The (Still) Teeny-Tiny Bathroom

Last fall, 4/1 was hired to help re-imagine the smallest master bathroom in the world.  Part of a 1960s addition onto a minimal traditional, post-WWII house in  Northgate Park, this bathroom is so small there is no room to swing a cat.  Or take a picture, as I discovered.  At 5’6″ by 6’6″, this is only a touch larger than your average powder room.

We set to work, and quickly decided that the enclosed shower just had to go.  Turning the whole space into a wet room allowed it to be as open as 35 square feet can possibly be.

It made sense anyway, as the homeowner came to the first meeting with a single item in mind: a lovely, modern rain-style shower head.  With a focal point like that, we didn’t want anything to get in its way – so a simple vanity, neutral tile, and modern fixtures followed.  The other piece of bling, an electric towel warmer, solved the ‘where to put the towel rod’ question with a some extra style.

The room is still tiny, but without a shower enclosure, the whole thing feels open and much larger.  We switched the door from a miniature 24″ slab to a 30″ pocket door too, so it no longer feels like squeezing into a shoebox.

Every project ends up with some scope creep, and in this case we started in on the master bedroom.  A built-in stole some space from the next bedroom’s closet, but added a spot for a television and linens.  New closet doors, lighting, paint, and flooring brought the room out of the 1960s and kept the bathroom from feeling lonely.  The homeowner loves her space, and is already planning how we’re going to gradually re-do the whole house, one room at a time.