Ode To The Small Bathroom

So - to the owners of a petite pad with a small bathroom - while we know that you are secretly a leeetle bit disappointed you don’t get to stretch out in a vast 6-star-bush-retreat-style bathroom, here’s a quick hug… followed by a whole lot of awesome advice on how to renovate your itty bitty bathroom, remove the clutter and transform it into an uber-stylish sanctuary.

Follow our hints and tips, discover your inner Marie Kondo and you’ll have a space that feels a great deal bigger than it is.

Let’s start at the very beginning. The layout plan. Tub, shower, loo, basins, storage solutions. There’s no one way of creating the optimal layout. There are literally loads of ways to work it, but don’t do it without professional help. If you haven’t got a go-to guy, get yourself over to the design wizards at houzz.com who have some good advice about how to configure a mid to small size bathroom space (up to around 9m2).

Plumbing is the skeleton you are going to design your remodel upon. Start with the bath, the loo, the basin, and - if there’s space - the shower. Don’t even touch a tile until you’ve worked out where your fixtures need to be.

The Laufen Pro compact range.

Wall-hung toilets and basins have become really popular, and for very good reason. Swiss sanware geniuses, Laufen, have superb big ideas for smaller spaces, in the shape of their Laufen Pro range. Check out the Laufen Pro white wall-hung rimless toilet and Laufen Pro New White Dual Flush Close Couple Cistern. As far as basins go, the Laufen Pro Bowl White countertop basin is a stylish classic, perfect on top of your storage cabinet; or consider the Laufen Pro S wall-hung basin, which works wonders in a small space with a floating storage unit.

The built-in bath.

Unthink everything you had in your head about built-in baths being boring because our Italtile beauties will look utterly adorable with either a two-wall or three wall surround, and some floating shelves above and around to house towels, plants, candles and room diffusers. The Aquarius range of single-body, high-gloss acrylic baths are lightweight and long-lasting; we love the Aquarius Sardinia corner bath and the Aquarius Athena.

 The petite freestanding bath.

OK, so you absolutely, definitely, positively have to have a freestanding bath? We’ve got just the tub for you: the dinky Dado Rosella. This little bit of luxury is a unique find (only 1530mm long) with elegantly tapered sides.

The floating vanity.

Declutter your limited space with smart storage: a floating all-in-one vanity is ideal to pack away your bathroom bits without closing up space. May we suggest you view our beautiful Mondiale Matt White Wall Hung Vanity And Basin or Granada Cambria White Wall Hung Vanity, Basin and Mirror; both spectacular solutions for small bathroom spaces.

Mirror, mirror on the wall.

If you know your children’s books, you’ll remember that Alice Through the Looking Glass was the first gal to discover the power of a good mirror; well, we haven’t looked back since. A big signature mirror can literally double your bathroom space, and this is an investment, not a splurge. Make a statement with the Affirmations Oblivion Mirror (700mm diameter), specially designed for Italtile. It offers a flawless reflection and the ultimate illumination with a built-in touch sensor switch for a cool white LED glow.

 The clear glass shower.

Shower curtains are so last century. They’re not just outdated, they also somehow make the place look untidy and cluttered. Rather install a clear glass shower stall with thin frames; this really opens up space and looks totally glam, too. Frosted glass? Hmmm, well, it does add some privacy, but yes, you guessed it, this closes up space again. Our simply beautiful glass shower enclosures really let the light flow through, and that’s your aim, right?

 Large-format tiles.

Strange, you say… big tiles in a small space? Not so. The wonderful thing about large format tiles (which FYI are currently the hottest trend in the tile world), is that you get fewer grout lines, and fewer grout lines mean a more seamless look. Smaller tiles like subways mean more grout lines; these can really break up space, and close the walls in on you. (Tip: If you’re sold on subways, only tile your walls halfway, then choose the same tone of paint to complete the look to the ceiling.) Our deluxe range of XXL supermodels come in all finishes: wood-look, stone-feel, marvellous marble-look, and minimalist cement-look. View the ranges here.

 Lighten up.

Stay away from deep, dramatic tones or high contrast tones and rather favour pales and whites. White reflects light. Dark colours absorb light. Fear not, there’s nothing bleak about a light, white bathroom. Add textures for interest and even more light play. Breath-taking Marvel Pro Calacatta, for example, gives you a super-real reflective surface with delicate veins of colour. For total texture, think 3D walls, and consider our glamorous, seamless Space Neve Satin. This is next level white.

 Little things that do a lot.

A luxury set of matching accessories really pulls a bathroom together and also helps you avoid the cluttered, untidy feel of a cluster of shop-bought soap dispensers etc in their branded packaging. Have a look at The Carrol Boyes ranges: little works of art that do the most. Italtile stocks South Africa’s very own Dominus accessories which all come with a lifetime guarantee.

Finally, don’t just come to Italtile for our superb style; we’re pretty design savvy too.

Our sales advisers hold design certificates from the renowned Chapters Design Academy, which means they can really add value to your small bathroom reno.

And if you’re a net-setter (that’s like being a jet-setter, only on the internet), take advantage of our online Visualiser tool. You’ll be able to configure your bathroom size and shape in 3D, select products from our online shop, save your project, create more, and even take your selections straight to your shopping cart. How beautiful is that?

Rock your small bathroom look with Italtile, and #livebeautifully

Ciao!