32 Half Bathroom Ideas That Prove It's the Perfect Place to Experiment With Design

A half bathroom has a sink and a toilet but no shower or tub. It can be a formal powder room off the foyer designed for guests, a small space attached to a laundry room, a convenient basement bathroom, or a small upstairs half bath that is shared by multiple bedrooms.

Adding or renovating a half bath will make your everyday life more comfortable and can add value to your home. From paint to wallpaper, tile ideas for flooring and backsplashes, wall decor, lighting, and smart storage solutions, there are a variety of ways to elevate your space.

Whether you’re looking for a budget-friendly renovation or planning a full remodel, check out these half bathroom ideas in a range of styles from modern to rustic and more for inspiration.

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Built-in Storage

Add built-in storage to turn your half bath into a hybrid linen closet. This modern space from Michelle Berwick Design has a floor-to-ceiling cabinet that optimizes vertical space. The same blond wood on the cabinet and vanity creates a cohesive feel and adds warmth to the black-and-white space.

Colorful Sink

Modernize a half bath with an unexpected choice like a colorful sink. Desiree Burns Interiors chose a round countertop sink in a pastel shade of cool mint green to complement the white zellige tile backsplash and pale wood and cane-front floating vanity. Mixed metal accents add another layer of dimension to the small space.

Rustic Modern Half Bath

Create a modern rustic feel in your half bath by mixing clean white walls with darker tones. Kate Marker Interiors chose a dark stained wood vanity with visible wood grain and black hardware, a black marble countertop and backsplash, and black herringbone tile flooring in this bright space. Timeless globe sconce lights and star-patterned window shades add contrast and balance.

Tip

According to HomeAdvisor, adding a half bathroom can also increase the value of your home about half as much as a full bathroom. Either way, it is an essential fix if your home has only one bathroom or no bathroom on the main floor.

Decorative Wall Paneling

Elevate a guest half bath with decor accents like painted wainscoting that will make a small space feel more grand. Studio Peake mixed patterned floor tiles and wallpaper with medium blue wainscoting and a dark wood vanity with fluted drawers and a marble top in this elegant space that's finished off with brass accents and a pair of sconces with lampshades that produce flattering light.

Graphic Tile Backsplash

Add interest to a small narrow half bath with a graphic tile backsplash that runs from the countertop all the way up to the ceiling. This will draw the eye upward and make the space feel taller. Laura Brophy Interiors paired black-and-white tile with a floating sink and a pale wood vanity for a breezy modern feel. A large mirror over the sink reflects light for an airier feel in the windowless space.

Dark Wall Paint

Painting a smaller space like a half bathroom in a dark color will blur the lines between where walls begin and end, making it feel more spacious. AhA Interiors gave this charming half bath a coat of saturated black paint and decorated it with vintage and antique fixtures and decor, from the brass hand towel rack to the daisy mosaic penny tile flooring.

Farmhouse Half Bathroom

Mix homey elements like painted window shutters, a vintage wood mirror, a cane and wood vanity, and vertical shiplap wall paneling in neutral tones for a modern farmhouse feel. Becca Interiors created a focal point in this space with a heavily veined stone sink.

Organic Modern Half Bath

Create an organic modern feel with natural finishes. House of One decorated this Miami Beach apartment with a natural stone backsplash and natural wood walls to create a soothing zen ambiance.

Sink Curtain

If you want to spruce up a basement bathroom without remodeling, try adding a curtain to an existing sink. Leanne Ford Interiors chose a simple blue-and-white stripe to complement the vintage sink in this basement studio bathroom that adds storage and charm to the minimalist space.

Colorful Wallpaper

Add color to your half bathroom with wallpaper. Kate Marker Interiors paired green-and-white wallpaper with silver finishes and vintage-style fixtures to create a bright and refreshing feel. A small vase of flowers and a neatly folded hand towel will make guests feel welcome and at home.

Calming Earth Tones

Give your half bathroom a relaxing feel with calming earth tones. Laura Brophy Interiors covered the walls of this modern space with a textured wallpaper that mimics the look of mosaic tiles and paired it with modern fixtures for a contemporary feel.

Half Bath Pocket Door

Save space with a pocket door that won't block the flow between your half bath and another room such as a laundry room. Tyler Karu Design and Interiors installed a pocket door painted in cream to save space in this shared space, while the two rooms look unified when the door is left open thanks to the unified finishes and flooring.

Tip

If your half bath is located off the laundry room, create a sense of cohesion between the spaces by using the same finishes—like wallpaper, paint, or tile—in adjacent rooms. This will help make individual rooms look like a larger unified space.

Half Bathroom Statement Sink

Turn a large half bath into a decorating opportunity that complements the style of your interiors. This timeless space includes patterned wallpaper, a gilded gallery wall, antique lighting fixtures, and a scalloped vintage pedestal sink that creates a focal point.

All-White Half Bathroom

If your half bathroom is located at the end of a hallway, make it blend in with all-white finishes. Louis Duncan-He Designs mixed a marble subway tile backsplash with hex tile flooring, painting the walls in a soft white that matches the corridor, and finishing it off with cool silver fixtures and a beveled oval mirror that bounces light around.

