Shortly after we moved in we rehung the shower curtain at ceiling height, but beyond that this bathroom has remained untouched. In fact, all three bathrooms in the house are basically blank slates when it comes to updates. We decided to begin with the one we use most — and the quirkiest of the bunch. It doesn’t have a sink (that’s located in our bedroom), so it’s very small: roughly 5′ x 6′ including a standard tub. The door almost hits the toilet and John can stand in the center and touch all four walls. It’s tiny.
Right now the whole room reads like a beige box. Beige tile with gray veining covers the floor, the tub surround and even the walls around the toilet and door. There’s an accent row of tiles with a tree motif, beige paint on the walls, off-white trim and a beige, futuristic-looking toilet. The overall effect is very monochrome and dated.
A glass shelf and a towel bar sit right next to the toilet, but we’ve never used them for anything practical. Hanging a towel that brushes against you on the way to the toilet feels odd, so we use hooks on the back of the door instead. The glass shelf has become a place to set decorative wooden blocks while we figure out wall art, but both the shelf and towel bar feel intrusive in such a small room.
We jokingly call this space “The Travertine Palace” even though the tile isn’t real travertine and the room is anything but palatial. Some visitors have told us the bathroom looks fine as-is, which always makes us laugh because it feels the least like us of any room in the house. We prefer crisp white trim, a white toilet, a non-beige wall color and variety between floor and wall tiles. Mostly, we want contrast: the room feels like one monotonous box. When we added a bright white shower curtain it suggested the space could feel fresher with a few well-chosen changes.
- Paint the cream trim bright white
- Introduce wall color for contrast
- Sell the beige toilet and replace it with a classic white model
- Replace the dated ceiling light
- Hang bathroom-safe artwork
- Add a privacy treatment for the window that still allows light
- Consider replacing the decorative border tile in a second phase
- Eventually replace the floor tile to break up the uniformity
Those are the main goals. I even put together a mood board to help visualize the changes. The plan will likely evolve as we go, but here are the ideas guiding the refresh so far:
1. Color palette: Since the tile is beige with gray veining, we want richer gray tones to add contrast and prevent the space from feeling flat. We also plan to introduce some blue accents to pick up color from the adjacent bedroom and create harmony between rooms.
2. Lighting: We’ve had our eye on an updated fixture for a while. Replacing the current ceiling light with a more interesting pendant or fixture will immediately modernize the room. We’re mindful of placement — centered in front of the window might look best — so we’ll experiment until it feels right.
3. Flooring ideas: We’re drawn to small-format hex tiles for the floor in the future. Hex tile has a classic, slightly vintage feel that complements small bathrooms well, but replacing the floor is a later-phase decision. For now we’ll work with the existing tile and focus on contrast through paint and fixtures.
4. Art and accessories: I painted a piece a while back that I think could work well in this compact room. Oversized art paired with a high-hung shower curtain can make a small bathroom feel dramatic in a good way. We’ll see how the piece looks once other changes are in place.
5. Accent tile: We love the muted, moody look of frosted glass subway tile and would like to use a light gray glass tile as an accent band around the room, replacing the tree-pattern border if feasible. That might be a phase-two project depending on how easy it is to remove the existing border tiles without damaging surrounding tile.
6. A white toilet: We plan to replace the current beige toilet with a straightforward white model. We’ll list the old one and swap in a reliable, classic toilet that visually recedes and reads cleaner against white trim and accessories.
7. Shower curtain: We’ll keep our extra-long white waffle shower curtain. The texture adds a crisp, soft layer that soothes the tile-heavy space and lets the room feel brighter without being clinical.
8. Existing tile: The unmistakable backdrop of beige tile with gray veins will remain for now, so everything else needs to create complementary contrast.
9. Window privacy: We’re considering frosted window film as a way to add privacy while still preserving natural light. Static-cling frosting is an easy, reversible solution that works well in small bathrooms.
Enough planning — we moved into action. We removed the oddly placed glass shelf and towel bar, spackled and sanded the holes, and applied the first of two coats of paint in a rich putty-gray color. In bathrooms, semi-gloss paint can look uneven after the first coat, so we’re anticipating the second coat to smooth everything out and lock in the look.
That preview photo doesn’t do the color justice — it’s spotty and half-painted — but the tone complements the tile’s gray veining, will make white elements like the shower curtain and trim pop, and creates the contrast we’ve been craving. We’re also painting the ceiling, which helps small rooms feel less chopped-up and visually busy.
We’ll share finished photos once coat number two is dry and we’ve rehung the curtain. In the meantime, have you tackled any bathroom updates recently? Do you have living spaces that feel nearly finished but bathrooms that remain untouched? Small bathrooms can be intimidating, but a few targeted changes — paint, new lighting, white trim and a couple of thoughtful accents — can make a big difference.