28 Stunning Walk-In Shower Ideas for Small Bathrooms (2024)

Shared Shower Wall

Utilizing one wall for two purposes is the perfect solution for a small bathroom. Use one side of the wall for a walk-in shower and the other side for a sink or small vanity. Install the same tile all over the bathroom so that the multipurpose wall looks cohesive no matter which side you're standing on.

Install Built-In Storage

It can be tough to find extra storage for towels and toiletries in a small bathroom. If you're able to, adding open shelves to the wall nearest the shower will provide storage and make the room feel bigger. Plus, it makes grabbing these items even easier for you or your guests when hopping in the shower.

Patterned Tile Floor

Take the attention away from your bathroom being small by adding a focal point, like patterned floor tile. Bold tile that creates a striking pattern acts as a work of art on your bathroom floor. You can carry it from the walk-in shower floor to the rest of the room and even partially up the walls. Use one of the colors in the pattern in other parts of the room like the vanity to tie the space together.

Add a Wooden Bench

If you don't have the space for a tub in your small bathroom, adding a bench to your walk-in shower is a great way to add comfort and safety to your bathing experience. Consider one made of teak, which is water- and slip-resistant. Continue the wood tones in other parts of the bathroom like shelving or the vanity.

Unexpected Shower Door Design

Add contrast to your small bathroom with a walk-in shower door in an unexpected shape. Whether it's arched or keyhole-shaped, anything other than a rectangular shower doorway will draw attention, while the glass material keeps the small room spacious.

Colorful Tile Accent

Colorful tile creates a strong contrast against white tile. A block of color or a mosaic of different tiles in an all-white bathroom is an eye-catching focal point. Glass shower doors allow the accent tile wall to be the highlight of the room.

Doorless Walk-In Shower Design

Forego the door to make a small bathroom's walk-in shower feel even more spacious. A fixed glass panel separates this shower from the rest of the bathroom. The open door design allows users to come and go freely. To waterproof the shower stall, cover the surfaces with tile, then mount the showerhead and controls on the wall opposite the opening to limit splashing.

Use Shower Curtains

Finish a walk-in shower in a simple, budget-friendly fashion with curtain panels rather than glass doors. This small bathroom walk-in shower design takes advantage of a wooden support beam for mounting curtain rods across the two open sides. A slightly raised step around the shower pan keeps water contained.

Tiled Wall and Walk-In Shower

Furnish your small bathroom with a wall-mounted or pedestal sink to open up space for a walk-in shower. In this bathroom, a tiled partial wall separates the small walk-in shower from the sink area. Choosing a wall mounted sink instead of a full vanity allows space for a garbage can and small storage stool that can tuck behind the sink, as well as towel hooks or a towel bar (like this Better Homes & Gardens Cameron Towel Bar, $20, Walmart) just outside the shower door.

Utilize Space Efficiently

Consider the other amenities you'll want when making space for a walk-in shower in a small bathroom. This small walk-in shower's simple glass door allows for wall space for showcasing a double vanity. A narrow glass panel on the wall adjacent to the door helps carry light from nearby windows into the shower's interior, while a cutout on the door allows steam to escape.

Get Extra Light with a Window

Position your walk-in shower near a window or below a skylight, so that you can enjoy both sunlight and stars. This walk-in shower's clerestory window and glass door allow natural light to flow in and out of the bathroom. Thanks to its placement, the shower becomes a separate room that doesn't clutter up the small bathroom's sight lines or impede traffic flow.

Shiplap Knee Wall

Expand a small bathroom's utility by designing a walk-in shower that provides wall space for placing vanities or tubs. Seemingly an extension of the bathroom's shiplap-clad walls, this knee wall accommodates a shallow vanity with a mirrored door. White painted walls, the walk-in shower's glass enclosure and tiled walls, along with reflective surfaces, encourage light to move around the space, causing the small bathroom to appear roomier.

Use Bright Colors

Walls painted white or a light color make a room feel larger. Create the illusion of space in your small bathroom design by choosing light paint and tile colors. If using all white tiles in your walk-in shower strikes you as too sterile, consider marble tiles, or add accent color tiles to offset the white. With limited wall space available, opt for a towel hook (similar to this Better Homes & Gardens Chandler Towel Hook, $17, Walmart) instead of a towel bar.

Extend Walk-In Shower Tile to Walls

A glass shower wall is a great way to make a small bathroom feel large. This bathroom takes it a step further by continuing its black and white striped wall pattern into the shower. This technique eliminates the shower/bathroom barrier to make it feel like one big space.

Small Bathroom with Soaking Tub and Shower

You don't have to sacrifice a bathtub to accommodate a walk-in shower in a small bathroom. Instead, opt for a small soaking tub that doesn't take up too much square footage. This spa-like small bathroom features a neutral color palette and natural textures, including a linen window treatment, faux wood floor tiles, and a muted river-rock shower wall. Glass enclosure walls keep the room open and airy.

