Small Bathroom Remodel: Clever Small Bathroom Ideas on a Budget
In this post: Looking to update a small bathroom without spending a fortune? This bathroom remodel is filled with clever small bathroom ideas on a budget.⇒
Have you ever wrestled with whether to update a room or not?
I don’t mean fresh pillows on the sofa. That’s a no-brainer. I mean something a little more involved. Like a builder grade room that’s not awful, but it’s not on par with the rest of the house either.
There are lots of rooms in even ‘newish’ homes that might fit this description. A living room with a ho-hum fireplace or stained molding. An entry with bland ceramic tile. A kitchen with very mid-tier cabinets or a not-so-lovely backsplash.
Maybe the color is not terribly offensive and the item is in perfectly good condition. But the more you look at it, the more you know it’s just dragging everything around it down.
And yet it doesn’t warrant spending a lot of money on it as the update is strictly cosmetic.
My experience had been that 9 times out of 10, a reasonable upgrade is worthwhile. You will likely get your money back when you sell, as updated rooms are highly desirable, and you may as well enjoy the improvement while you’re living there.
That said, there are two caveats to this advice. First, the given is that it has to be something you can afford. There’s no reason to go deep into debt for something that’s in large part cosmetic.
Second, the more straightforward the update, the better. If you don’t need to change the footprint of the space and can simply upgrade the materials, you will save a lot of money.
Small Bathroom Remodel
Such was the case with one of our secondary baths, a tiny en suite that was innocuous enough. It’s not like it had mustard tile or leaky pipes. It was pretty neutral, in fact, and less than 10 years old. (See the before pic, above.)
BUT… it truly screamed builder grade.
For the first few years in our home, I just painted the walls a neutral color (they were previously blue), got white accessories and tried to ignore the room.
Yet I knew I would eventually address the space and the little bathroom’s time has finally come.
Decide What’s Most Important
I knew from the start it would be a low key project with lots of compromises made to keep the budget down. My first tip is to pick your battles. I would have loved to remove the tub and build up the shower floor and add a great iron and glass door. But for a small guest bath that’s not frequently used or seen, that wasn’t necessary.
What was most important to me was to replace the ceramic tile and the very ordinary vanity, so that’s where I focused my effort and money.
Select Things That Make a Difference
I’m a big marble fan, so I decided to get the real thing. In the original plan, which you can see HERE, I was going to use a classic white subway tile with beveled edge for the shower walls, but when I went to source the tile, I found that a basic Carrara marble wouldn’t be that much more expensive and would give the space some much needed character.
The beauty of a small space is that you can splurge a bit on materials without going over budget. I applied this logic to the mosaic marble flooring, as well. And by shopping at a large chain store instead of a boutique tile shop you can benefit by the lower prices that result from the single markup and larger quantities they can stock.
I opted to include a crown molding and take the tiling all the way to the ceiling for a clean finish that offers a high-end look.
One decision that yielded a significant savings was removing the shower door and replacing it with a beautiful linen shower curtain. I definitely saw this as a temporary solution, but now that the room is done, the drape of the soft linen is one of my favorite aspects of the room and one I doubt I’ll be changing soon. We used a tension rod to hang the curtain so there was no drilling required.
Spend on a Defining Statement Piece
In a room of this size, the vanity is everything. The tile provides the backdrop, but the vanity is the star, so it had to be right. This is where we put most of our budget and my tip here is to plan for it and then get the piece you really love.
It’s not a savings if you buy a piece and save a little bit of money and then spend on extras to cover for a mistake.
I learned this the hard way, but luck also played a role. I wanted this light wood cane front vanity from the start and the way the warm wood played off the cool marble was the heart of my design concept. But it was priced higher than what I wanted to spend.
So I found a less expensive vanity that didn’t completely capture the look, but I ordered it anyway to keep costs low. As soon as I ordered it I knew it wasn’t what I really wanted, and when the other vanity wound up being delayed, I immediately cancelled it and got the one I had my heart set on.
Sometimes you just know.
Accessorize Simply
With the tile and vanity out of the way, the only thing left was the accessories. I decided early on to go with antiqued brass. I love the mix of warm and cool and the golden tone would play well with the light wood.
