10 Ways to Maximize Space in a Tiny Bathroom
By Pro.com
Special to Yahoo Homes
Most people appreciate a big, spacious bathroom that feels spa-like and you can retreat to. Unfortunately, if your home was built before the 1980s you probably have one of the smaller, more practical ones.
Don’t despair, because by using color, design, mirrors and other visual tricks, you can not only make this most necessary room look larger, but also feel roomier. Here are ten ideas to help you in your design.
1. Use Light Colors
Walls painted with soft, pale colors give the impression of more space. Save the bold, strong colors for your accessories and décor items. Painting the walls in bright colors makes the room feel like it’s closing in.
2. Install a Clear Glass Shower Door
By throwing out the shower curtain or getting rid of the frosted glass door and replacing with a clear glass door, you open up the shower space making it appear to be part of the overall area. For fun, add multiple shower heads making the shower look even larger.
3. Perform the Mirror Trick
By hanging two mirrors on opposing walls, they reflect off each other making space appear where there actually isn’t any. A larger mirror can effect the same illusion as its reflection bounces off the light wall colors.
4. Hide the Lighting
Bathrooms need excellent light so you can see to shave, apply makeup and fix your hair. Hanging lights or fixtures visually brings the ceiling down, but by installing recessed lighting you avoid that claustrophobic feeling. Instead, you’ve got inconspicuous lighting that can be focused on any task area.
5. Save Space with Shelving
Install narrow shelves painted the same color as the walls to make your master bath feel more expansive. If possible, have recessed shelves built into one of the walls. This way you make use of the empty space inside the wall between the beams.
6. Locate Fixtures On A Single Wall
Putting the toilet and sink on the same wall frees up other square footage and makes the master bath look austere and airier. If you can’t configure the fixtures against one, then use a corner and a wall. In other words, don’t spread the fixtures out; keep them compact.
7. Change the Door
When the door to the bathroom opens in, that tends to tighten the area even more. Opt for a door that swings outward or a sliding pocket door.
8. Give the Illusion of Floor Space
A pedestal or wall-mounted sink, a 14-inch toilet or a wall-mounted toilet all make the floor look larger. Vertical and horizontal striped floors also visually increase the room size, as do muted neutral tones like beige, cream, taupe and off-white.
9. Accent with Wallpaper
Create a visual distraction by applying wallpaper to one wall. Or make the bath look “taller” by wallpapering the ceiling.
10. Go Minimalist
Clear the clutter and have as few beauty or grooming products on display as possible. Clutter chops away at visual space. If you’re partial to decorative objects, pare them down to one dual-purpose item. For example, a vase that holds cut flowers, a small ornate shelf above the toilet paper roll to hold books or magazines or an apothecary jar that holds cotton balls all have more than one use.
Pro.com is a website founded in 2013 by service industry entrepreneurs and former Amazon executives to simplify home services -- especially research on contractor fees and qualifications.
Related from Pro.com:
6 Hot Trends in Bathroom Vanities
10 Ways to Give Your Bathroom a Facelift
Things to Consider Before Remodeling Your Bathroom
