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Kid's Bathroom with Glass Block Shower Wall
About Kid’s Bathroom Interiors
Common questions from homeowners.
The glass block wall separates the shower from the dry side, so the splashing stays contained without closing the corner off. Blocks were used instead of a solid brick wall because they let daylight pass right through, which keeps a small bathroom from going dark once the shower is partitioned. They also read as a texture rather than a plain divider. The catch is that a block wall is built in place, so its size is fixed for good.
The basin is a rounded vessel type that sits on top of a floating grey stone counter, rather than being dropped into it. A counter-top basin gives a neat, modern look and is easy to wipe around. Floating the counter off the floor makes the small room feel less crammed and leaves space beneath for a bin or a stool. The stone top shrugs off water and toothpaste, which matters most on a bathroom counter that gets daily use.
The mirror is backlit, with a soft line of light running around its edge. That light sits at face height, so it falls evenly on you rather than casting a shadow the way a ceiling light does. It is the kind of light that helps with brushing teeth or doing hair. Backlighting also makes a small bathroom feel larger, because the glow lifts off the wall behind the glass instead of hanging overhead.
A chevron tile in olive and cream runs across the floor and up one accent stretch, giving the room its only real pattern. Chevron adds movement to a small space without the fuss of many colours. Setting it against plain marble-look wall panels keeps the pattern from taking over. The zig-zag also helps disguise the odd water mark on the floor, which a plain pale tile would show more clearly. It is the room's one playful touch.
A recessed niche is set into the wall by the basin, sized for the bottles and brushes you reach for daily, so they stay off the counter. There is also a mirror cabinet above for the things you would rather hide. Building storage into the wall rather than standing a cabinet out into the room keeps a small bathroom clear underfoot. Between the niche and the cabinet, the counter can stay wiped and empty most of the time.
It sits in the middle of the range. Glass blocks cost more than a plain plastered partition, since each block is laid and grouted by hand like brickwork, which is slower to build. Against that, a block wall needs no shower glass, no frame and no hinges, so it saves on the enclosure. Over the years there is nothing to reseal. Price it against a glass shower screen rather than against a plain wall to judge it fairly.
It is already a compact plan, and most of it suits a small bathroom well. The floating vanity, the wall niche and the backlit mirror all save floor and free the room up. The glass block wall is the piece that needs thought, because it takes a fixed run of floor and cannot be moved once built. In a truly tiny room you might swap it for a clear glass screen, which takes less depth and keeps the light.
The marble-look wall panels and the stone counter wipe down with a soft cloth and shrug off water. Glass block does show splash marks, so the shower side wants a quick wipe now and then to stay clear. The chevron floor hides marks between cleans. Grout lines in the tile are the main upkeep, since they need an occasional scrub to stay fresh. On the whole it is a low-fuss bathroom that rewards a regular quick clean.