Squeezing Warm Contemporary Comfort Into a 45-Square-Foot Bath
Photos by Becca Wallace Photography
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Size: About 45 square feet (4 square meters); 7 feet 10 inches by 5 feet 9 inches
Designer: Susan Ozipko of sO Interiors
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Size: About 45 square feet (4 square meters); 7 feet 10 inches by 5 feet 9 inches
Designer: Susan Ozipko of sO Interiors
Before Photo
Before: With their nest empty, the owners of this midcentury modern home were ready to update their bathrooms. This hallway bath serves as their main bathroom. (The one off the master bedroom has only a sink and toilet.)
Problems: The space hasn’t been renovated since the 1980s. “It was not user-friendly,” says interior designer Susan Ozipko. The tub-shower combo made it tough for them to get in and out due to its bifold doors, there was no functional storage and the design felt cluttered.
Problems: The space hasn’t been renovated since the 1980s. “It was not user-friendly,” says interior designer Susan Ozipko. The tub-shower combo made it tough for them to get in and out due to its bifold doors, there was no functional storage and the design felt cluttered.
Before Photo
Before: Here’s a look at the previous vanity. Note how much valuable real estate even a small wastebasket can take up in a compact room.
After: The new interior is streamlined, warm and contemporary. The designer was already familiar with these clients and their home as she had worked on their kitchen renovation a few years before. “We had used flat-panel maple cabinetry in the kitchen, so I wanted to use it in here for continuity through the house,” she says. Because one of the homeowners was a geologist, she used three different natural stones — one for each of the three bathrooms in the home. This one scored statuario marble. (The second bath has limestone, and the third has travertine.)
Commode: This bathroom backs up to the en suite bath, so Ozipko created a pony wall behind the toilet to create a space for the tank to hide while preserving the existing plumbing. “This created a nice ledge above it,” she says. It also created a streamlined space for a cabinet overhead.
Toilet: Starck 3, Duravit; see wall-mounted toilets
Commode: This bathroom backs up to the en suite bath, so Ozipko created a pony wall behind the toilet to create a space for the tank to hide while preserving the existing plumbing. “This created a nice ledge above it,” she says. It also created a streamlined space for a cabinet overhead.
Toilet: Starck 3, Duravit; see wall-mounted toilets
Floor plan: Here you can see how she fit everything together. “The more constrained I am, the more creative I tend to get,” Ozipko says. Putting this room together was like working a jigsaw puzzle.
Wall tile: The wall tile is a stone mini brick mosaic that plays off the colors of the statuario marble in the shower and brings in a striking tumbled texture — especially fitting for a geologist’s home.
Floor tile: The floor is a high-gloss 12-by-24-inch porcelain tile. “This provides a contrast to the wall tile texture. Its reflective qualities add sparkle, and it looks rich,” the designer says.
Door: A new raised-panel door suits the look of the new room.
Wall tile: Ciot; see more bath tile
Floor tile: The floor is a high-gloss 12-by-24-inch porcelain tile. “This provides a contrast to the wall tile texture. Its reflective qualities add sparkle, and it looks rich,” the designer says.
Door: A new raised-panel door suits the look of the new room.
Wall tile: Ciot; see more bath tile
Vanity and cabinetry: Ozipko custom-designed this maple vanity and cabinet and had them fabricated by Karhu Fine Cabinetry & Millwork. To contain clutter, she made sure a wastebasket had a designated spot inside the vanity and provided a drawer for extra towels underneath. The upper cabinet has plenty of room for toiletries.
The countertop is quartz, a detail she repeated on the shower bench. The faucet is chrome. “I like to use timeless finishes like chrome so a design will last for many years to come,” she says. “The chrome accents also add some polish and sparkle.”
To create a more spacious feel in a small bathroom, she recommends floating the toilet and vanity whenever a budget will allow. “Floating the toilet and the vanity makes the room feel bigger by providing more visual space underneath,” she says.
Mirror: Ozipko continued the theme with the mirror, which appears to hover over the sink. “Floating a mirror allows you to tile the wall behind it and leaves room for lighting behind it,” she says.
Lighting: The room is lit by three layers of lighting. An opening from the ceiling to the roof is a solar tube, the only source of natural light. “This was the homeowner’s great idea. They had installed it before the renovation,” she says. Then there are recessed ceiling lights, including two in the shower. Finally, two sconces hang in front of the mirror. The simple glass cylinders maintain the room’s clean look. She put them on a dimmer so her clients can flip on some soft light when they enter during the night.
Faucet: Delta; counter: Caesarstone; pendants: Tech Lighting; wall tile: Ciot
How to Choose Your Bathroom Vanity Lighting
The countertop is quartz, a detail she repeated on the shower bench. The faucet is chrome. “I like to use timeless finishes like chrome so a design will last for many years to come,” she says. “The chrome accents also add some polish and sparkle.”
To create a more spacious feel in a small bathroom, she recommends floating the toilet and vanity whenever a budget will allow. “Floating the toilet and the vanity makes the room feel bigger by providing more visual space underneath,” she says.
Mirror: Ozipko continued the theme with the mirror, which appears to hover over the sink. “Floating a mirror allows you to tile the wall behind it and leaves room for lighting behind it,” she says.
Lighting: The room is lit by three layers of lighting. An opening from the ceiling to the roof is a solar tube, the only source of natural light. “This was the homeowner’s great idea. They had installed it before the renovation,” she says. Then there are recessed ceiling lights, including two in the shower. Finally, two sconces hang in front of the mirror. The simple glass cylinders maintain the room’s clean look. She put them on a dimmer so her clients can flip on some soft light when they enter during the night.
Faucet: Delta; counter: Caesarstone; pendants: Tech Lighting; wall tile: Ciot
How to Choose Your Bathroom Vanity Lighting
Shower: “My clients didn’t use the tub. By taking it out, I was able to give them a nice shower with a bench in it,” Ozipko says. They opted to put a tub in their basement bathroom for visiting grandchildren or the occasional soak themselves. The shower walls are the statuario marble cut into 6-by-12-inch tiles, while the floor is 2-by-2-inch tile. This small size keeps the smooth stone from being a slipping hazard.
Takeaways
Takeaways
- Floating a vanity and toilet expands the visual space and can make a bathroom feel bigger.
- Consider designating a spot in the vanity cabinet for a wastebasket.
- Put at least one of your light fixtures on a dimmer so you can have nice, soft light for nighttime trips.
- If you don’t use a bathtub and you aren’t worried about resale, chuck it for a more luxurious and functional shower stall.
- Carefully edit your material and color palettes in a small space.