Needing a small bathroom to look bigger? Check out these tips to maximize your space.
Originally a Sponsored Post
A spacious bathroom is often what many renovators have in mind when updating the most used room in the house. But often the existing room can’t be extended and good design choices need to be made to make a small bathroom look bigger.
While it can be inspiring to watch home renovation shows and judge how a space should be designed, it’s quite another to be doing it yourself. This is where the professionals like an architect and builder can assist with the design process.
If you’re about to renovate a small bathroom and want to give the illusion that it’s bigger than it really is, check out these tips.
How to Make a Small Bathroom Look Bigger
1. Embrace Natural Light
Install a window or skylight in the bathroom to increase natural light. The darker a room looks, the smaller it feels.
2. Don’t create a maze with your fixtures
Keep the fixtures and plumbing installed on the same sides to allow for maximum flow. There should be ease for walk in and moving around space. Don’t create a maze by placing fixtures on opposite walls if you have a narrow bathroom.
3. Install frameless shower doors
Install a clear and frameless glass door on the shower. Placing the shower and its screen adjacent a window will reflect the outside light making the room again lighter and spacious. You can get a tailor made glass solution to fit the size and shape of your shower with a local supplier.
4. Opt for wall hung fixtures
A floating vanity and wall hung toilet suite with an induct cistern can remove bulky fixtures from the bathroom.
The only downfall to this is wall hung vanities don’t offer a lot of storage space. There is also more maintenance on a concealed cistern than the non-concealed variety. A close coupled toilet suite could be another favoured option to consider.
5. Use a lighter colour palette
Try and keep everything in the bathroom a similar colour or tone. Using a mix of dark colours and lighter colours can chop up the bathroom visually and make the room smaller than it really is. If you utilise a lighter colour palette, the natural light will give the illusion of vastness and space.
6. Blend tile, wall and ceiling colours
Blend the tile, wall and ceiling colours if possible. Using different colours for different areas of the bathroom can crop the room so keep it all the same. Tile up to the ceiling if possible as this can elongate the height of the bathroom. If you don’t want to tile to the ceiling, paint the wall a similar colour to the tiles on the wall to the ceiling instead.
7. Install Recess Shelving
Install recess shelving in the shower and cabinets behind mirrors so that the storage doesn’t jut out. The more streamlined the storage, the more visually appealing your bathroom will be.
8. Go Large on the mirrors
Install larger mirrors and strategically place them so that they can catch the natural light from a window.
9. Keep clutter to a minimum
Once the bathroom is finished, don’t fill the recess shelves with unnecessary clutter. Ensure all products have a place. Keeping your vanity bench clear can do wonders in making your bathroom feel more spacious than it is.
10. Add colour and interest through tapware and accessories
A small bathroom doesn’t need to be a boring bathroom. Make a statement with the taps and accessories. Coloured tapware like matte black, gunmetal and brass will stand out in a light coloured bathroom. It will add a much needed focal point.
What are your tips on making a small bathroom bigger?
This article was written initially as a sponsored post in 2014. It hasn’t been sponsored again since, but it has been updated in 2022 with new information. It has been written in accordance with my disclosure policy.
