Home Q&A: How do I install a stylish ensuite in a tiny space? 

QUESTION

I am planning to install a small shower/ensuite and I need to find a very compact suite. 

What would you suggest for a stylish fit that saves on space?

ANSWER

First of all, ensure your layout is to the millimetre and if possible, work with an architect, interior designer or in-house designer provided by your ware supplier using CAD, an interactive experience that will make the best of every scrap of space. 

Moods Tilia wall-hung toilet from €305, wall mounted Happi vanity, €475, bathshack.com.

Depending on the shape of the room, you could opt for either a corner toilet, a wall mount, or a classic close-couple with a higher, flatter cistern and a rounder bowl with less projection into the room. 

For a traditional look, take the cistern high and use a floor-mounted back-to-the-wall vintage inclined bowl. 

There are units that marry the toilet and basin as one enclosed in streamlined cabinetwork. 

Choose quality in slender, combination vanities, or these can miss the mark. 

Placing the toilet and sink unit by a fixed glazed panel of your shower can be very neat. 

Frame-less enclosures reduce visual stutter and off-set quadrant shower units are also superb, ergonomic space savers. 

Keep your storage off the floor and consider a wall-mounted radiator/towel rail or electric UFH mats to ditch the intrusion of a clunky radiator. 

Ensure you have room to move around the space by taking the swing out of the door with a sliding variety — top-hung or a “pocket” model concealed in the wall. 

Finish with an expansive tile choice, mirrors to throw light into dark corners and finally splash out on the best-dedicated lighting you can afford. 

Need more inspiration? Take a look and get ideas from what interior designers do in hotels, in chic, but incredibly tight ensuites.

• Got a home improvement or DIY question for our Home team? Email [e-mail]