So you have the perfect historic bungalow in Arlington — except for the fact that the bathroom is absolutely tiny. No budget or inclination for a major bathroom expansion? No problem. There are plenty of options for making small bathrooms look and work bigger without pushing out any walls. “In the D.C. metro area specifically, we deal with a lot of older houses that have old bones and much smaller bathrooms than the modern day homes,” says Colleen Shaut, senior designer at Case Design/Remodeling, Inc. in Bethesda. As a result, area decorators are accustomed to working with undersized spaces, and there are more and more suppliers offering trendy and contemporary ideas to liven up a small washroom while offering storage and space solutions.

One option is to combine two or more fixtures into one. Shaut says companies such as Roca and Caroma offer “W+W’s,” an eco-friendly two-in-one sink and commode. The design, which features a refill system that filters the basin’s water for reuse in the cistern, has received numerous awards, including environmental design honors, because of its ability to save water and space.