I chose a gooseneck faucet with sleek lines and an understated pivoting mirror, topped by a three-light sconce for a chic look. I’m not usually a matchy-matchy girl, but in this tiny room, the metal pieces all complement each other.
From the same line I selected a toilet paper holder, towel ring and bar, and robe hook for the back of the door. Paired with each you’ll find plush white terrycloth, from the hand towels and bath towels to the robe and even the bath mat.
I kept the vanity top extremely pared back, with only fresh flowers in a diminutive vase and a lovely set of hand wash and moisturizing lotion. As this is a guest bath, I prefer bottled soap to the bar variety and the less cluttered, the better.
The final addition was a piece of art for the wall. I found a wonderful photo of French provencal soaps and tucked it into an aged wood frame. Like the rest of the items in the room it brings an air of authenticity for very little cost. The perfect finishing touch!
If you have a space that you’d like to dress up without investing a mega-construction budget, plan carefully, pick the pieces that merit the most from your budget and stick to classic and understated for the supporting players. Change only what needs to be changed and use simplicity to your advantage.
Then you can enjoy the upgrade while adding to the value of your home!
Resource Guide
To get the look, click on the items below for direct links to the products. Where actual items were no longer available, I’ve provided similar options. If an item is out of stock but may be restocked, I left it on the list.
(This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.)
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More Kitchen + Bath Ideas
what a great transformation. I have been looking at the same vanity and one from anthropology but have been afraid to spend the money on a guest bath that will see little use. if you don’t mind sharing, which other vanity did you look at that was more budget friendly, I have seen one at Home Depot but haven’t yet decided. love your blog and home!
Thank you! It was the St. James vanity from Restoration Hardware: https://rh.com/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod7870081 It’s actually not that much cheaper now, but it was on sale at the time (and I get the member discount), so it was about $800 less. I still love it, but it has a much heavier feel than the Saucelito one.
Hi thank you so much for this post! What color brass did you get for the sconce and towel/toilet paper holder? I can’t tell from the links and brass color is so tricky.
You’re most welcome. It’s the tumbled brass. It’s a lovely color – not bright but not too antiqued, either.
Fabulous, fantastic, glamorous is how I would describe this beautiful redesigned bathroom. I love everything you did here. I agree 100% that it’s best, if possible, to alway spurge on certain items when renovating. I know I’ve taken the cheaper route on certain changes I’ve made in our home, only to regret it. Soon going it the directions I should have gone in the first place. Lesson learned. Thanks for all the helpful tips.
So true, and thank you so much for the kind words!
Love the whole room! I can’t find any listings for the links to the products used. Where should I be looking? thanks.
Ugh, there seems to be a problem with the link widget. I’m working on it now. You can try refreshing the page – they are there and they come up on my end – but I think it’s a caching issue. My tech guy is on it now. So sorry for the inconvenience!
Thanks so much! They are visible to me now and I love checking out so many of your choices. The print caught my eye and your hardware as well. Did not see the filigree glass…is that available or something you had. It was a beautifully done remodel.
Thanks so much! Do you mean the little crystal vase that the flowers are in? That’s linked in the resource section. If not that, can you give more info on what you are looking for?
Just gorgeous! I’ve been looking for just the right artwork for my bathroom. The French Provencal Soap photo is beautiful. I visited the shop. Would you mind sharing what size you purchased so I have a reference to go by. Thank you Lori!
Thank you!! And yes, sure. Believe it or not I got the 8 x 10. I expected to need the 11 x 14, but since the frame has a mat, it turned out the smaller size was perfect.
Can you specify the paint color?
Yes, sure. It’s China White (Benjamin Moore).
It’s beautiful. I love everything you chose, except for one thing. Personally, I don’t like the feeling of a shower curtain touching me in the shower! I would put in a shower door, or a stationary partial piece of glass. My favorite element is the cabinet. I may have to splurge on the same one.
Is there are ceiling light in this bathroom (other than in the tub area)? If so, what did you use there for a fixture?
The two lights are the triple sconce over the sink and the overhead over the tub. Those are enough for the small size of the bath.
Thank you! Hope to do something similar in my small bathroom this year.
Good luck! Hope it works out great!!
Wow, what a difference! You did a wonderful job–love the marble and the vanity. Brilliant idea to replace the glass doors with a shower curtain. It definitely softens up a room with so much hard surfaces.
