Guide · ZAIA Design

Small bathroom design: how to gain space in 3–5 sqm

Bathrooms in Bucharest apartment blocks are often just 3 to 5 sqm, with a single door and no window. You can't make the room bigger, but you can decide what takes up the floor and what you see when you walk in. That is the difference between a cramped bathroom and one that feels twice its size.

Walk-in shower or bathtub?

In a small bathroom, a walk-in shower with a fixed glass panel and a linear floor drain keeps the floor continuous and makes the room feel larger. A bathtub is still the right call if you have young children or genuinely use it. A popular compromise: a bathtub with a fixed glass screen instead of a curtain, and a wall-mounted shower mixer.

Wall-hung fixtures

A wall-hung toilet (with a concealed cistern) and a wall-hung vanity leave the floor clear underneath. The bathroom looks bigger, is easier to clean, and the wall that houses the concealed cistern can double as a full-width shelf.

Tiles and colours

Large-format tiles (60×120 cm or larger) mean fewer grout lines and a surface that reads as continuous.
Using the same tile on the floor and walls “erases” the corners and visually enlarges the bathroom.
A single feature wall — usually the shower wall or the one behind the basin — is enough.
In a windowless bathroom, warm matte tones look better under artificial light than glossy white.

Storage that stays off the floor

Recessed niches in the shower wall for shampoo and shower gel, instead of hanging caddies.
A mirrored cabinet above the basin.
A slim cabinet above the toilet, or a tall 30 cm column unit next to the door.

Where to put the washing machine

If the bathroom is very small, the washing machine can move out altogether: into a storage closet, the hallway or the kitchen. If it stays in the bathroom, it can sit under a continuous countertop shared with the basin, or in a column unit with the dryer stacked on top. Either way, its position (water supply, drain, socket) has to be planned in the plumbing layout before any tiling.

Lighting and ventilation

A windowless bathroom needs good general lighting (waterproof spotlights), front-facing light at the mirror so there are no shadows on your face and, optionally, a warm LED strip for the evening. A quiet extractor fan with a timer, wired to the light switch, prevents mould and a steamed-up mirror.

What to decide before work starts

The positions of the fixtures, niches, sockets and shower drain can't be changed once the tiles are on. That is why the fixture layout plan is part of the technical documentation in our Complete and Premium packages. If you're renovating the whole apartment, see also our guide to the 2-room apartment.

Frequently asked questions

Bathtub or shower in a 4 sqm bathroom?

Usually a walk-in shower with a fixed glass panel: it keeps the floor continuous and makes the bathroom feel bigger. A bathtub is worth keeping if you use it often or have young children at home.

Which tiles make a small bathroom look bigger?

Large-format tiles in light, matte tones, used on both the floor and the walls, with as few grout lines as possible and grout in the same colour as the tile.