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What these bathrooms lack in square footage, they make up for in high design.

Big things can indeed come in small packages—just take a look at your tiny bathroom. Because of the limited square footage and opportunities to change the layout, it’s common to write off a small bathroom as a design afterthought. But in reality, a powder room or guest bath offers a great chance to experiment with a bold color palette, eye-catching tiles, or cool hardware. And, with the right design tricks, you can easily strike a balance between form and function—regardless of your bathroom’s size.

Fortunately, you don’t have to look far to find inspiration: We’ve scoured the archives and highlighted the very best small bathroom ideas here. With more than 85 rooms to peruse—featuring whimsical wallpaper and any number of other artful touches—there’s bound to be a bright idea here that suits your space and style.

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all? This vintage option from Piero Fornasetti, of course. When paired with a repeat and marble sink—as seen in this Ariel Okin–designed pad—it gives this small bathroom a fun, personality-packed punch.

A striking light fixture is always a great way to make a statement without hogging up some precious square footage. In this Paris apartment belonging to a Dior executive, a chandelier that’s sourced from a flea market takes center stage.

Make your small bathroom appear even larger with a hefty dose of mirrors. Design firm Husband Wife added three wall mirrors and reflective cabinetry to this Manhattan apartment to bounce the light just right.

In case you needed any convincing, Dorothy Berwin’s Manhattan apartment proves the dark side has plenty of perks. Concerned that a dark palette will make your space appear dreary and constricting? Consider opting for different dark hues. Here, moody tiles from Bisazza are paired with Farrow & Ball’s Hague Blue.

Whoever thinks small bathrooms need to be serious needs to see the alpine chalet Tobias Petri designed. Here, the cheeky Pinocchio tap by Emmevi Rubinetterie acts as the visual exclamation point of this wood room—no lie!

While marble is undeniably one of the most luxurious materials you could put in a bathroom, too much of it can veer into monotonous territory. Instead, take a cue from Jett Projects, who added a wooden vanity and a vintage African stool to this Brooklyn abode.

For a small bathroom idea that’s refreshing and soothing, trade in the classic marble for stone surfaces. This Dash Marshall–designed apartment in TriBeCa opted for a pebbled finish, complete with brass hardware and curved mirror.

This Rome apartment is proof that the devil lies in the details. Designer Carolina Vincenti dressed up a small white bathroom with mixed marble details and antique plaster casts. The result? A room that exudes pared-down opulence.

Anyone with a “more is more” aesthetic may not want their small bathroom to feel like a spalike sanctuary. For a small bathroom that has a maximum impact, trade in the soothing blues and whites with a Schiaparelli pink. Designer William Cullum offset this bright Greenwich Village apartment with a psychedelic curtain made from Voutsa fabric.

Break up a high contrast palette with glamorous pops of gold. In this Manhattan apartment designed by partners Carlos Garciavelez and David Lawrence. Black and white is broken up with a metallic wallcovering and a Circa lighting fixture.

If you want to give your small bathroom good vibes, add a crystal. In this Madrid apartment, design studio Casa Josephine incorporated a Tunisian “desert rose,” which can reportedly help deepen your meditative state.

Never underestimate the power of a fun floor. In this Manhattan apartment, Cochineal Design used high-contrast tiling from Clé to juxtapose the marble shower and brass hardware.

In this turnkey London townhouse, designer Jean-Louis Deniot added a large geometric mirror to this soothing space. The result? A well-appointed bathroom that’s practical, too.

Want to spruce up an all-white bathroom? Check out this studio apartment in Manhattan’s West Chelsea neighborhood designed by Charlie Ferrer. The colorful vases deftly offset the crisp shower curtain from Matouk and the window treatments from Rogers & Goffigon.

What’s black and white and chic all over? This petite bathroom Ann Pyne designed for her Manhattan client. Not only does the high-contrast color palette offer lots of drama, but the mirror-lined walls create the illusion of a larger space.

If you want to make a big statement in a small bathroom, stick with a monochromatic palette. The inky blue Alisa Bloom used in this Chicago penthouse is equal parts moody and magnificent.

Just because you have a small room doesn’t mean you necessarily have to skimp on a soaking tub. Steal this idea from a decent-sized bathroom: Martin Cooper and Karen Suen-Cooper moved the Clawfoot Supply tub to the corner in their upstate New York home, maximizing the space and offering an exquisite view.

It turns out, a galley bathroom is a space-efficient layout. George Bevan optimized this petite room in California by trading in the soaking tub for a shower and adding a lengthy counter.

