Jo Alcorn gives her family’s small bathroom big function and breezy style.

The main bathroom in designer Jo Alcorn’s home has to serve her entire family – Jo, her partner, three little girls, and sometimes their dogs, too – so making every inch count while also adding elbow room (and, of course, swish style!) was paramount. How did she do it? For a pro like Jo, it was easy as 1, 2, 3.

Photography: Jason Hartog | Design: Alcorn Home.

Tip #1: Making Room

Photography: Jason Hartog | Design: Alcorn Home.

The old swing doors were switched for space-saving pocket doors, and open glass panels replaced the original shower enclosure, flooding the room with light. Other small gestures add big impact: angling the tub slightly created extra space by the vanity, while the clean lines of the slatted wall and window shade make the room feel airy.

Tip #2: Counterculture

Photography: Jason Hartog | Design: Alcorn Home.

“I’ve noticed people rarely use double sinks at the same time,” Jo says, and yet countertop space is always at a premium. Installing two big-box-store vanities side by side – unified by a single quartz countertop and backsplash – allows one person to wash up at the single sink while another makes use of the extra countertop space to apply makeup.

Tip #3: Pattern Play

Photography: Jason Hartog | Design: Alcorn Home.

The same marbled porcelain tile used in different sizes and patterns presents a unified look, but achieves a variety of visual effects. The herringbone floor pattern visually widens the space, as do the matching baseboards; while the large-format 24-by-48-inch shower tiles create an open, uncluttered look.

Sources: FAUCETS, VANITIES, GLASS SHOWER, SINK, TOILET, TUB, MIRRORS, Bath Depot. COUNTERTOPS, HanStone Quartz. COUNTERTOP INSTALLATION, Stone Edge. TILES, M2 Tile & Stone. SCONCES, CEILING LIGHT, BLINDS, TOWELS, Bed Bath and Beyond. PAINT Super White PM-1, Benjamin Moore.