Small bathroom: 7 ideas that really create space

Four or five square metres, a bath fitted sideways under the window and hardly any space for a shelf: many bathrooms are small, and nothing can be moved on the walls. Yet a small bathroom can feel spacious and work better in everyday life. These seven ideas help, from a quick tidy-up to a remodel without demolition.

As of: September 2026

1. Leave less standing around

The most affordable trick first: everything left on the edge of the bath, washbasin or windowsill makes the room feel smaller. Only keep in the bathroom what you use daily, and give everything else a permanent place behind a door. A mirrored cabinet instead of a simple mirror stores a surprising amount without taking up any floor space.

2. Light, calm walls

Light-coloured walls reflect more light and make the room appear larger. Even more important is a sense of calm: small-scale, dark or patterned tiles with many joints visually break up the wall into a grid. If you do not wish to remove the old tiles, you can have them coated in a light shade or cover them with a seamless wall coating A smooth surface without visible joints offers the greatest visual benefit in a small bathroom. Colour is still welcome, ideally on a single wall or through towels and accessories.

3. Wall-mounted furniture, clear floor

The more floor space is visible, the larger the room appears. A wall-mounted vanity unit, a wall-hung toilet, and tall, narrow cabinets instead of wide chests of drawers create vertical storage and make it easy to clean underneath. Niches above the toilet or next to the door are ideal for open shelving. The floor itself can also help: A continuous Vinyl flooring surface without grout lines creates a calmer look than small floor tiles and is laid directly over the old tiles.

4. Clear surfaces instead of shelves

Clear, smooth surfaces make a small bathroom look tidy. Towels belong on hooks or a heated rail, toiletries in the cupboard, shower gel in a wall niche or a simple basket in the shower. For the shower, frameless clear glass is worthwhile: your gaze passes through, so the room does not end at the shower wall.

5. Lighting from multiple sources

A single ceiling light casts shadows into the corners, and dark corners make the room feel smaller. Multiple light sources are better: even general lighting on the ceiling and glare-free light to the left and right of the mirror, or an illuminated mirror. Neutral white light at around 4,000 Kelvin feels fresh and displays colours accurately. In the bathroom, make sure to use lights with the appropriate protection rating—at least IP44 near the shower and bath. Find out more in our guide. Bathroom lighting.

6. A large mirror

A large mirror visually doubles the space and distributes the light. It can easily span the entire width of the washbasin or reach up to the ceiling. If it hangs opposite the window, it also brings more daylight into the room. In a very small bathroom, a mirrored cabinet is the better choice, as it combines a mirror with storage space.

7. Renovating a small bathroom: shower instead of bath, without demolition

You can gain the most space by replacing the largest item in the room. A bathtub takes up around 1.2 square metres and in many households is now only used for showering. At Tub out, shower in we replace it in 2 to 3 days with a low-profile shower, while the old tiles in the rest of the bathroom remain. If you want to keep the bathtub but make access easier, a bathtub doorcan be installed in just one day.

If the bathtub, walls, and floor have seen better days, it is worth taking a look at the eco-bathroomTile coating, bathtub coating, vinyl flooring over existing tiles, starting from around €8,000 and without demolition. The costs for each step are detailed in the guide. Bathroom renovation costs.

Is everything possible? Well, almost!

The wide range of bazuba methods and the many different ways to combine them turn an idea into your feel-good bathroom.