Small Bathroom Remodel With Lots Of Unique Storage Solutions

In our small bathroom remodel we created lots of unique storage solutions like built-in shelves next to the shower and a laundry chute. This involved completely rearranging the layout of our small bathroom.

Better Done Than Perfect

It has been a year since we tore apart our bathroom. Although it has been completely usable for the last 11 months we’ve still had this and that on our list of things to finish up.

I recently heard the saying “better done than perfect” and that has become my new life goal. I’ve known for a long time that I’m a perfectionist. I just didn’t know how to deal with it. When I heard that saying, something clicked. I keep chanting that to myself as I work on imperfect projects. It’s been great! No, seriously, it has motivated me. It gives me hope that one day I might actually be OK with imperfect if I keep practicing…maybe?

So in keeping with the better done then perfect theme, here’s our almost finished bathroom. Being a small bathroom, it was hard to photograph but I did the best I could. Remember better done than perfect!

Before Remodeling Our Small Bathroom

Here’s a reminder as to what we were working with. Pictures can often be deceiving and in this case making the bathroom look not so bad. The bathtub was an old cast-iron tub and it was very scratched. It never looked clean or felt clean. The shower walls were plastic and I was constantly fight the battle of mold and mildew, especially in the cracks. The vanity was made of cheap particle board that was starting to disinigrate. And the toilet often struggled to completely flush. That is not good!

All in all, the bathroom was hard to move around in due to the layout. I constantly felt like I was bumping into the vanity as I was trying to bathe my daughter in the tub. This layout is quite common and I’ll never understand it. It feels like such a waste of space to me.

Our Almost Completed Small Bathroom Remodel With Lots Of Unique Storage Solutions

Feeling that there was a lot of waisted space in our small bathroom, we decided to completely rework the layout.

We raised and widened the window and moved the shower to the back wall. This completely changed the space. Suddenly the bathroom didn’t feel so small anymore.

I worried a little about having a window in the shower. I wasn’t sure if it would get mildewy and be hard to clean. So far it hasn’t been a problem and we’ve been using it for a year.

We purchased a window with frosted panes just for extra privacy. Although based on the height of the window and our neighbor’s house, I don’t think that was completely necessary. It’s fun to crack the window and let the fresh air in while showering too.

The tub is the greatest. I just love how deep it is and I also think it’s beautiful. It feels luxurious to take a bath in. I highly recommend getting an extra deep tub!

The rain shower head was one of Ben’s requests, although I do have to say it feels pretty amazing myself. One downside to rain shower heads are that the water bill is higher because it lets more water run out quicker. Or maybe because it feels so good we stay in the shower longer. Anyway, I’m not sad we put it in.

Using mostly light bright colors in our bathroom helped to make it feel larger. Although I hadn’t originally planned on getting a dark vanity, (I’d thought we’d get a white one) I love the contrast of the dark and light colors.

It’s so fun to imagine what a space will look like before you remodel and then to see what it actually ends up looking like after you are done.

Small Bathroom Remodel Storage Solutions

We hadn’t originally planned to put in a shower nook. At first I wasn’t so sure it was a good use of money. I thought I’d just buy one of those shower caddies. You know the kind that never quite work right or stay put. But after having had it for awhile now, I do really like how functional it is, not to mention how pretty it is as well.

After reworking the layout, we had some extra space next to the shower that I didn’t want to waste. Thankfully with a little help from Pinterest and my dad we were able make this cute little shelf nook. This created a perfect storage solution for our small bathroom.

Here’s another awesome feature we managed to squeeze into our small bathroom. A laundry chute! And yes, it’s as cool as it sounds! I told my dad I wanted one and he somehow managed to make it work. He’s pretty creative and amazing! It opens in the basement right near our laundry. It’s so nice not to have a laundry hamper taking up valuable bathroom real estate. Also, not having to lug laundry up and down the basement steps is a plus!

The view into the bathroom is such a pleasant one now!

Mistakes We Made During the Renovation

We made a lot of mistakes with this bathroom remodel. Too many to mention… But let’s just talk about our faucet mistake for a minute. The original faucet we bought was about two times the size of the one you see in this picture. When we got it out of the box I couldn’t believe how gigantic it was. Maybe it was for a kitchen? I don’t know… but thankfully we were able to find another one that was very similar only just more appropriately sized. Lesson: read the size dimensions before purchasing.

We also purchased a new but discounted non-refundable tub that was too big for the space and a used marble vanity top that didn’t end up working with the vanity we chose. As much as I hate wasting money, I’m so glad we caught our mistakes before we installed them. I love the quartz vanity top we chose instead. It brings a warmth to the room as opposed to the cooler look of marble.

How I Feel About Our Small Bathroom Remodel With Lots Of Unique Storage Solutions

Out of all the rooms in our house right now, I feel like this one describes my style the best at this moment in time. It’s clean and bright and yet has all the dark accents that I’m always drawn to. I love that my cute Pottery Barn shower curtain still works in this room. I agonized over that purchase so much. But it was well worth the money. I still adore it!

We are so happy with how functional this space is now. It’s been such a blessing to have our only bathroom be so luxurious.

On our list of things to compete, getting a small cabinet painted and hung above the toilet for extra storage. When we finally get around to that, I’ll be sure to post a few more pictures.

Update.

We ended up moving from this home several years ago and I never got around to taking photos of that cabinet above the toilet. Here’s a picture I posted to instagram though before we moved.

Here’s another photo I found that our realtor took.

This was such a pretty bathroom. I miss it! I love how we were able to add so much storage to such a tiny space.

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