12 Small Bathroom Ideas That Actually Work in Dundee Tenements

Layout and fixtures

Wall-hung WC and basin — concealing the cistern in a stud wall and floating the basin off the floor visibly enlarges the room because you see floor underneath.

Walk-in shower with a single frameless glass panel, not a four-sided enclosure. The cubicle's frame is what makes a small bathroom feel cramped.

Sliding or pocket door — reclaim the 0.8m² wasted by a swing door. Game-changer in tight spaces.

Remove the bath if it's only used twice a year and you have another bath in the property. A walk-in shower in the same footprint doubles the perceived space.

Tiles and finishes

Large-format tiles (60×60cm or 60×120cm) with minimal grout lines feel much larger than small mosaic tiles.

Same floor and wall tile colour family makes the room read as one cohesive space rather than zones.

Light, neutral palettes reflect light and feel more open. Strong colours work in small bathrooms only when used deliberately on one feature wall.

Storage and lighting

Recessed niches in the shower wall remove the need for caddies and look architectural.

Mirrored cabinets give storage plus the visual doubling effect of a large mirror.

Underfloor heating eliminates the wall radiator and frees that wall for storage or just clean lines.

Layered lighting — downlights, mirror lights and floor-level LED strip — creates depth and visual height.

Glass shelving visually disappears compared to wooden shelves.

For tenement bathrooms specifically

Tenement bathrooms are usually 1.7m × 2.2m built into the layout. The most effective transformation is walk-in shower replacing the bath, wall-hung WC and basin, and large-format porcelain throughout.

Watch the soil stack — it usually runs in a corner of the room and you can't move it. Design around it cleanly rather than fighting it.

Lath-and-plaster walls need over-boarding before tiling. Build this into the quote upfront.

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