Today I’m so excited to share our first completed room in our new space. It’s not a coincidence that it’s the smallest room in the house! When we first bought this house, we were kinda scratching our heads over what to do with this tiny bathroom. It’s located under a stairway and comparable in size to an airplane bathroom. I will say, though, we had SO much fun working on this space. It was a shocker how much it turned around.
For this post we’re teaming up with Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day to share our before & after bathroom makeover. Needless to say, this was a pretty easy fit for us. It’s pretty much the only hand soap we ever have in the house. You can see those pretty little bottles making guest appearances in both my kitchen and the studio kitchen.
So you want to see our finished space?
But first, a walk down memory lane. Here’s the bathroom before …
Needless to say, it wasn’t love at first sight.
The before room had fake plastic tile, a seashell border, a water damaged ceiling and an unsecured linoleum floor. The pipe (hidden here with some fake ivy leaves) was something we planned to paint and live with but found out with our contractor that it was just as easy to relocate inside the wall (yay!).
We kept the world’s tiniest sink because 1) it’s sorta cute, and 2) we couldn’t find another sink that small. It’s definitely ONLY for washing hands and nothing else, but that’s cool.
We ended up having to rebuild a lot of this room because the water damage was much worse than our inspector had even caught. When the floors were going back in (yep—they were missing for about a week!), our contractor, Mike, had the idea to switch up the placement of the toilet. I’m so glad he did because I think that choice, along with moving the pipe, optimized this little space as much as possible.
Here’s the view from inside the kitchen. We replaced a regular door that swung out into the kitchen (and dining room to the right) with a sliding barn door. It was a functional decision because there really was no space for a swinging door, but I also love the design solution that this door offered. It’s such a fun pop of color in both the kitchen and bathroom.
We chose white penny tile with white grout for the walls and black hexagon tile with gray grout for the floor. We debated on continuing the wood from the kitchen into this bathroom but in the end chose tile because it’s just more “bathroom-y.” I love the contrast.
Recently we gave the room a few finishing touches with a subtle hand-printed design on the wall and some easy no-sew curtains. The mirror is from West Elm (on sale now).
We wanted to keep it fresh, airy, and simple.
Details are so important. In smaller spaces they can make or break a design. We found these pretty modern planters from Light + Ladder on Etsy. It’s funny that such a simple little decoration could be the inspiration behind the entire room, but they most definitely were.
As for colors, we kept it neutral and bright with splashes of sunny yellow and deep turquoise. I’ve used these colors in so many rooms for so long that I think I’ve actually tricked myself into believing they are neutrals too!
Thanks for taking a peek at our bathroom project! I’m sure we will make small changes along the way, but it feels great to call it complete. Cheers to our first completed room! (umm, yes, I’m cheers-ing a bathroom—is that gross? Nah. It’s totally normal.)
This project was a great kickstart for us. We’re nearly finished with the kitchen, dining room, and office in the studio as well. Stay tuned for more room tours (and video tours!) coming your way soon. xo! Elsie
Credits// Author: Elsie Larson, Photography: Sarah Rhodes. Photos Edited with Piper from The Signature Collection.
Love the color choices! Please share with me the paint color on the bathroom wall. Thank you.
They are succulents 🙂 -Jacki
Looks great! Quick question – what types are plants are those? Looks like they won’t be getting any direct sunlight, and since my apartment bathroom doesn’t have windows, I’m always on the look out for plants that don’t require much light.
Thanks! 🙂 Great job ladies (and gents now I suppose!)!
Elsie, where did you guys source the floor tiles from? I’m getting ready to re-do a bathroom that’s a similar size and I love your floor choice! Was it expensive?
It’s just the happiest little room, wonderfully done!
Hi Andie! We got them from Amazon. 🙂 -Jacki
Hi ABM team!, I want to ask you, where do you get those little baskets? The one with the towels. Thank you! ♥
Love it all. Really diggin’ the modern planters + succulents! May have to try this in my own bathroom 🙂
I have the same sink in my bathroom, but my bathroom is definitely 1/4 the size of yours so when you refer to it as tiny it makes me chuckle.
Wow! Turned out really good! The room almost looks a bit bigger now 🙂 Also like the idea with the yellow door 😉
YES! YES! YES! I’m so happy you did a “tiny bathroom” makeover. I’m having a dilemma in my new house (well, new to me 😉 )as well. I really want to go with penny tile on the walls or subway tiles but was worried about a black floor in such a small space. Don’t want it to look dingy. Now that I saw what you did in the finished space I’m inspired to take the plunge!
That looks amazing! You always have the best ideas… and I love how you make simple make overs. It makes me think that it’s something I can do.
Looking forward to seeing more parts of the studio!
xx,
E.
www.theslowpace.com
Absolutely love!
My exact thought too!
We have the same penny tiles in our bathroom! Very stylish!
The bathroom looks amazing! I LOVE that sliding barn door. Such pretty details, too. You guys are welcome to help makeover my home anytime 😉
Wow, that bathroom really came together! It looks great!
http://brittannytaylor.com/blog
COMPLETELY love the yellow door!
Jordyn
Pretty Lovely
Well done!
I absolutely love the door choice…. Smart use of space and so unique!!
I love your tile choices! They are modern, but also fit the time period of the house so well!
So cute! I love the sliding barn door idea for our small bathroom, would you be willing to share any details on where you found it and how easy/difficult installation was? Thanks!