Bonus Storage

Add extra storage to a half bath with a large vanity that accommodates a single sink with additional drawers and cabinets for extra towels, cleaning supplies, and a stash of toilet paper. Kate Marker Interiors mixed neutral finishes and materials such as natural wood grain cabinets, stone countertops, and woven sconce lighting to add warmth.

Bold Wallpaper

A half bath is the perfect opportunity to go bold with accents like wallpaper that you might not dare to attempt in the more trafficked main spaces of your home. In this ground floor half bath that connects to the mudroom on one side and the outdoor pool area via a separate door, Marie Flanigan Interiors chose black-and-white wallpaper with a palm tree motif to add a playful note.

Timeless Half Bathroom

Mix old and new fixtures and decor to complement a half bath in a traditional home. Desiree Burns Interiors gave this sunny space a refresh with hand-painted botanical wallpaper, a vintage pedestal sink, and a modern mirror for a balanced mix of classic and modern. A small and discreet backsplash was added above the original sink to make it more user-friendly and to protect the wallpaper from water damage.

Farmhouse Vanity

A freestanding farmhouse-style vanity will add charm to the smallest of half baths. Kate Marker Interiors paired light wood and white quartz with bronze accents and moody blue walls in this cozy space. Little extras like matching bottles of hand soap and lotion and a small vase of wildflowers create a welcoming feel fit for company.

Statement Mirror

Create a focal point in a small half bath with a statement mirror. Desiree Burns Interiors chose a half-moon mirror mixed with black stone for a modern feel. The walls are painted in a soothing earth-toned beige pink, with bright gold accents that reflect light.

Matching Wall and Floor Tile

Create a cohesive feel in a small half bath by using matching tile on the walls and floors. Michelle Berwick Design created an airy feel by floating a light-colored vanity that provides extra storage. The chevron pattern of the blue-and-white tile creates a sense of flow.

Vintage-Style Half Bathroom

If you are adding a half bath to an older or traditional home, make it look like it's always been there with vintage-style decor. This cheerful space includes matching wallpaper and window treatments and monogrammed towels that bring the old-school charm. Browse flea markets and thrift shops for eclectic pieces like the freestanding tiered metal shelf here that adds extra storage for sundries without the need to hang shelves or build cabinets.

Wall Paneling

Shiplap wall panels can complement a modern, traditional, or farmhouse-style half bathroom. Jessica Nelson Design chose black vertical shiplap panels to update this tranquil half bathroom, finishing with white trim to lighten up the look.

Industrial-Style Half Bath

Give your half bath a clean and modern feel with white walls, black accents, and a compact industrial-style wall-mounted sink. Becca Interiors added greenery in the form of a pair of wall-mounted planters above the toilet, and added a medicine cabinet with built-in storage for essentials.

Patterned Tile Flooring

Add texture and visual interest to your half bath with patterned tile flooring, like this neutral space from Desiree Burns Interiors. Pair traditional tiles with white walls and matching beadboard half-walls, a modern mirror and wall-mounted soap and lotion dispensers for a balanced feel.

Mirrored Wall Panels

Double the perception of space in your half bath with mirrored wall panels affixed to the wall instead of a framed mirror. Kate Marker Interiors finished the walls and ceilings with textured paint and wallpaper to add dimension to the space.

Minimalist Vanity

When decorating a smaller space, sometimes what you leave out is just as important as what you leave in. Maximize storage in a compact bathroom with a clean-lined sink vanity with extra drawers but no hardware to bump knees or the open door, like this space from Laura Brophy Interiors.

Black-and-White Palette

Stick to a black-and-white palette to decorate a half bathroom of any style. Laura Brophy Interiors decorated this small space with abstract wallpaper that creates movement and adds interest.

Half Bathroom Café Curtains

A half bath doesn't require total privacy or light control in the same way that a full bathroom does. Erin Williamson Design left the upper half of the windows bare to expose the view to outside, and kept natural light flowing with easy and affordable café curtains that filter light and offer enough privacy for guests.

Window Mirror

If your half bathroom has a limited layout such as a window over the sink, create an optical illusion by hanging a mirror in front of it. As long as you don't entirely block the window, it will still provide plenty of light, like this space from Kate Marker Interiors.

Botanical Half Bath Accents

Layer botanical accents to dress up your half bath. Blogger Ursula Carmona of Home Made by Carmona gave this space a DIY makeover with large-scale floral wallpaper and framed botanical prints. Green and bronze accents turn the often-neglected space over the toilet into a decorating opportunity.

Eclectic Wall Decor

Decorate your basement bar half bath with eclectic style that matches the rest of your interior. Leanne Ford Interiors mixed colorful backsplash tile, penny tile daisy mosaic flooring, and a collage wall in this bright space that is visible from the moody vintage-style adjacent home bar finished with dark floral wallpaper and black trim paint on the door.

Painted Half Bath Ceiling

Give a small half bathroom a cozy feel by painting the ceiling. Desiree Burns Interiors chose a soothing dark gray tone taken from the background of the bird-themed wallpaper for a cohesive feel in the tiny but well-appointed space. You could add a color accent in a white-walled half bathroom in any shade that inspires you, from sunny yellow to sky blue or moody black.

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Read the original article on The Spruce.