Design ideas for small bathrooms

As part of the Geberit 6x6 bathroom design campaign, six European architects designed bathrooms measuring 6 m². Their ideas on design read like a how-to guide.

Less is more

One room for everyone

Functionally classic

Deliberately different

Less is more

One should feel a sense of calm and serenity in the 6 square meters bathroom (© Bjerg Arkitektur)

The public ultimately chose the design by Danish architecture firm Bjerg as the winner of the competition. Its balanced design and the amount of storage space were particularly impressive. The idea behind “Serenity” is quite simply an appealing experience for the senses within the bathroom. Continuous surfaces, lots of inconspicuous storage space, warm wood tones and earthy colours make for a good start and end to the day in a relaxing environment.

“The timeless design brings calm and balance into the daily bathroom ritual,” says Carsten Wraae Jensen, project manager and architect at Bjerg Arkitektur. “The challenge is to focus more on one thing. Less is more.” (Read the interview)

One room for everyone

Generational bathroom by nimtim Architects (UK) (© nimtim Architects)

Bathrooms are often used by several generations of a household, which is why the room should also cater to different needs. “For us, the bathroom of the future has to last a lifetime – or even several lifetimes,” says Nimi Attanayake from nimtim Architects (UK).

Her tip: when choosing arrangement systems, keep a certain flexibility with boxes or inserts in order to cater to future demands in the bathroom. At the same time, the materials and products should be durable and sustainable. This means the bathroom will still be up to scratch in the future.

The bathroom by French native Eva Ivos is cross-generational, durable and timeless (FR) (© Eva Ivos)

French native Eva Ivos also took different generations into account in her design: “I wanted the bathroom to be adaptable and durable in order to offer quality, a timeless design and, above all, a response to the evolution of users over time, regardless of their age and mobility.” These aspects can be realised with a clever choice of products, as her design shows.

Functionally classic

Architect Andrin Schweizer goes for minimalism and warmth (CH) (© Andrin Schweizer)

Another design approach is to divide the bathroom into functional zones. These can be demarcated with room separators or decorations. For architect Andrin Schweizer (CH) it is the “harmoniously coordinated materials and a clever room structure that create elegance and intimacy.”

Functional zones and a hygge atmosphere are important for Iveta Lajdová from the Czech Republic (CZ) (© Iveta Lajdová)

For the young mother Iveta Lajdová from the Czech Republic, excitement and contrasts are important. She deliberately incorporated breaks in style into her bathroom design, giving the room structure, excitement and at the same time a hygge atmosphere – in other words, a Nordic cosiness. She combines symmetrical washbasins with asymmetrical mirrors and organically round styles with industrial elements. Our tip: functional zones give a room structure.

Deliberately different

Tilla Goldberg from the German Ippolito Fleitz Group looks for a soft, fluid design with atmospheric light (DE) (© Ippolito Fleitz Group)

Every bathroom can be given an individual touch with plants and soft, flowing furnishings. As bathrooms are rooms for the senses, the aim is for users to feel comfortable and at ease. “We used very natural, haptic and sensual materials,” says Tilla Goldberg from the German Ippolito Fleitz Group. Her tip: plants of all shapes and sizes give the room something natural and inspiring. Plants “inhabit” the room, even when nobody is around.