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Sarah Lyon Sarah Lyon Sarah Lyon is a freelance writer based in New York City who covers interior design and lifestyle content. She is constantly on the hunt for eye-catching pieces to add to her space and believes that a home is never truly finished being styled.
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Just because your small bathroom is lacking in square footage doesn’t mean you can’t make the most of your shower when it comes to aesthetics, organization, and more. After all, plenty of small bathroom shower ideas are out there in the design world, and tiny baths deserve some love, too. In fact, a little bit of careful planning and some smart, pro decorator-inspired moves can add up to a jewel box of a space that’s super functional as well.
So if you’re looking to transform your own shower and need some inspiration — be it for gorgeous tiles, handy storage solutions, or stylish fixtures — don’t miss out on these 15 inspirational spaces below. They’re all centered around small bathroom shower ideas that can be copied in your own home. It’s up to you to decide what might work best for your space and budget. You can put your own spin on palette, materials, and more, too.
1. Go for Glass
A clear glass shower stall takes up minimal visual space in a small bathroom and makes the room appear more open and spacious. Tucked into a corner, this particular shower, part of a project by Element Design Network, is a tiny but efficient square shape, and its built-in shelf niche provides just enough room for product storage.
2. Opt for Cubbies
Designed by Hub of the House Studio, this rectangular shower features a fairly wide and deep, tub-to-ceiling built-in shelving unit opposite the showerhead. These tiled cubbies can accommodate towels, bath products, and much more, eliminating the need for an in-bathroom linen closet or set of storage bins. Because they’re carved into the shower area, you also don’t have to worry about them taking up precious floor space. Of course, this kind of feature will require demo.
3. Play with Color
Just because your bathroom is small doesn’t mean you can’t experiment with color. Here, a bold shower curtain and bathmat featuring abstract prints — along with olive green wall paint — add personality and energy to an otherwise simple space with vintage tiles and bath fixtures. Also at work here? A smart hack for a somewhat strangely-placed towel bar inside the shower. Instead of hanging textiles from this high perch, this clever Florida-based homeowner put a shower caddy in this spot. Ingenious!
4. Brighten Up with a Border
Here, New York City-based content creator and decorator Maitri Mody added intrigue to the area above the shower in her petite bathroom with floral and dog printed wallpaper. Even if a tiled or solid surface surround accounts for the majority of your shower’s wall space, you can still get creative with a pattern as an accent — that is, if you think a bit outside the box.
5. Use Tile Strategically
This shower underwent a major transformation when homeowners Kit Williamson and John Halbach renovated their desert home, thanks to the stunning turquoise zellige shower walls. Zellige tile’s shimmery surface makes for an excellent small bath material because it can bounce light around a space, opening it up to make it appear a little bit airier. You would never guess this bathroom is actually a windowless room due to its vibrant, elegant appearance, and much of that is owed to the wall tile selection.
6. Give Blue a Go
Here’s another example of an instance where adding blue tile to the interior of an angular shower makes the entire room by Carrier Design Co. pop. You can experiment with various colors and finishes to create a dramatic effect in even the smallest of bathrooms.
7. Or Opt for Green
If blue isn’t your color of choice, just take a look at this luxe-looking green subway tile, which is actually carried over to the exterior of this shower stall. Opting for a glass door and shower partition — as well as keeping the surrounding walls a crisp white — ensures that the small space doesn’t feel closed in by the bold, darker tile colorway that Morgan Morris Designs selected.
8. Mix and Match Pastels
Get playful with pastels! Many associate lighter pinks and blues with the bathrooms of the 1970s and ‘80s, but this approach by designer Nureed Saeed feels definitely current and on-trend. The geometric motif inside the shower is so peppy and eye-catching that it truly doubles as wall art. Let the tiles do the talking in a smaller shower so you don’t have to worry about accessorizing much else in the bathroom.
9. Embrace Vintage Penny Tile
Penny tile transforms the floor of this small, curved shower designed by West Rose Design. Commonly used in the early 20th century, penny tile has been coming back in style in recent years and adds a chic, vintage touch to any bathroom. It’s graphic but still visually quiet enough for a tiny shower and a superb option for a shower pan, since its smaller grout lines provide lots of anti-slip traction.
10. Say Yes to Brass
Don’t underestimate the power of brass hardware in making a shower appear much more luxe. Here, in this bath by Pratt Guys, this metal finish pairs nicely with the modern crane mural and floor tile present in this small space.
11. Keep Finishes Consistent
In a small bathroom, the little details truly do matter, and keeping finishes consistent throughout the space will have a major impact. Here, the shower’s brass upper rim perfectly complements the nearby vanity mirror, faucet, and sconces, all chosen by designer Andrea May.
12. Play with Pattern
Don’t be afraid to mix and match tiling within your shower, particularly if you appreciate a more eclectic look as seen in this bathroom by Liz Goldberg of CAROLYNLEONA. Pattern mixing is continuing to have a major moment, and that applies to more than just textiles!
13. DIY a Bench
Bring a bench into the bathroom to replicate the concept of a built-in shower bench in a small space. Choose one that’s waterproof and lightweight enough to pick up and move as needed.
14. Introduce a Shelf
Add a little stacking shelf like this one to your shower ledge to hold items that you need to reach for while bathing — and that may not otherwise have a home within your small space. You’ll be carving out a new storage solution and streamlining your routine.
15. Install a Pony Wall
If you’re designing a bathroom from scratch, consider opting for just a partial glass enclosure in the shower via a tiled pony wall. Blogger Sarah Gibson of Room for Tuesday went this route in her basem*nt bathroom, which, believe it or not, measures just six by eight feet in size. The lack of a full wall or shower curtain ensures that the bathroom appears a bit more open, even though square footage is limited.
Filed in:
Bathroom
Decorating
Small Spaces
