Sama and Dora by ferm LIVING: Planning a Small Bathroom Set
How to plan a small bathroom with ferm LIVING Sama and Dora: floor versus wall space, sizes of each piece, the 165 cm ladder and shared colours.
A small bathroom rarely runs out of style. It runs out of floor, and then it runs out of wall. This guide shows how to build a coordinated set from two ferm LIVING series, Sama and Dora, by deciding first which pieces stand on the floor, which hang on the wall, and which simply have to fit under the ceiling.
Start with the floor plan, not the finish
Before choosing a colour, list every object the room has to hold: soap, spare toilet rolls, a bin, a toilet brush, towels, and probably a shower curtain. Then sort them into two columns. Some things need floor space, some need wall space, and a few can borrow from both.
Sama is a family of sharp, geometric stainless steel pieces that sit at basin height or on the floor beside the toilet. Dora is a family of slim towel holders that lean against or fix to the wall. Used together, Sama handles the small daily objects and Dora handles the textiles, so you are not asking one piece of furniture to do everything.
A useful habit is to mark the footprint of each floor piece on the tiles with masking tape before ordering anything.
The Sama Series at basin and floor level
The Sama Soap Dispenser is the smallest piece and the one you will touch most. It measures 8 x 20 x 8.9 cm and weighs 0.5 kg, made from brushed stainless steel around a 0.5 litre refillable container. That narrow 8 cm face matters on a compact washbasin, where the ledge is often barely wider than a toothbrush cup.
The Sama Toilet Paper Dispenser is the piece that saves the most space, because it replaces a cupboard. It is a slim powder-coated stainless steel column, 14 x 60 x 13.5 cm and 2.5 kg, designed to hold up to five spare rolls. In a bathroom without a vanity unit, spare rolls usually end up on the cistern or in a basket on the floor; this keeps them upright in a footprint of 14 by 13.5 cm, tucked beside the toilet.
Two further Sama pieces complete the floor group. The Sama Bin measures 12 x 25 x 20 cm and weighs 1.6 kg, and the Sama Toilet Brush measures 10 x 38 x 8.5 cm and weighs 1.0 kg. Because all four share the same angular language, they read as one set even when they are spread across the room: dispenser by the basin, column, brush and bin in a line by the toilet.
Dora for towels: ladder, shelf or stand
Towels are the bulkiest thing in most bathrooms, and Dora offers three ways to hang them. The right one depends on which surface you have to spare.
The Dora Towel Ladder is the most generous. It measures 45 x 165 x 15 cm, weighs 2.8 kg and is made from powder-coated iron. It leans against the wall rather than projecting from it like a rail, and it is secured with two screws for stability. Only 15 cm of depth comes into the room, which makes it a good answer for a narrow bathroom where a heated rail or a hook rack would catch your shoulder. The ladder also has a slim shelf near the top, wide enough for a soap bottle and a few small jars.
Check the height before you commit. At 165 cm the ladder needs clear wall above any obstacles, and in an attic bathroom or under a sloping ceiling that wall may simply not exist. Measure the lowest point of the ceiling where the ladder will lean, then allow for the angle of the lean, which lifts the top slightly away from the wall. If the numbers are tight, choose one of the other two Dora pieces.
The Dora Towel Shelf uses wall space alone. It measures 50 x 12 x 20 cm, weighs 2.5 kg and is made from powder-coated stainless steel, with a towel bar beneath a flat top. It holds up to 7 kg, so folded towels can sit on top while the one in use hangs below. Mounted above the toilet or beside the door, it takes nothing from the floor at all. It also works outside the bathroom, for dish towels in a kitchen or scarves and hats in a hallway.
The Dora Towel Stand goes the other way: it is a freestanding piece of 72 x 88 x 19.6 cm and 3.2 kg, for rooms where drilling is not an option, such as a rented flat with tiled walls you would rather not mark.
The set at a glance
Dimensions below are width x height x depth, as ferm LIVING lists them.
| Piece | Size (cm) | Weight | Placement | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sama Soap Dispenser | 8 x 20 x 8.9 | 0.5 kg | Basin ledge | Narrow washbasins |
| Sama Toilet Paper Dispenser | 14 x 60 x 13.5 | 2.5 kg | Floor | Storing up to five spare rolls without a cupboard |
| Sama Bin | 12 x 25 x 20 | 1.6 kg | Floor | Beside the toilet or basin |
| Sama Toilet Brush | 10 x 38 x 8.5 | 1.0 kg | Floor | Completing the floor group |
| Dora Towel Ladder | 45 x 165 x 15 | 2.8 kg | Floor and wall, two screws | Narrow rooms with full ceiling height |
| Dora Towel Shelf | 50 x 12 x 20 | 2.5 kg | Wall | Keeping the floor completely clear |
| Dora Towel Stand | 72 x 88 x 19.6 | 3.2 kg | Floor, freestanding | Walls you cannot drill |
| Chambray Shower Curtain | 160 x 205 | 0.9 kg | Shower rail | Softening a hard-surfaced room |
Matching colours across Sama and Dora
The two series were not drawn from identical palettes, so it helps to know where they overlap. Sama comes in Cashmere, Black and Brushed Stainless Steel. The Dora Towel Ladder comes in Cashmere and Black, and the Dora Towel Shelf in White, Cashmere and Black. Cashmere and Black are therefore the two finishes you can carry through every piece in this guide.
Cashmere is a warm, sandy neutral that sits comfortably against plaster, stone-coloured tiles and natural linen. Black reads as graphic and architectural; it outlines each piece, so it suits a white-tiled bathroom where you want the Sama shapes to show. Brushed Stainless Steel is worth considering only for the Sama pieces near the basin, where it can pick up the tap and waste.
Textiles finish the room. The Chambray Shower Curtain measures 160 x 205 cm and weighs 0.9 kg, and a soft woven curtain does a lot to balance a set that is otherwise all metal and right angles. Choose towels in one or two tones that sit near your chosen finish.
Two layouts for a small bathroom
For a narrow room with a standard ceiling, put the Sama Toilet Paper Dispenser, bin and brush in a single line beside the toilet, the soap dispenser on the basin, and the Dora Towel Ladder on the longest clear wall. The ladder's shallow 15 cm depth keeps the walkway open, and its top shelf takes the overflow from the basin.
For a bathroom under a slope, or one where every centimetre of floor is already taken, move the towels onto the wall with the Dora Towel Shelf above the toilet, keep the Sama column beside it, and let the shower curtain carry the softness. If you like warm brass with this, our piece on the Curvature hook and towel hanger shows another wall-saving option from the same house.
Both series sit within a much larger range of bathroom, textile and storage pieces. See the full ferm LIVING collection to find towels, baskets and mirrors in the same muted palette.