Tight on space? In some locales, you can take part of your bathroom outside. In her Cartagena, Colombia, vacation home, jewelry designer Chiqui de Echavarría gave her outdoor shower an ornate, otherworldly edge.

Tiles are the go-to wall treatment in most small bathrooms. But as this Marie Flanigan–designed space in Houston proves, wainscoting can be a striking—and less predictable—alternative.

Previously owned by the actress Ava Gardner, this Madrid apartment is bursting with rich history. Designer Isabel López-Quesada recreated its storied magic by transforming a 1940s inlaid dresser into an unconventionally cool vanity.

Embracing negative space is a surefire way to make the most of limited square footage. This colorful Mumbai home takes a space-efficient approach with its brass sink, which was made from a wok.

Make the most of a small space with the help of Mother Nature. From the custom cement sink to the branch accents, artist and photographer Anita Calero’s Colombian home pays homage to the great outdoors.

To make your small bathroom stand out, all you need is one statement piece. When Michael K. Chen renovated this apartment on Manhattan’s East Side, he put a Cassiopeia marble vanity front and center. The custom mirror by Kin & Company and the Lindsey Adelman sconces highlight the vanity’s “wow” factor.

As Amanda Gunawan’s Los Angeles guest bathroom proves, subtlety can make a huge statement. The architect decked out her limited space with a custom concrete sink, a vintage mirror, and sconces from West Elm.

If your bathroom is small—but has a bare wall to spare—take a cue from Mauro Guerini and Jürgen Hilow-Iwaszura’s Milan apartment. The couple paired a portrait of a widow from a Milanese family with a sink and mirror from Sbordoni and a tub by GEA Construction.

Why settle for one piece of art when you can enjoy a few? In her New Orleans home, the writer Julia Reed filled her bathroom gallery wall with early-19th-century prints of Napoléon and Pope Pius VII.

When it comes to decorating a small bathroom, go big or go home. In this whimsical New York apartment in SoHo, designer Sasha Bikoff covered the powder room in charming wallpaper from Christian Lacroix. (The butterfly pattern seen here goes nicely with the throw pillows she deployed in the living room.)

From the strategically placed alcoves in the Brèche de Médicis marble walls to the slim Junya Ishigami chairs, this Parisian apartment makes the most of its small bathroom—and looks good doing it.

A small bathroom is a great place to add an unexpected pop of color. For example, this Moroccan bathroom certainly makes a statement—the walls and floor are covered in Popham Design’s Hex Long Shadow.

In their apartment in Manhattan’s West Village, Jonathan Adler and Simon Doonan embrace their bold style by covering the walls in penny tiles from Artistic Tile, along with vintage prints and an extravagant medallion courtesy of Hermès.

For this Oakland bathroom, the only way to go is up. Designer Patrick Printy covered the ceiling in a leaf-patterned wallpaper; he brings the design back down to earth by anchoring the room with a bold bust and console vanity.

Behind every eye-catching bathroom is a beautiful color palette. With burgundy tiles, blush pink walls, and a shower curtain in warm tones, actress and activist Sophia Bush’s small bathroom in the Hollywood Hills is the design equivalent of a gorgeous sunset.

Even a small bathroom has room for more than one type of tile. Swedish It girl Babba C. Rivera added cool nonchalance to her space by pairing white rectangular tiles with a penny style on the floor.

A whimsical set of wallpaper make a big statement in a small space. In this Elizabeth Roberts–designed brownstone, a crisp custom Calacatta marble sink is paired with the Hermès Jardin d’Osier wallcovering from Dedar.

Architect Javier Robles lends his artful eye to every room of this Hamptons home—including this guest bathroom. The engineered marble that lines the wall and counters is from Max Lamb, while the fittings come courtesy of Boffi.

In this Newport Beach home, designer Shannon McLaren Wilkins redefines the California cool aesthetic with modern pops of color and a Mediterranean flair. The guest bedroom, which took 15 iterations to perfect, features a wall of glossy green tiles and artwork by Anna Ullman to bring the home's beach surroundings inside.

Designer David Netto relied on bold colors and mixed materials to revitalize this Upper East Side prewar home. The juxtaposition between the stone shower and terrazzo floor creates a modern, nuanced environment. Subway tiles from Datile, a stoic St. Thomas Creations sink, and Benjamin Moore's Deep Royal bridge the gap between the two textures.

Retail guru Patricia Greene’s Upper East Side home exudes old-world charm. In the guest bathroom, the sink and fittings are by Waterworks, the mirror is by RH, Restoration Hardware, and the walls are clad in tiles by Mosaic House.

