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Choosing thoughtful, stylish, and durable flooring is essential to setting a strong foundation in any room. But this is especially true in small bathrooms, which tend to provide some tricky conundrums. Big-ticket items (showers, tubs, sinks, and toilets!) and storage needs tend to get most of the attention, but choosing the right materials for your surfaces deserves some thought too, as this can end up making a big difference. So consider this a friendly reminder not to underestimate flooring! Whether you're looking for creative design solutions to make do with a less than ideal bathroom floor situation, or you're about to embark on a renovation, you're in the right place. With 14 small bathroom flooring ideas from designers ahead, you'll get to know the best materials for a bathroom environment, while also seeing inspiring decorating ideas and tips.
Lucy Harris extended a tile wall all the way across the bathroom to for a consistent feel, an essential in a small bathroom. For a similar level of consistency, while still incorporating contrast, she used the same marble slab on the bathroom floors. All-glass shower doors keep it feeling open and breezy.
This marble and glass shower is a welcome modern surprise in the rustic 1770s Charleston residence designed by Cameron Schwabenton. The overall eclectic approach honors the integrity of the home's history with rustic wood foundations. But by incorporating more modern materials, like the marble and glass used in the shower, it also feels contemporary and polished.
A simple design trick? Paint your surfaces white for a bright, crisp upgrade. Designer Andrew Flesher gave this small farmhouse bathroom a fresh coat of white paint, including on the old wood floors. He also made the most of the limited space by skipping bulky cabinets and installing a floating basin sink.
A great way to save without totally compromising your vision is to use natural stone tiles instead of larger seamless slabs. Given their natural resistance to water, natural stone tiles like marble or granite are an excellent flooring choice for a saturation-prone space like a bathroom. This bathroom designed by Heidi Caillier features black and white stone tiles on the floors and alternating gray marble subway tiles on the shower e.
Designer Andy Beers of Ore Studios created a bold irregular pattern with graphic floor tiles that are further emboldened by a modern pendant in this small bathroom.
On the durability scale, concrete flooring ranks highly especially when it comes to water resistance. The edgy look of poured concrete is also perfect for any risk-takers or city dwellers with modern style out there. Instead of having to choose between a shower and a tub (or cramping in both) Leanne Ford used concrete flooring in this entire bathroom and installed a central drain so that the space can function as a wet room.
The small dusty pink and mauve zellige tiles and cheerful tangerine powder-coated cabinets bring so much life to this bathroom designed by ETC.etera. They offer a more eclectic and unique look because of their unique firing process than other clay tiles.
For a bathroom just off the main bedroom in Alison Victoria's Atlanta loft, the HGTV star designer made it feel more spacious and open by not installing doors and by using the same flooring in every connecting room. When Victoria moved into the loft, the existing concrete floors had a red-orange stain, so she laid vinyl plank flooring that resembles wood throughout the space. It's a great budget-friendly alternative to wood, and it's super durable (i.e., perfect for bathrooms!).
Mise en Scene Design opted for contrasting copper features for a moody yet rustic feel in this powder room. A vibrant blue area rug emboldens the entire room. If you're not quite ready to rip up your floors or you want to experiment with some color schemes, throw an area rug in a bold color over the floor, as seen here.
In this modestly sized powder room designed by Corinne Mathern Studios, the tiny shelf transforms an awkward corner into something chic and pracical It's just large enough to fit a select few cosmetics or a vase with flowers. Modern lighting and accessories fix it the contemporary moment while the original terra cotta flooring honors the Spanish Revival architectural bones.
Ceramic tiles are an easy favorite in bathrooms, especially on the floors. They're very water-resistant, easy to clean, and they’re incredibly versatile, coming in essentially every shape or color. Here, in this small bathroom by Atelier ND, a wavy contrasting floor tile is carried up the side of a built-in tub, unifying several surfaces in this bathroom.
The thin carpeting connects this small bathroom and dressing room by McLaren.Excell to the primary bedroom beyond and also provides a soft landing for cold feet. The swanky custom gold details, industrial matte and concrete materials, and warm wood paneling blends monastic calm with bold design. Carpet doesn't seem like the best fit for splash zones, but with the right shower design, it can actually work quite well.
Cork is an eco-friendly material and it's also gaining more traction in the design world. In this tiny New York City powder room designed by Shawn Henderson, it proves an unexpectedly stylish surface material. If you do decide to use it on your floors, make sure you finish it with a water-resistant coating to ensure a long lifespan.
In this bathroom by Heidi Caillier, a unique pattern is created in the shower with a mix of mosaic tiles and subway tiles. The rest of the floors are wood.