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Bathrooms, especially in newer properties, aren’t always the biggest rooms in the house. That means when it comes to planning a makeover you need to make the most of the available space. This means not only fitting in the essentials but also other features like storage. It also means ensuring that you don’t end up with a room that feels cramped and cluttered.
Maximizing Space
If you have a size challenged bathroom you can maximize the available space by using some clever design tricks. Choosing a smaller bathroom suite for example can help the room to look bigger. A good trick here is to install a shorter but deeper bathtub – this will still allow you to get a good soak in a smaller space. Avoid corner baths though as these tend to take up more space rather than less.
If you’re fitting a shower cubicle consider a curved type enclosure rather than a conventional square one as it will fit neatly into a corner but not have a square edge protruding into the room. This is more appealing visually as well as making the space feel larger.
Providing Storage
Storage is important in bathrooms. You need space for toiletries, spare towels, cleaning products and so on. Keeping these things in cupboards helps to give the room an uncluttered look and greatly enhances the sense of space. Having a vanity unit instead of a conventional basin can help here as there’s valuable storage space underneath. If you have a bit more space to play with then cupboards or tall wall cabinets are worth considering. Keep them to one wall though as too much storage can overwhelm a smaller room.
Keep it Light
Choosing the decor is important when it comes to smaller bathrooms. Using light, neutral or pastel colors can greatly enhance the sense of space in the room. This needn’t mean that the room should be monochrome and boring, however, you can experiment with textures and finishes to give a more interesting look and feel. Dark shades in a smaller room are best avoided as then can contract and shrink the space. If you do want to add a splash of color do it by using towels or accessories to add the occasional highlight.
You can make use of subtle optical illusions too. Vertical lines give an impression of height and horizontal ones of width so you can exploit this when planning your room. Choose your wallpaper, furniture or the way your tiles are placed to maximize the effect.
Of course natural light is vitally important in creating an airy effect. If you have a window then you can make the most of it by placing a mirror opposite or close to it, this helps maximize the sunlight. Don’t be tempted to have too many mirrors though as they can be a bit overwhelming. Instead make use of shiny, light-colored tiles and reflective fittings to reflect the light.
Choosing Tiles
Tiles can make a big difference to the space too. Ceramic wall tiles come in a range of different shapes and sizes. It’s not usually wise to use large tiles in a small room as they can shrink the space. On the other hard small tiles will show lots of grout lines which can also make the room feel enclosed so a medium format is the best compromise.
Again light colors will make the space look larger but if you don’t want it to be bland look for tiles with interesting textures or patterns. You could also introduce a subtle border to make things more interesting.