A seamless blend of elegance and comfort are on full display in a Houston home designed by Paloma Contreras. The powder room features a neutral Phillip Jeffries wallpaper, sink fittings from Kohler, Ralph Lauren Home sconces, and a vintage rug.

For a Chicago powder room, ED A-Lister Steven Gambrel settled on graphic hand-painted wallpaper by Gracie to complement the sink and floor in Onyx Fantastico marble. The vintage faucet was salvaged from Bunny Mellon’s Manhattan townhouse. The sconce is by Blackman Cruz.

Floral wallpaper pairs well with an oval mirror—and steals the show—in a cozy Brooklyn bathroom design scheme by Bella Mancini.

Statement palm-themed wallpaper by Florence Broadhurst brings a Tennessee powder room to life. Both the sink and vanity are original to the house.

An interesting choice of lighting and paint turn a Malibu bathroom, designed by Oliver M. Furth, into a Mediterranean grotto. The wall paint is Farrow & Ball Oval Room Blue and the Happy Kiss pendant lamps by Siemon-and-Salazar are from Siglo Moderno.

Pink makes a statement in a guest powder room by Mary McDonald. It boasts painted églomise by artist Raymond Goins, along with graphic black and white marble flooring. Accents include a William Kent-style mirror with custom French gesso finish from Ceylon et Cie, and Circa 1950 Roberto and Mito black sconces from Urbanity Mobiliario.

A Greenwich Village bathroom, designed by Haynes-Roberts for power couple Jonathan and Lizzie Tisch, features a custom vanity fitted with a Kohler sink, shower fittings by Fantini, and a picture light by Ayre.

A small bathroom in a Canadian lake house is a lesson in contemporary coastal style. Designer Sabrina Albanese chose a palette of black and white accents, including a bold Scalamandre shell wallpaper design.

In Erika Bearman’s Hamptons powder room, designer Miles Redd opted for bold black and white botanical-patterned wallpaper by Marthe Armitage, giving the room movement and energy.

This modern Miami bathroom is given the illusion of a larger space due to its coordinating marble, used on the walls, vanity and flooring.

Tour the rest of the home here.

In the bathroom of a mid-century modern California home, deep-colored tile floors are paired with crisp white walls and a large mirror, adding a depth and lightness that enlarges the space.

In this Santa Monica powder room, dainty furnishings like a structurally minimalist sink stand and petite mirror create the illusion of a larger square footage.

In Ken Fulk’s Sonoma Valley lake house, the master bathroom's long and narrow architecture is balanced with coordinating tile that extends to the shower, along with simple furnishings that keep the silhouette clean.

The small bathroom in French architect Jacque Grange's Paris apartment houses a narrow étagerè holding towels and toiletries. The bathtub, sink and faucet are by L'Epi d'Or, the chandelier is 19th-century and the inlaid marble floor is based on a Byzantine pattern.

A neutral bathroom in the Spanish-style home of Create & Cultivate founder Jaclyn Johnson is given a "Cali cool" update with the addition of Hygge & West's Strike wallpaper and the Marabou vanity by Kohler. The space was designed by Johnson's friend, Whitney Lee Morris.

In a New York City home's bathroom with limited countertop and cabinet storage, designer Katie Ridder used a medium-height antique shelf for books, towels and a plant.

Mixing tiles is one of the easiest ways to boost a small bathroom's visual appeal. For this design scheme in a Orem, Utah home, glass and mother-of-pearl tile from Oceanside Glasstile were used to cover the walls and play off of the geometric stone flooring. Coastal sisal wallpaper from Thibaut adds warmth to the space.

A 19th-century washbasin is the highlight of this vibrant Bordeaux, France bathroom designed by Michael Coorengel and Jean-Pierre Calvagrac.

In a relaxed Portugal home, the small master bath sink was made locally and the fittings are by Grohe. The mirror is by Ikea and the floor is poured concrete.

This bohemian-inspired bathroom in the Dallas home of Homepolish designer Erika Yeaman proves that a simple large mirror can open up a space. It's the perfect solution if mirrored walls aren't your style.

Sometimes bigger is better, especially when it comes to powder rooms. Make a statement by experimenting with pieces like oversized sconces or a stone sink, as featured in this 17th-century Italian farmhouse.

This bathroom by architect Achille Salvagni in a storied palazzo in Rome plays with color and texture using a royal purple wallcovering by Ralph Lauren Home. The tub fittings are by Lefroy Brooks.

