Small ensuite bathroom Design Ideas

Caveat for small bathroom floor plans

In the bathroom layouts page one of the principles of good bathroom design is that there’s enough room for a person to take clothes on and off and dry themselves. This is sometimes sacrificed in small bathroom floor plans. But if it's an en-suite or an apartment where people know each other well enough to scamper across the corridor wrapped in a towel then this isn't so much of a problem - but an opportunity to save space!

The storage can be improved by using a built in cistern arrangement. This creates a shelf which runs behind the basin and toilet. The dotted line illustrates a storage cupboard on the wall.

A bathroom design mistake to avoid

The only difference in this bathroom is the position of the toilet. See how it's right in front of the door - well just imagine the view when the door's left open. I just think a view of the vanity is preferable.

Another mistake with this layout is that the door swing isn't ideal. It would be better with the door swinging so that it opens against the wall rather than into the bathroom.

If having the toilet in a separate room so that multiple people can use the facilities at the same time then this design fits into the 5ft x 8ft space. Be aware though that this is right on the limit of being functional. These spaces will work but they will feel small.

If we extend the dimensions slightly to 5ft x 9ft then there's room to alter the layout slightly to provide slightly more room in the shower part of the bathroom.

Small Bathroom with Shower

This is another standard layout - a square 6ft x 6ft bathroom that accommodates a washbasin, toilet and a standard shower.

Another possibility is to change the dimensions slightly to say 6ft 6in x 5 ft 5in and use corner fixtures.

Small bathroom with Shower and Bath

Some people don't want to 'have a bath on the floor of the shower' but don't want to let go of the bath. Here's a bathroom layout for fitting both into 5ft x 9ft. It's tight and there's only just enough room for dressing and undressing. This design will accommodate a swing door but a pocket door would also work well.

This 12ft x 6ft bathroom floor plan has the bath and shower in their own separate wet zone room. It's an efficient use of space because the clearance area for the bath is used as the shower. It's a layout often found in Japanese bathrooms.

Here's another version of this layout.

One of the main challenges with small bathroom floor plans is to make the space as functional as possible. In this 10ft x 12ft layout the bath (or it could be a shower) and toilet are in their own private room. This allows someone to wash or bath and use the toilet in private while at the same time someone can use the washbasin.

Here's a 11.5 x 6ft bathroom layout where the washbasin is on the wall of the shower.

Long thin small bathroom

If your space is long and thin rather than rectangular here's a small bathroom layout to consider. It fits especially well at the end of a rectangular bedroom (say 3ft x 9ft). The washbasin shown here is small. A standard sized one tends to stick out too much.

The door here is shown swinging out of the room just to make getting in and out easier. A pocket door would also work well with this layout.

Here's one with the door at the thin end at 4ft x 8ft (122 x 244cm). A door opening outwards helps things along, as do shallow sinks. Another tip is to nestle the sink and toilet cistern into niches in the wall which means them stick out less into the room. The minimum width you can get away with is about 4ft (122cm).

Toilet in a separate room

Here’s an arrangement with the toilet in a separate room (a water closet I guess). If you want, or if building codes dictate, there would be room for a small washbasin on the wall of the WC. The shower room section has a good size shower and room for a seat – a little luxury to my mind which fits comfortably in the small space.