It’s much easier to make a living room or bedroom look bigger because you can take and leave certain pieces of furniture. In a bathroom, however you’re stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to dealing with a small space. Every bathroom needs to have a sink, toilet and bathing area. When you add on the convenient extras such as linen storage, medicine cabinets, mirrors, ect. you run out of space quickly.
Here are 10 tips to help make a small bathroom appear bigger and consequentially make it a more comfortable space.
- Keep everything the same tone/ color as best as you can.
If you have dark walls and light tile or visa-versa, it breaks the space and makes it appear smaller. Examples, if you have a beige tile, don’t paint your walls red. However, if you want some contrast keep it to the furniture such as the cabinets or shelving.
- Paint the ceiling the color of the walls.
To tie into tip #1, keeping your space fluid also applies to your ceiling, especially if it’s angled or has oddly shaped areas. Painting everything the same color will keep your eye from finding the slant in the ceiling or the awkward dips or corners and will help make the room feel less claustrophobic. A mini-tip in this tip is even going a shade lighter on a flat ceiling to help make everything appear consistent because flat ceilings can appear darker.
- Match the wall tile to the wall paint.
Blending the two wall colors together can visually double your space. This will help your mind read the room as one large space instead of two separate. This especially helps if you have glass shower doors.
- Take the tile in the shower up to the ceiling.
It’s a simple tip, is less time consuming when you’re remodeling or building and again cuts down on the transitions to give your small space a bigger feel.
- Watch your transitions.
Combining some of the tips from above just keep an eye on where your materials randomly stop. In one example a contractor takes the shower tile and uses it as the back splash for the entire wall and the flooring is the same both in and out of the shower.
- Use clear glass in your shower.
Texture glass can act as an extra wall and causes a visual barrier in the room
- Use BIG mirrors.
Using a big mirror that runs all the way to the ceiling makes the room feel taller, brings in more light and adds a touch of grandeur. Trimming it in wood or tile gives it an added polished touch. If you have double mirrors over side by side sinks, consider replacing them with one large one. Having the two mirrors chops your space and breaks the ‘no transitions’ rule.
- Let in the natural light.
Don’t cover up your windows with shutters or black out curtains. Instead cover them up with a translucent window shade. If you don’t have windows consider getting a solatube or add a skylight to bring that natural light in. You don’t have to compromise your privacy for the sunshine. There are plenty of options out there that will give you both.
- Use your mirror to your advantage.
Mirrors are a great way to make a space feel lighter than it actually is. One way to do this is to place accent mirrors across from your windows making it feel like you have twice as many windows in the space. And you can never have too many mirrors in your bathroom!
- Recess your cabinetry and shampoo shelving into the walls.
Use the space inside the wall by recessing the shelving instead of adding shelves onto the wall that cut into your room. Every inch counts, especially in a small space.
Using natural light is my favorite way of making my bathroom look bigger. However, I do also like the idea of getting a clear shower door. My current door does seem like an extra wall, but is it harder to keep clear glass clean?