In a laid-back New York City apartment, the bathroom vanity and tub are by Waterworks, the fittings are by Lefroy Brooks and the sconces are by Ozone. The walls and floor are sheathed in Calacatta Viola marble.

For a small space, Andy Cohen’s lamé bathroom packs quite the punch. The walls are lined with Flavor Paper’s Cherry Forever mylar wallpaper, the vanity is by Waterworks, and the vintage Milo Baughman mirror is from Chairish. An Andy Warhol portrait of Diane von Furstenburg on a framed silk scarf resides over the room.

When designing his 1950s ranch house on the Hudson River, Ernest de la Torre expanded his small bathroom by pulling the mural by Shantell Martin throughout the room and onto the door. The wainscoting is painted in Benjamin Moore’s Midnight.

An inviting powder room in a Big Sky, Montana, home features walls clad in reclaimed whitewashed wood and a custom sink made of stone. The sink fittings, mirror, and wall light are by Waterworks.

This rustic L.A. home masters California cool decor, even in its petite guest bathroom. The chair is upholstered in the California state flag, the sink and fittings are by Waterworks, the custom wallcovering is by Nathalie Lété, and the door is painted in Farrow & Ball’s Studio Green.

For a dose of quirky decor, the tiny powder room of this Windsor Terrace home features shibori wallpaper by Amber Interiors for Studio Four NYC and a mirror by Rejuvenation.

The extravagant floral wallpaper inside the powder room of a West Village apartment turns the entire space into a piece of artwork. The sink is by Barclay and has fittings by Samuel Heath.

In John Robshaw's Connecticut country house, the upstairs bath manages to pack in furniture and decor from around the globe. The stunning sink cabinet is from Syria, the shower curtain and rug are by Robshaw, the sconce is by Schoolhouse Electric & Supply Co., and the 19th-century Spanish encaustic floor tiles are from Michael Trapp.

The boathouse of a country home in Uruguay has a bathtub with views that look straight out to the lake. The bench is from Zimbabwe, and the room's colors we custom-mixed by Claessens.

The tub and sink fittings in the guest bath of designers Kevin Roberts and Timothy Haynes's home are by Barber Wilsons & Co., and the paint-on-mirror artwork is by Rashid Johnson.

A circa-1950 brass mirror hangs in the powder room of the Paris pied-à-terre shared by designer Steven Volpe and his business partner, Roth Martin, who helm the San Francisco gallery Hedge . The French collapsible tripod table is vintage.

On this rustic yet refined 1870 farm in Bedford, New York, the powder room wall features a strip of modern blue shelving as simple as the bathroom itself. The photos of mummies were taken by the original owners on a trip to Egypt; the light fixture is by Schoolhouse Electric.

In Academy Award winner Marisa Tomei's Manhattan apartment, a bathroom makes up for little storage space with an Empire cabinet lined with Cole & Son wallpaper. The sink and fittings are by Waterworks, the mirror is by Made Goods, the sconces are by Aerin and the wallpaper is by Sister Parish Design.

Etchings by James Brown fill this Greenwich Village penthouse's small bathroom with character three times its size. The tile and sink are original, while the ceiling light is by the Federalist.

The small bathroom in Emmy Rossum's renovated home features a custom vanity with fittings by Kallista, a medicine cabinet by Robern and a sconce by Circa Lighting. The walls, sink and floor are lined in Ann Sacks Marbles.

This small master bath in a historic New York house has a tub, sink, fittings and black limestone flooring by Waterworks. The kilim is from West Elm, the sconces are by Vaughan and the artworks are from London and Paris.

This Connecticut weekend house with midcentury design boasts a quaint master bath with big style: The tub is by Sunrise Specialty and has fittings by Sigma, the armchair is antique, the ebonized Louis XVI commode is from Duane and the walls are painted in Benjamin Moore's Gray Owl.

This small guest bath in a Hamptons summer house is anchored by a claw-foot tub that's original to the house and has fittings from Waterworks. The stool and artwork is by Michael Dweck.

This Northern California family home features a dainty bathroom with a master tub by Waterworks, sink and fittings by Lefroy Brooks and a painting by Hugo Guinness. The walls are painted in Benjamin Moore's White Dove, the floor in Farrow & Ball's All White.

An East Hampton home inspired by Grey Gardens flaunts a small bathroom where fish are the muse, floating along the walls in a wallcovering by Cole & Son. The mirror is by Made Goods and the sconce is by Visual Comfort.