various stones, colors, and textures. We chose to use one of my favorite tiles from Riad Tile: Zellige in a 4×4! These Authentic Moroccan tiles are 100% hand-crafted based on centuries of tradition and are characterized by their irregularities and imperfections. Because they are handmade, they give off beautiful organic vibes and vary in color, shade, tone, and size and display pits, cracks, and chipped edges. We chose the glazed clay option which reflects so beautifully with the big window in our bathroom.
4. Stand Alone Bathtub
This may be the most important and my personal favorite element of my bathroom. A giant stand-alone sinker tub is heaven after a long day of running after the kids. This design element also looks 10x better than a traditional tub design and it will make your small bathroom remodel look incredible. It’s modern, aesthetically pleasing, and is an overall statement piece. I love my simple bright white tub but you can choose something a little more out of the box. There are so many different options nowadays – from cement tubs to acrylic colors. I’ve included some examples below!
Something to consider when purchasing a tub is the bottom has the Krio of an “anti-slip” or a smooth finish. I didn’t particularly like the textured finish look so we decided to go with a smooth finish. This may not be the best option for everyone since you may want it to be anti-slip.
5. Accent Lighting
Accent lighting in a bathroom is CRUCIAL. No one likes to use the big light, especially when you’re trying to unwind. Whether this is a floor lamp you use to read in the tub or a pendant light directly above the tub, there are many options for accent lighting. We chose a pendant light above the tub along with several sconces over our bathroom mirror. While we do have recessed lighting throughout the home, it’s not my favorite choice for a tub session.
If you’re in the process of building or remodeling, I have tips for other spaces in your home as well. Take a look at my blog: Five Kitchen Design Mistakes, and learn how to NOT make them.
Let me know if you use or have used any of these tips for a small bathroom remodel and tell me how the process went for you!
