Small bathroom design ideas that actually work

By the Baroco team, Mount Waverley · Updated October 2026

01Get the layout right first

In a small bathroom the floor plan decides everything. Before choosing tiles or tapware, measure the room and think about how you move between the toilet, basin and shower. For a bathroom under about 4 square metres, a walk-in shower usually works better than a full bath because it frees up floor space and keeps the room from feeling crowded. If you want a bath, a compact back-to-wall or corner tub can fit, but check the door swing and the space needed to get in and out.

Keep the toilet out of the sightline from the doorway if possible. A wall-hung toilet or a close-coupled pan can save 100–150 mm of depth compared with a standard suite, which matters in a narrow room. Allow at least 900 mm clear space in front of the toilet and 900 x 900 mm inside the shower. These clearances are not just comfort; they match the access expectations in the Building Code.

Consider the door. A sliding or cavity door frees up the wall behind a swinging door, which is often wasted space. If you are moving plumbing, that work must be done by a licensed plumber, and any wall changes that affect structure need a builder or engineer to check.

• Aim for a wet zone along one wall to keep pipe runs short.
• Use a pocket door if wall space is tight.
• Check clearances before buying any fixture.

02Use wall-hung fixtures to open up the floor

Wall-hung vanities and toilets lift the visual weight off the floor. That makes the room feel larger and makes cleaning easier because you can reach the floor underneath. A wall-hung vanity with a recessed basin works well in small rooms, but it must be fixed to structural framing or a timber nogging, not just plasterboard. The plumber and carpenter need to coordinate this early.

A wall-hung toilet needs an in-wall cistern, which is installed inside the wall cavity or a purpose-built service duct. This is not a DIY job: the plumbing must be done by a licensed plumber, and the wall needs to be framed to carry the weight. You also need an access panel for the cistern, usually hidden behind the flush plate. In older Melbourne homes with solid brick walls, a service duct is often the simpler option.

If a wall-hung toilet is not practical, a close-coupled toilet with a concealed trap still looks cleaner than a standard exposed trap. The same principle applies to the basin: a semi-recessed basin on a slim vanity top keeps the look light without a full wall-hung unit.

• Wall-hung vanity: fix to nogging, not just plasterboard.
• In-wall cistern: needs licensed plumber and access panel.
• Close-coupled toilet as a practical alternative.

03Build niches instead of adding shelves

Recessed niches keep shampoo and soap off the floor and out of the corner. A niche inside the shower should be framed before waterproofing, not cut in afterwards. The shelf inside should have a slight fall towards the shower so water drains off. Waterproofing around a niche must be done by a licensed waterproofer and comply with AS 3740, the Australian Standard for wet areas.

Think about the height and location. A niche at chest height in the shower works for most people, and a second narrow ledge near the basin can hold a toothbrush or soap without using bench space. If you are building a double brick wall you can only chase a shallow niche, but in a stud wall you can frame the full depth between studs, often around 90 mm.

For storage outside the shower, a recessed mirrored shaving cabinet over the basin gives you storage without a bulky cabinet sticking into the room. This also shortens the distance between the mirror and the face, which improves task lighting.

• Frame niches before waterproofing.
• Slope the niche shelf to drain.
• Use a recessed shaving cabinet over the basin.

04Plan lighting in layers

One ceiling light is not enough in a small bathroom. You need general light, task light at the mirror, and a little accent light so the edges of the room do not disappear. A ceiling-mounted exhaust fan with a built-in LED light does the general job, but it casts shadows on your face when you are at the mirror. Fit a separate light above or beside the mirror, ideally at eye level, so you can see clearly without harsh shadows.

Choose warm white (around 3000 K) for a softer feel or cool white (4000 K) for a cleaner, more clinical look. Dimmers are worth the small extra cost because a bright bathroom in the middle of the night can be unpleasant. Any electrical work, including installing lights, fans and dimmers, must be done by a licensed electrician to Australian Standards.

If the room has a shower over the bath or a small enclosed shower, the light fitting inside the shower zone must be rated for the zone it sits in. Your electrician will select the correct IP rating. Avoid placing a light directly behind your head in the shower, because it will glare off the glass and not light the space properly.

• Separate general and mirror lighting.
• Use an exhaust fan with a light only as the general layer.
• Dimmer on the main light is worthwhile.
• Shower light must have the correct IP rating; electrician to confirm.

05Choose clear glass to keep the room open

A framed shower screen with heavy metal sections cuts the room into pieces. A clear, semi-frameless or frameless glass panel lets the eye travel to the back wall, which makes the room feel larger. For a very small shower, a single fixed glass panel can work if it is wide enough to keep water in; your installer will check the splash zone and floor fall.

Use clear glass, not frosted or patterned, in a small room. Frosted glass reads as a solid block and closes the space in. If privacy is a concern, the shower is normally behind a door anyway. The glass should have a protective coating or be easy to wipe down, because hard water spots will be more visible on clear glass.

Walk-in showers with no door need a bit more floor area and careful floor falls so water does not spread across the room. The tile bed under the shower must be properly graded to the waste, and the waterproofing must extend up the walls and across the floor as required by AS 3740. A licensed waterproofer should do this work, not a general handyperson.

• Use clear, semi-frameless or frameless glass.
• Single fixed panel can work for narrow showers.
• Walk-in shower needs falls and waterproofing by a licensed pro.

06Tile size and layout can make or break the room

Small mosaic tiles on the floor and walls create dozens of grout lines that visually chop up the room. Large-format tiles, around 600 x 600 mm or larger, with a rectified edge allow very tight grout joints and make the walls look continuous. For a very small bathroom, use the same tile on the floor and walls, or at least the same colour family, so the boundaries blur.

Lay tiles horizontally or vertically? In a small room, a vertical stack bond can draw the eye up and make the ceiling feel higher, while a running bond with large tiles is more traditional. The key is to keep the grout colour close to the tile colour; contrast grout lines outline every tile and add noise. For the floor, choose a tile with a slip rating suitable for a bathroom, especially in the shower, and ask the supplier about R10 or R11 ratings for wet areas.

Do not forget the waterproofing under the tiles. In a wet area, the bathroom floor must be waterproofed before tiling starts, and the wall junctions and shower hob need proper membrane and bond breakers. This is not a cosmetic step; a failed membrane means removing tiles to fix leaks. Waterproofing in Melbourne must be done by a licensed waterproofer and comply with AS 3740.

When you are ready to compare products, the team at Baroco in Mount Waverley can show you large-format tiles, wall-hung fixtures and shower screens in one place. The showroom is at 21/105-111 Ricketts Road, Mount Waverley, and you can call ahead on 0426 520 859 to confirm a time.

• Use large-format, rectified tiles with minimal grout lines.
• Match grout colour to tile colour.
• Check floor slip rating for wet areas.
• Waterproofing to AS 3740 by licensed waterproofer.