Make Your Small Bathroom Luxurious with Marble Frame

Even the smallest bathroom designs can achieve grand style with these walk-in shower ideas. Despite its small size, this shower makes an impact, thanks to its marble door frame and tiled interior, both of which are highlighted by charcoal walls. Bathroom floor tiles repeat inside the shower to visually link the two areas.

Contrasting Tile

In this small bathroom, stone floor tile repeats throughout the shower and toilet area for a cohesive look. Classic white subway tile contrasts with a black tile accent wall for a bold look. A glass shower door and built-in niche for incidentals maintain the bathroom's modern clean lines.

Walk-In Shower with an Eave

Design a doorless walk-in shower that takes advantage of your small bathroom's architectural oddities. Tucking a shower beneath an eave allowed these homeowners to fit a walk-in shower into their small bathroom. Maximizing this tight space made room for a separate toilet compartment, a luxury usually reserved for larger bathrooms.

Walk-In Shower with Built-In Bench

Add a walk-in shower that enhances a small bathroom's usefulness and beauty. This shower stands out in a simply furnished bathroom, thanks to its distinctively tiled walls and river rock tiled floor, both of which are easily seen through a frameless glass enclosure. The glass enclosure is fitted around the shower's marble tiled bench and small toiletry shelf, ending simply below the bathroom's beaded-board wainscoting.

Make Space for a Walk-In Shower and Tub

Utilizing a tight corner, this small walk-in shower made room for a petite stand-alone tub. The blue tile on the shower floor and recessed shelf bring a touch of color to the white bathroom. Use a garden stool (like this Better Homes & Gardens Blue Teal Glazed Ceramic Garden Stool, $55, Walmart) as a petite perch near the tub.

Small Bathroom Walk-In Shower Ideas for Corners

Walk-in shower designs for small bathrooms require careful space planning. Set the shower into a corner, but expand its space by extending an angled base and glass enclosure into the main bathroom area. This walk-in shower's angled design enhanced the square footage, giving the homeowners space for adding a built-in bench.

Marbled Walls Walk-In Shower Ideas

Stretching across a bathroom's shortest wall, this shower provides plenty of room for pampering without overwhelming the small bathroom. Continuing the bathroom's marble walls and tiled flooring into the shower creates a cohesive scene with the perception of a larger space.

Small Bathroom Walk-In Shower with Glass Walls

Design a small walk-in shower that blends into the background. Although this shower's seamless glass enclosure is visible, it fades in importance, thanks to brightly hued, striped wainscoting that wraps the bathroom's lower walls. Without solid walls, the glass walk-in shower appears at one with its surroundings rather than as a separate room.

Use Longest Wall to Fit a Walk-In Shower and a Tub

Align bathing and showering stations along a small bathroom's longest wall. By placing the tub against the walk-in shower's knee wall, the homeowners created a compact bathroom arrangement that left the opposite wall open for other fittings. A shared palette of neutral colors and materials furthers the connection between the shower and tub.

Use Glass to Minimize Visual Space

Enclose a walk-in shower with a seamless glass enclosure. The transparent barriers take up little visual space and let natural light flow between the bathroom and shower, which in turn makes a small bathroom live larger than its dimensions. This bathroom's neutral tiled walls continue into the walk-in shower to further the space-stretching illusion.

Keep It Simple

Accommodate your getting-ready needs with downsized fixtures that don't take up too much floor space. This handsomely profiled pedestal sink and narrow toiletry ledge replace a more cumbersome vanity in style. Marble-tiled walls and ceiling elevate this simply furnished small bathroom into elegance.

Small Bathroom with Tub and Shower Combined

When space for a walk-in shower is at a premium, consider placing bathing and showering stations within one enclosure. The homeowners combined a small soaking tub and a shower to maximize a minimal amount of floor space. Advantageously, the two-in-one design keeps splashing water and wet footprints away from the commode and vanity areas.

Small Bathroom Tub and Shower Idea Using Glass and Tile

Rethink available bathroom space until you are able to fit in every one of your desired amenities. This small bathroom design tucks a bathtub between the window wall and a compact walk-in shower. The bath extends behind the shower to supply a full-out bathing experience. The tub, shower, and vanity share the natural light streaming through the undressed window. Use a single bath rug (Better Homes & Gardens Bath Rug, $11, Walmart) to serve both the shower and the tub.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is the minimum space needed for a walk-in shower?

  Walk-in showers should be no less than 32x32 inches, but ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) recommendations suggest a minimum of 36x36 inches for a square-shaped shower and 60x30 for a rectangular shower.

• Can a walk-in shower devalue your home?

  In general, adding a walk-in shower will enhance the value of your home—unless adding one eliminates the only bathtub. Some buyers (particularly those with children) may prefer to have at least one bathtub in the home.

• Will water splash out of walk-in showers?

  While water can splash out of a walk-in shower, proper design and careful planning (like a sloped shower pan, a properly placed showerhead, and waterproof surroundings) can all but eliminate the issue. Of course, if you opt for a doorless shower, there is an increased chance of splashed water. For this reason, doorless showers are often designed with a designated “splash zone” (anywhere from 24 to 72 inches surrounding) where anything inside the area is likely to get wet.