Simple Ways to Make a Small Bathroom Feel Bigger
13 January 2020 | David | Blog
Making the most of what you have involves the selection of smart changes, the right materials and colours. Here are some of the best strategies that will make a small bathroom look and feel much bigger.
Here are our Top 10 design tricks to achieve space
1. White on White or Tone on Tone
White is a classic colour for the bathroom because it looks pristine. There’s an added bonus to this colour selection – it creates the illusion of more space. White makes a room look brighter by reflecting available light and thus, making it appear to be bigger. Hence common bathroom fixtures are white for this same reason.
If you are not into white walls, however, use a tone on tone palette in warm bright colours like taupe, powder blue, or soft grey. Make sure to keep the tone consistent not only in your walls and fixtures but also in your bathroom mats, towels and accessories.
2. Floor Tiles Must Continue to the Shower
A single and continuous bathroom floor tile style tricks the eye into seeing a wider and larger space. Make sure that your tiles continue from the floor to the shower level. Avoid sectioning the space with different colours, as such a visual decision will only make the space appear even smaller.
3. Less Is More
To save space, do away with too much stuff inside the bathroom. This is a very basic principle but many homeowners overlook it. Remove unnecessary objects and beauty products from the countertops and place in the medicine cabinet. The fewer things there are to see in plain sight, the bigger the space is.
4. Be Generous with Your Mirror Size
Mirrors are widely used in making small spaces appear bigger. They work much like white walls – mirrors reflect light and create the illusion of roominess.
Choose a big bathroom mirror and place it strategically to optically enlarge the space. You can even go wall to wall with your mirror. If not, choose one with a beautiful frame matching the tone of your bathroom interior.
5. Install Bright Lighting
As mentioned, light can make a space appear bigger. If space is your concern, make sure to install brighter lighting inside the bathroom.
It’s also a good idea to think about functional lights in areas where you accomplish specific tasks such as shaving, applying makeup and doing your hair. The use of different kinds of light will enhance the ambiance and add a bit of visual diversity to the space.
6. Opt for Frameless Glass Panels
Use frameless glass panels to separate the showering area from the rest of the bathroom. If you are into privacy, try glass panels that are tinted or frosted.
7. Install a Floating Vanity
A floating vanity makes the area look larger, and it is easier to clean around. Having extra space on the floor below it allows this particular bathroom area to “breathe” and look neat.
8. Consider Recessed Cabinetry
Protruding cabinets and storage boxes can make the space look crowded. Just like medicine cabinets, recess your cabinets and shelves into the wall. Since there is nothing that hinders the line of sight from wall to wall, the space will look bigger.
9. Go Bathless
Unless you are really fond of one, ditch the idea of having a bathtub in your bathroom. It consumes much space. Some forcibly install a small tub inside a small bathroom, which doesn’t work for several reasons. For a start, the experience isn’t comfortable. In addition, a small bathtub can still occupy way too much space without contributing to relaxing and enjoyable bathing.
10. Consider Strategic Reorganisation and More Extensive Work
Occasionally, modifying the original space you’ve started out with would be the best strategy for space optimisation.
The original layout isn’t always optimal as far as roominess goes. Moving plumbing is one of the ways to make the bathroom flow better. While more expensive than other renovation projects, plumbing relocation can result in optimal space utilisation and a much more orderly bathroom.
However, if you’re thinking about expanding the bathroom space by tearing down a wall, you may want to consider the project one more time. Very often, space isn’t dependent on the actual size of the room. It’s all about the organisation and the order of the bathroom. Relocating some items and looking for smarter alternatives to the typical products (in-wall cisterns, back to wall baths instead of freestanding, for example) can help you accomplish a much better flow than an extensive demolition and room remodelling project.
Being strategic in you design and choice of fixtures and other features can greatly influence how your bathroom will appear. Take some time to plan the work that needs to be done and the items that have to be bought. Opt for quality and seek the right fixtures, tiles and accessories. The market does feature replicas and while these are affordable, the quality is going to be inferior and it will affect the overall bathroom feel in a negative way.