How to make a small bathroom feel bigger

When renovating a bathroom, here on the Sunshine Coast, our clients sometimes quickly discover that their budget or property limitations are not allowing them to create their ultimate space. However, there are several smart design tips and tricks that can help you achieve your design dreams. Let’s discuss how you can make a small bathroom feel bigger:

Design

With space at a premium in a cramped bathroom, every millimeter of space must be used effectively. A well-planned and hard-working design will prove to be a winning strategy. The ultimate bathroom design will have the sink near the door, then the toilet, and farthest from the entrance, the tub and / or shower. Tip: For aesthetic reasons, the toilet should not be the first thing you see when entering the bathroom! Make sure to leave at least 50 cm between the edge of the seat and any vanity or wall cabinet so that there is enough room for even the tallest user’s knees. Also, when planning your bathroom design, consider high ceilings in a small space, whenever possible. Opt for 2.7m high ceilings instead of standard 2.4m high ceilings. High ceilings will enhance the feeling of existing space.

Accessories and accessories

There are a multitude of space saving accessories and accessories available on the market today. For example, wall taps can create even more space. Opt for a neat, rectangular sink over a round vanity; these usually take up more space. A compact and space-saving toilet cistern installed on the wall can provide more space than a standard toilet. However, this last option requires some thought, as plumbing issues with a recessed / wall mounted cistern generally require opening the wall cavity.

Doors and windows

A simple solution for a small bathroom is to use a cavity slider instead of a standard door in your bathroom renovation. The windows will bring in natural light that will also open up the room. If you can’t install or include windows, consider a skylight. The more light you can put in, the more spacious and open your small bathroom will appear.

Smart mosaic

Good tiling advice can help make your small bathroom feel bigger. Floor-to-ceiling tiles will make the space feel larger, as will using large tiles. The larger the tile, the larger the room will appear due to the scale and proportion of large tiles that mislead the eye into thinking that the space is larger. If you can’t run floor-to-ceiling tile, match the wall paint color to your tiles to maintain the tone.

Colour

In terms of color, lighter colors make small spaces feel bigger, so prefer a lighter color palette over a darker one. Also, use a whole room color so there is less visual distraction that can visually cut into the small room. Extra points if the color and the whole room is white! Our favorite white is Dulux Lexicon Quarter.

Design tips

Using a few key style tips can improve your renovation techniques to save space. A mirror is a great way to enhance a small space, as it reflects the natural light around you and opens up the room. In front of a window is a good place as it will double the amount of light. As with tile, re-play with the sense of scale and go big with the size of your mirror. A frameless shower screen will have fewer lines and will open the room visually as a result. A tiled wall niche in the shower cleverly creates additional storage space while looking contemporary.

Consider all options

Although moving any plumbing in a bathroom is generally avoided as it adds significant cost to the renovation, sometimes freeing up space in a small bathroom is worth the additional cost if you add valuable floor space. Options may include relocating the toilet to its own separate room elsewhere in the house or, if the washer and / or dryer are in the bathroom, possibly moving them to a nearby closet.

A shower / tub combination is another smart solution that can provide the home with a bath and shower (a strong selling point for shoppers with children) while optimizing valuable floor space.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *