TheBathOutlet / Articles / Working With Sloped Ceilings
You might feel like sloped ceilings in your bathroom is a curse. How are you going to paint them? How are you going to keep them from collecting dust in the corners? Is it going to cost more to heat or cool the room? However, many people who don't have sloped ceilings in their bathroom might be envious of your situation. There is so much that you can do with your sloped ceilings that will create unique architecture and design in your bathroom. Here are just a few options to consider with working with a sloped ceiling.
Skylight: You can never have too much natural light in a bathroom. Consider adding one or several skylights to your space to increase the openness of your bathroom. If privacy isn't an issue at your home, you can make the outside landscape the star of your bathroom.
Beams: Add some decorative beams to your bathroom or maybe expose what already exists. This is a great way to add an industrial or outdoor feel to your bathroom. Beams will draw the eye up in your bathroom, showing off all of the large space available and eliminating any claustrophobic feelings.
Mirrors: Add some mirrors to your sloped ceilings. If the area above your vanity slops upward, continue your mirror up higher than most. This will increase the available light while you get ready and also visually increase the space in your bathroom.
Storage: If you have a sloped ceiling that starts incredibly low in the room, making placement of a toilet or vanity impossible in the area, don't let the space go to waste. Instead, build in some storage shelves that will allow you to use the more usable space in your bathroom wisely.
Take a look at these bathrooms with sloped ceilings in various degrees to see how you can capitalize on this design opportunity.
![]()
Bring in the Light: If you have a sloped ceiling over a large wall with a matching sized window, continue the windows up onto the ceiling. This bathroom makes use of all of this light by including some plants. Plants can keep the air in your bathroom clean and healthy. The natural light will also improve your mood each day while also saving your electricity bill. Having this many windows in your bathroom is also great for keeping the room warm during the cooler months of the year. Be prepared for the windows to heat up the room quite a bit during warmer months though.
![]()
Storage:The low slop in this bathroom left one corner almost unusable. But by continuing the ledge around the bathtub to meet the wall, additional storage was created. Again, a skylight was also installed to add light to what could have been a dark and dreary corner of the room. While gray is used throughout most of this bathroom, the sloped ceilings and nearby walls are kept white. This will help to keep the space feeling more open than it actually is.
![]()
Exposed Beams: Let the natural beauty of your home shine through by having exposed woodwork in your bathroom. The beams in this bathroom become one of the main focal points and are brought out even more by the color palette. The hardwood floors also help to tie different areas of the room together. Notice the addition of another skylight, which is almost a must in a bathroom with sloped ceilings.
![]()
Don't Hide The Angles: In some bathroom layouts, designers will try to hide the sharp angles of sloped ceiling by adjusting the shapes of furniture and accessories. The mirror in this bathroom isn't cut so that it fits against the ceiling perfectly. This draws attention to the architecture of the room and gives it more character.
![]()
Matching Beams: This bathroom has one side with a slope. There are exposed beams on the other side of the bathroom, which is straight. However, to balance out the shape of the room, extra beams were added on a slop. This creates almost an archway throughout the door and adds plenty of architectural interest to the room. Notice also how the sink was place on the left side of the vanity, where there is more head space. You don't want to squeeze anything under a sloped ceiling.
Sloped ceilings might present a bit of a design challenge at first but once you start to get creative, you can really come up with a great bathroom design that is one of a kind.
Skylight: You can never have too much natural light in a bathroom. Consider adding one or several skylights to your space to increase the openness of your bathroom. If privacy isn't an issue at your home, you can make the outside landscape the star of your bathroom.
Beams: Add some decorative beams to your bathroom or maybe expose what already exists. This is a great way to add an industrial or outdoor feel to your bathroom. Beams will draw the eye up in your bathroom, showing off all of the large space available and eliminating any claustrophobic feelings.
Mirrors: Add some mirrors to your sloped ceilings. If the area above your vanity slops upward, continue your mirror up higher than most. This will increase the available light while you get ready and also visually increase the space in your bathroom.
Storage: If you have a sloped ceiling that starts incredibly low in the room, making placement of a toilet or vanity impossible in the area, don't let the space go to waste. Instead, build in some storage shelves that will allow you to use the more usable space in your bathroom wisely.
Take a look at these bathrooms with sloped ceilings in various degrees to see how you can capitalize on this design opportunity.
Bring in the Light: If you have a sloped ceiling over a large wall with a matching sized window, continue the windows up onto the ceiling. This bathroom makes use of all of this light by including some plants. Plants can keep the air in your bathroom clean and healthy. The natural light will also improve your mood each day while also saving your electricity bill. Having this many windows in your bathroom is also great for keeping the room warm during the cooler months of the year. Be prepared for the windows to heat up the room quite a bit during warmer months though.
Storage:The low slop in this bathroom left one corner almost unusable. But by continuing the ledge around the bathtub to meet the wall, additional storage was created. Again, a skylight was also installed to add light to what could have been a dark and dreary corner of the room. While gray is used throughout most of this bathroom, the sloped ceilings and nearby walls are kept white. This will help to keep the space feeling more open than it actually is.
Exposed Beams: Let the natural beauty of your home shine through by having exposed woodwork in your bathroom. The beams in this bathroom become one of the main focal points and are brought out even more by the color palette. The hardwood floors also help to tie different areas of the room together. Notice the addition of another skylight, which is almost a must in a bathroom with sloped ceilings.
Don't Hide The Angles: In some bathroom layouts, designers will try to hide the sharp angles of sloped ceiling by adjusting the shapes of furniture and accessories. The mirror in this bathroom isn't cut so that it fits against the ceiling perfectly. This draws attention to the architecture of the room and gives it more character.
Matching Beams: This bathroom has one side with a slope. There are exposed beams on the other side of the bathroom, which is straight. However, to balance out the shape of the room, extra beams were added on a slop. This creates almost an archway throughout the door and adds plenty of architectural interest to the room. Notice also how the sink was place on the left side of the vanity, where there is more head space. You don't want to squeeze anything under a sloped ceiling.
Sloped ceilings might present a bit of a design challenge at first but once you start to get creative, you can really come up with a great bathroom design that is one of a kind.