SFGate

Jayme Hobbs Thinking the wallpaper needs to go...Very busy for small space...were u planning on taking it off?

Kimberly Phelps Yep. We are thinking its a tad busy. The house is absolutely amazing, but the bathroom is a bit busy.

Jayme Hobbs A color scheme like one of these...and maybe a unit open underneath to help make room look larger?

Bob Ybarra Building Designer Remove wall paper using a rented steamer. Comes off easy. Remove the shutters and vinyl flooring. Then paint. Dark color can make cozy and rich with the right lighting while light color will make brighter. If light still keep a shade darker than ceiling. 16" square tile flooring that has a light stone look. Replace sink with a pedestal sink. Is there a light or fan in the shower? If not I would add a both. If shower tile is white it can stay and will compliment the white pedestal sink. Add some nice towel holders above the toilet that match new TP holder and other towel rods. Other changes can be to the door and hardware. Make it a room of its own. The attached photos are of a 3/4 bath. Shower is to the right out of view. Wall painted with a base and rag rolled glaze giving it a leather look. Enjoy!

Deborah Vanderzel Designs I like Jayme's suggestions, looks current, bright, functional and clean

pud07 Maybe have some sort of matching ledge over the toilet to create more space for functionality .

Darzy Yes, remove the wallpaper and shutters. If you want to maximum the spacious look, a floating vanity and wall hung toilet frees up "floor" space and makes it look bigger.

Jayme Hobbs I can see you like modern. Not much is modern in the room right now. Personally, to avoid making it seem smaller, I would use light wall colors.

Apartment 46 for the Home Wall paper removal is a non-negotiable if you're asking us designers to weigh in. :) That will improve the space immensely. Painting in a modern/clean color scheme like Jayme suggested is key. Removal of shutters is a definite, but I say to paint the inside of those cabinets with a darker color. If you are doing a white on the walls then do dove gray inside with white shelves. Then get a bunch of great canisters like glass apothecary jars and fill with your essentials like cotton balls, etc. that you can actually display. You can put your perfumes there and a couple small baskets to hide tweezers, etc. The baskets will look pretty and you won't see your stuff. Plate glass mirror is gone! The best suggestion is the framed mirror look above a new vanity/sink/hardware. It's totally inexpensive and you can find amazing ones at Home Goods (I don't believe in recommending super expensive mirrors when there are great ones out there). Believe it or not, Home Depot has great sink fixtures. I would actually not have a squared vanity in that space. I'd angle the edges. If that's not practical, then new sink, new hardware everywhere (as was already mentioned!) and keep it simple and minimalist on the decor. Hooks mounted to the back of the door work wonders. I have three on the back of my micro-bathroom!

Alcove Decor and Furniture Try this idea.

Bob Ybarra Building Designer Kimberly
Another approach is to revitalize a 50's look. Use light or soft color pallet. Replace vinyl with small tile with neutral color and maybe some accent tiles. Wainscoat the walls with a white tile. Repaint walls with a color. Replace mirror & lighting, towel racks and alike to compliment. Also replace shower door. I personally would stay away from a wood waisncoat in a small bath because of moisture.

3DCGI I think that to make the bathroom look larger you need to remove the old decoration and install some clean modern materials - Travertine or marble and a solid timber top and lots of mirror will open up this space.

Our design process is pretty simple - we visualize in 3D rather than describe, and think that it it could look a little something like this..

3DCGI And the before shot....