We love this project because it shows how much you can do with a very small bathroom and how careful planning and custom elements can create a functional, relaxing little escape. Since the bathroom also had to function as the master bath, creating counter space and carving out storage was essential.

To maximize the surface area of countertop, we created a custom floating oak vanity that ran the length of the wall. It tapers from a 7″ shelf at both ends and gently curves out to 15″ to accommodate the sink in the middle.

Our design goal was to make the space feel more bright and spacious while maintaining texture and warmth. By extending the mirror along the full vanity wall, we could capture more natural light and make the room appear larger. This also allowed us to conceal storage into the mirror wall in places where there wasn’t plumbing running through it.

EVERY INCH COUNTS: Here, a wall-mount faucet isn’t just for ease of cleaning. It allowed us to snug the sink up to the wall and saved four inches of depth. Since the homeowner didn’t want a tiny sink, we could now use a standard size vessel basin that would see lots of daily use.

SAVE AND SPLURGE: The texture of natural travertine mosaic tile is complimented in the shower with inexpensive ceramic tile with a seagrass print. The cost of the custom medicine cabinet and wood vanity is offset with a simple modern vinyl floor.

Aesthetics aside, the bathroom was so cramped it was almost unusable. The biggest problem was that the door swung into the space and left a mere 14″ of passage between the vanity and the door knob. We gutted the room and framed a new pocket door instead, and took over a hall closet to create space for a linen tower and built-in drawers. The lath and plaster were removed, the exterior wall saw new moisture-proof insulation and vapour barrier, and new mildew resistant drywall was installed.