Would you share the cost for this remodel? And was it very messy/disruptive to change out the tile? How long did it take?
Thanks!
Thank you!! It wasn’t terribly disruptive as this is a guest bath in a room that’s not used every day and the workers were pretty neat. The messiest aspect is always the rip out, but we left the tub in place, so they only had to rip out the tiling and vanity. Well, actually, they removed the commode and put it back afterwards, but this was a pretty small job relatively speaking. The rip out took only a day or two.
I don’t have the cost at my fingertips right now, but the vanity was for sure the most expensive component and that’s linked in the post. I used marble tile because the space was small enough to keep the cost reasonable. I also saved money by not using a general contractor. I simply hired a tiler to do the tile, a plumber to install the vanity and a handyman to paint and hang the accessories.
You did a beautiful makeover for this room! Now that my boys are older I’d like to tackle a few updates in my home, and figured the guest bath might be a low-pressure, less overwhelming task.
Have you had any trouble with the marble countertop? I hear marble is known to be quite porous and that it stains easily. Have you had to do anything to keep it looking new? Any advice?
Thank you so much! I’ve had no problem at all with marble for the countertop. This room is a guest room, so doesn’t get a lot of use, but I’ve also had marble in the master bath for several years and have had no trouble at all. I don’t put makeup on in the bathroom – I use a vanity instead – but I do plenty of skin care at the sink and it’s never been an issue. At least not so far… 🙂
Thanks for keeping me in the loop on the latest ideas! I’m planning to update our master bathroom, and I’m really excited to incorporate these. We’ve got everything set up, right down to renting a dumpster for the renovation. We can’t wait to get started! The kids are eager to see the transformation, and I’ve already picked out some beautiful tiles and fixtures. It’s going to be such a fresh and relaxing space for our family.
“Great read! I really appreciate the fresh perspective you shared—it’s challenging the usual way of thinking in such an engaging way. Looking forward to more insightful content from you!
What size is the vanity mirror?
The mirror in my bathroom is the 27″ x 35″ mirror from Pottery Barn, linked here: https://rstyle.me/+sg_ZFT_tAy0psIisiXxwCw
The 27″ width includes the side hardware, so the mirror itself is a couple of inches narrower. I’d also say unless you have high ceilings, measure the height carefully. I personally like the long length that the 35″ height gives me, but the mirror does tuck behind the faucet and goes right up to the light fixture. If you have sconces on the side and not above, you’ll have more space. I’ve also linked the Wayfair mirror in the resource list, because it comes in a few sizes and is pretty much the same style. Hope that helps!
Absolutely stunning! We’re about to begin remodeling our small bathroom, and this is exactly the inspiration I needed. I’m not very experienced with decorating or remodeling, so I was hoping you could help me with a few details. Could you share the size of the shower tiles? Also, what color is the faucet? I noticed that tumbled brass doesn’t seem to be an option for the faucet anymore—did Pottery Barn discontinue it, or did you use a different finish? Thank you so much!
Thank you, Heather! My tiles are 6″x12″, but I actually think the size is not that important. I just like a simple wall of lovely marble tile. As for the faucet, here is the faucet from Pottery Barn. They do still have brass: https://rstyle.me/+JTwS7ZHRLqQHQtslwh99Fg
The color I got was called Tumbled Brass, but the second picture down at that link is the brass color I have. It does look darker than the first photo, but it’s definitely not a dark antique. You may want to look at our other bathroom at this link: https://designthusiasm.com/bathroom-remodel-without-removing-vanity/ where I used a lighter gold faucet but mixed it with the same Tumbled Brass accessories like towel bar, etc.
Thanks for the tips on the small bath remodel. Good advise of how to prioritize for what you want considering costs. Happy Easter!
Beautiful. Builder basic has real meaning. Where does the daylight enter this room ? It looks like daylight or is it just brighter with the upgrade?
Thank you! The light comes in from the bedroom, where there is a large window facing the bathroom door. No windows in the bathroom itself.
What a lovely room!
Thank you so much!
What a gorgeous refresh! I love how you stretched the budget by splurging on the marble and statement vanity while keeping everything else clean and simple. The linen shower curtain and brass accents add so much warmth, and taking the tile to the ceiling was a brilliant touch. Inspiring proof that small baths can feel luxe without a full gut job!