01 October

Small Bathroom Ideas: Make Your Tiny Bathroom Look Bigger With These Tips

Is your shower almost sitting on top of your toilet? Do you barely have room to hang your towel?

Because there’s a lot less space to work with, it can be tempting to leave your bathroom as it is and just write it off as a design afterthought. 

But this is wrong. Just because your bathroom is small doesn’t mean it has to look or feel small too. There are lots of ways to make it seem more spacious than it actually is as you can see from these small bathroom ideas below.

8 Tips on How to Make Small Bathrooms Look Bigger

We’ve worked on different bathroom shapes and sizes for many years. Our experience in bathroom renovations has helped us pin down problems commonly seen in most small bathrooms.

To address these problems and help increase the sense of space, we’ve put together these techniques for you:

1. Choose Neutral Colours

Dark, contrasting colours absorb light and distract the eye. It can make a tiny bathroom appear not just small, but cluttered too.  

White and other neutral colours, on the other hand, reflect light. It makes the lines of the walls less visible and creates the illusion of more space.

2. Use Oversized Mirrors

Again, this has something to do with reflecting light. Instead of hanging a small mirror above the sink the size of your face, consider mirroring a whole wall.

If this isn’t possible, go as big as you can. Oversized mirrors can act like a window and give compact bathrooms an open, airy vibe. 

3. Put Lights Behind Your Mirror

Backlit mirrors work really well in windowless bathrooms that don’t benefit from soft, natural light. 

Not only will it make your space feel bigger, but it will also give a softer, flattering glow compared to bright overheads. It’s an inexpensive way to make your bathroom look more stylish too!

4. Skip the Shower Curtain and Foggy Glass Shower Screen

A shower curtain or an opaque shower glass partition has the same effect as that of a solid wall. It divides small bathrooms into sections and makes them look even smaller.

To reduce visual barriers and open up the space, install a transparent, frameless glass shower screen. Or if you have a good drain, you can remove your shower partition altogether.

5. Install a Skylight

Does your bathroom have a small window? Does it barely let natural light in?

If you have the budget, consider installing a skylight. It’s one of the pricier small bathroom ideas, but it will significantly open up your space when windows aren’t enough. 

6. Use Large Tiles

Large tiles create the illusion of a bigger floor space. The bigger the tile, the fewer the grout lines. And the fewer grout lines, the more seamless and larger your bathroom will look. 

7. Use the Same Tiles on Your Floor and Walls

Remove the distinction between your floor and walls by using the same tile for both. Patterned tiles make a room look “busy” so choose plain ones instead. 

Install tiles all the way to the ceiling. But if you want it only partly tiled, you can paint the remaining wall space the same colour as your tiles. This will create a unified, spacious look. 

8. Minimize Clutter with Smart Storage

Hide all those bottles and toiletries. The fewer items there are on display, the more space is created. But where should you put it? It may be hard to carve out any kind of storage space out of small bathrooms, but it’s not impossible. You can use:

• Floating vanity storage 
• Towel ladders
• Recessed or floating shelves
• Shower niches
• Pull-out cubby

Remember, every nook and cranny is a potential storage space.

Make Your Small Bathroom Feel like a 5* Hotel with These Tricks

Now that you know how to make a small bathroom look and feel bigger, the next steps are to make it look stylish too. Despite the limited space, there are a few simple tricks that will take your modest bathroom from little to luxurious without making it look cramped:

Focus on Scent

Luxury hotel bathrooms and spas use scents to help clients relax. Replicate the feeling of being pampered by using essential oils, scented soaps, diffusers, wax warmers, and candles. 

You can also put a bunch of eucalyptus or lavender cuttings in a vase or keep a small bowl of potpourri in a corner to keep your bathroom smelling fresh. 

Choose Premium Towels

Fluffy towels are always a part of a luxurious hotel stay. Invest in thick, oversized towels for an upscale bathroom feel. You can hang them on a towel ladder or roll them so they don’t take up a lot of space.

Upgrade Your Faucet and Showerhead

A simple plumbing fixture installation like upgrading your faucets can go a long way in making your bathroom look like a five-star hotel.

Upgrade chrome faucets with brass or copper to give it a leg-up on the average look. For a lavish touch, install a rainfall/waterfall shower system. It will make your every shower feel like a special experience.

Replace Old Bath Mats

Nothing can make your bathroom look drab more than a tired bath mat. Replace it with a thick, soft rug for a fancier feel – your toes will thank you!  

Add Framed Artwork

When placed strategically, framed artwork can take an ordinary wall and transform it into something interesting. Just make sure the colours go with the theme of your bathroom!

Hang a Plant

Pothos, strings of hearts, strings of pearls, and other trailing plants can upgrade your bathroom without costing too much.

What’s the Average Cost of Remodeling Small Bathrooms?

Bathrooms are one of the most expensive areas to renovate, second to kitchens. It’s one of the main reasons why most people just leave it the way it is.

So, how much does it cost? It depends on the size and scope of the project, quality of materials, and other factors such as labour. The prices in the below chart aren’t fixed, but to give you a general idea, we’ve put together the average rates of some of the most common bathroom jobs below:

Get a Quote for Your Small Bathroom Makeover

At PlumbWize, we strive to offer top-notch residential and commercial plumbing services. Whether you’re planning on just refreshing your home’s bathroom with a few updates or are remodelling it entirely, we can make it happen.

Upgrading small bathrooms is an investment that will improve your daily life and add to the resale value of your home. If you want to request a quote specific to your bathroom or check any of our other services, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us today. 

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