What constitutes a small bathroom depends on your perspective.

Among mansions in McLean, a small bath might mean one without a Jacuzzi. But for most people, especially condo dwellers in Arlington, a small bath has a tub, a sink and barely enough space to hang your towels.

Last week I sat down with small-space renovation specialist Ned Overton, who owns FW&D Remodeling with his wife, Alicia.

Overton, a longtime Arlington resident, took me on a tour of some projects he had in the Shirlington community, and I was amazed at how he transformed some of these post-World War II boxes into luxurious baths.

He showed me that even the tiniest baths can have maximum style and storage.

One of the biggest mistakes people make in renovating a small bath is “expecting the space to accommodate large fixtures,” Overton said. “Money is well-spent on good quality faucets and fixtures.”

He added that people sometimes focus too much on cost rather than quality or assume design must suffer because of space. In fact, the smaller the space, the more creative you need to be with design.

“Every single inch matters,” said Overton, who likes to install pocket doors to maximize space. How and where cabinet and closet doors open, a cabinet's width and depth, and even the size of the toilet must be considered when planning a renovation project.

“Measure and re-measure,” Overton said.

One of the major hurdles with small-bath design is creating storage.

Pedestal sinks look great and give baths a more spacious feel. But if you use a pedestal sink, where will you store cleaning products and toiletries?

“Use the wall space for storage,” Overton said. One clever solution is to create niches in the tub areas by building between studs in the wall.

The Arlington specialist suggests installing an above-the-toilet cabinet -- an actual cabinet, not those so-called space savers.

Personally, I dislike the over-the-toilet space savers you find at home improvement stores. No matter how expensive, they look tacky. And although they increase your storage space, they make the bathroom look more crowded. The illusion of lost space is almost as bad as actually losing space.

Speaking of illusions, Overton suggests large mirrors to make the space look larger.

One trend I’ve seen in smaller baths is to remove the tub and opt for a more luxurious shower.

“This can give the appearance of more open space,” Overton said.