Thanks maykezza, our budget around $8k I'd say, more if can get really lovely. Recessed shelf great idea. I think the sink will be the hardest call with such small space, and still want somewhere to store loo rolls. We'll definitely re-tile. Light colour I suppose as room so small and maybe tile up to vanity? Appreciate the ideas!

Hope these pics inspire you.

Thanks firstnewhome! Great images - that second one looks perfect, especially with shelf. Love the feature tiles behind mirror, although possibly we'll put recess above vanity for soap.

similar problem, this is what we did, it's not as dark as it looks in the photo, window gives a lot of light, phot taken late in the day

Use a recessed cistern and a wall mounted toilet pan , both will give the illusion of a larger room and more floor area

Buy a very formal wallpaper with some gold or silver in it and paper all the walls then buy a basin with a towel rail incorporated in it and some matching hand towels keep your mirror on the same wall and put in a glass shelf above the sink and below the mirror add some greenery and some pretty soap in a dish on this. good luck I had the same problem and this was what I did it is now a very classy loo!

I would make a cupboard above the sink which is recessed into the stud space as a medicine chest and line the cupboard door front with a mirror. I would up-date the sink into a slim unit that incorporates an under sink cupboard to hide the plumbing, and store toilet paper, sanitary products and cleaning stuff. Your current basin has two large chunky taps taking up basin space, you need a basin that has a central tap and flat sides for soap. Please get rid of industrial soap dispenser, towel and toilet paper rails. Just replacing these would be a vast improvement. I would like to see a lovely metallic wall paper such as Florence Broadhurst's The Cranes to add a bit of shimmer and drama, and pick up one of the colours for towels.

If niches can be placed in walls in shower recesses, I don't see why you couldn't do that for your toilet. I would be asking a builder (or two) if they can recess the wall to allow a rectangular hand basin to be placed (it would stand out a little from the wall, but better than what you have now). A narrow cupboard could be included.

Thanks very much everyone, great ideas, many of which we'll also use in our main bathroom/ensuite upstairs! I'm definitely going to investigate a recess/niche as our existing sink is less than 200mm and door still close to touching it. If we can at least partially recess the sink as you suggest kooky_karen, then that'll surely help. Or else a sink bowl mounted on a narrow granite or timber shelf with wall mounted taps. Any opinions on whether wallpaper is a mistake in small spaces or not? Not sure if I'm brave enough!? Love The Cranes wallpaper, thanks hanayuki. Think it might use it upstairs in the vanity area of our three way bathroom. Appreciate all the input!

If it is possible open the door outwards. This opens up the space and allows for slightly bigger fittings.

Good ideas/suggestions above, particularly like 'firstnewhome' photo #2 but probably with a wall mounted mixer tap with a recessed niche above the taps for the soap and mirror above... I'm not sold on the recessed sink idea, I think it will look like you're trying to cram a sink in and make the room look smaller than it already is... have you considered a cavity sliding door?? this would resolve all your sink/vanity issues in my opinion

My new build has a recessed wall (just wide and deep enough for rectangular sink and cupboard). Admittedly it doesn't stand out past the wall but if tashnmitch have the whole section of the wall recessed it won't look like an afterthought and won't make the room look smaller. Sliding doors - cavity or external - are not very private.

Thanks very much kooky_karen; did you recess mirror too? Do you know how deep your recess is?

tashnmitch - yes the mirror will be in the recessed wall - above basin. See photos for style and dimensions.

Re your need for storage. May I suggest a recessed cupboard with mirror doors? This could be apart from the recessed shelf (above), and the larger the better. It only needs to be deep enough to fit a single loo roll, but then it could also fit spare hand-towels, soap etc.

The other suggestion I would make is to get a loo that is wall hung & with the cistern in the wall - can be done with a false half wall under the window & /or utilising the wall space. It gives a less cluttered appearance so it "feels" bigger.

If you can replace the window, maybe a single plane of glass would also reduce the visual clutter.

Enjoy the process & the product

In-wall cisterns can be a pain if they are needing maintenance. There is a new product available that has the cistern, flush-plate and wall-hung pan all in one compact unit. This may be a better solution?

http://www.reece.com.au/bathrooms/products/bathroom/toilets-and-bidets/roca/roca-meridian-in-tank-wall-hung-pan-i-support-9505389

I like the rectangular narrow basins over the semi-recessed, (semi-recessed feels a bit 90's to me). Keep your materials palette light and fairly neutral and go for large format tiles on the floor. Eliminate anything you don't need, eg large soap dispenser and large towel rail and towel. A simple floating glass shelf with room for a candle, decorative soap and small hand towel is all you need in a powder room.

If it's only to wash hands after using the loo why not solve all your issues AND be more green by saving water and get this installed. It's available locally. It will streamline the room completely. I'd also install a light coloured but interesting wallpaper floor to ceiling on ALL walls to give the small room a wow factor for guests and disguise its size. Like white birch tree wallpaper....

Have fun whatever you decide!

Yes they are green, but not very pretty for a guest powder room. Also that wallpaper on all walls in a tiny space might be a bit overwhelming/claustrophobic.

True, if they want frou frou, then definitely go for something else, these sinks are more space design oriented and for the environmentally responsible, but not necessarily pretty.

A woman using them may find it unattractive & maybe even uncomfortably odd. But personally, as a man, using a powder room full of scented candles and lace makes me feel the same way! Ha!

I would've agreed with you a month ago about the wallpaper & only reason I suggested it was I recently used that exact one at a dinner party (where one of the owners was an interior designer! But maybe that means braver with risks?)

I actually found instead of having the size make an impression, I was busy being wowed by the wallpaper, it WAS overwhelming, but in a pleasant way that made such an impression I remembered it for this post!

Anyways, it's fun to hear everyones suggestions!

cheers!

Bigreader, I do understand your concerns re in wall cistern. The trick is to make sure when you install it, that you have an access to it, if there's a problem. "Never put anything in you can't access or take out", my other half says - ie., use a screw instead of a nail. Has saved us a lot of problems, that little bit of fore-planning. Good luck!

Get your new sink - whatever will fit - get rid of that colour and just keep it white or something light and bright and put a big mirror on the back of the door so the guests can see themselves looking good before they come back out and join you :) If you're moving the wall a bit, put a niche in there for the towels as in the picture up above this, and maybe a little basket under the sink to throw the towels in - so you go through a few towels when you have guests. If you have lots of guests, get more towels or fewer friends!

Have a look at what Secret Design Studio did for this tiny powder room renovation - there are before and after photos. The powder room was a similar size to yours, but had an air duct running through it to make it even smaller. My best advice is to plan everything to the millimetre - chose the most compact vanity and toilet pan, and try to use a concealed cistern that can fit in the wall cavity. This project was actually for three tiny bathrooms in a 1970's townhouse - the powder room, the family bathroom and the ensuite.

[https://www.houzz.com.au/photos/tiny-townhouse-luxury-bathroom-renovation-contemporary-sydney-phvw-vp~16789264[(https://www.houzz.com.au/photos/tiny-townhouse-luxury-bathroom-renovation-contemporary-sydney-phvw-vp~16789264)

I think you can paint tiles? Iv seen it done somewhere.. get a toilet with the sink inbuilt into the cistern? A mirror with a shelf beneath? Just have one candle/diffuser on the window sill. Id defiantly get rid of the toilet. or if you cant.. paint it. or put a different lid on it.

Be a bit different with your wall! ;) Use a suade paint, or theres a stone effect dulux paint which is awesome, would freshen up your walls!

Oh and BTW, take the stainless steel stuff out :)

have fun.