Designing and decorating a tiny bathroom can be a daunting task. Combining both style and function is a lot more challenging when you’re working with a small space. If your budget is tight, you might be tempted to just pour your resources and efforts into larger rooms in the home. But the bathroom should never be ignored – it’s a highly used space that plays a key role in the value of your home.
If you don’t want to rip down a wall in the bathroom in an effort to physically enlarge it, there are simple cosmetic tricks that you can employ to make it seem as though you’ve expanded the room. Here are a few easy and affordable ways to make a small space grow, at least visually anyway.
Let the Light Shine in
Brining in as much natural light as possible in a small space like a bathroom is a fabulous way to make the room appear more open and larger than it really is. Whether it’s from a window or skylight, natural light has the ability to make a space warm and inviting.
If you aren’t blessed with large windows, and instead are stuck with a tiny port hole, light fixtures can go a long way to adding that bright open feeling you so desire. Layering the lighting so that there is both direct and indirect light can add depth and space to a small room. Having a main ceiling light, wall sconces on opposites walls, pot lights in the shower stall and lighting over the vanity mirror can all work harmoniously to open up the space in your bathroom.
Mirrors and More Mirrors
Thanks to their reflective property, mirrors have a magical way of making a small room seem larger and grander, and the bigger they are, the better. Instead of hanging a small mirror above your sink, install an oversized mirror that runs the length of the wall from the vanity to the ceiling.
If you’ve got a double sink, make sure to opt for one large mirror that reaches both ends of the vanity rather than hanging two separate mirrors. If possible, place mirrors across from a window or a bright light fixture in the room to make it visually seem like there are two windows in the same space.
Blend the Tile and Wall Color Together
Double the space in your tiny bathroom by making the tiles the same color as the walls. Having two different colors will do nothing but chop up the space, effectively cutting it in half – the total opposite effect you’re trying to achieve. Instead, blend the two surfaces together in the same hue to make the room look bigger and more spacious.
Take things a step further with the tiles and extend them as far up as the ceiling. It’s amazing how many builders automatically stop the shower stall tile a couple of inches away from the ceiling and then trim the edges. It probably takes less work and requires less money to tile all the way up to the ceiling, not to mention how much better it looks. Avoiding this unnecessary transition from tile to drywall will create less contrast, and therefore a more spacious feel to the room.
Paint the Ceiling and Walls the Same Color
Too many unnecessary transitions in a space will do nothing but break it up. While this might work for extra-large rooms, it doesn’t really work that well in a tight loo. Painting your ceiling and walls in the same color will create a unifying effect that will eliminate any borders and visually expand the space. This is especially true if the ceiling is angled or has low areas. Expand the vertical element of your bathroom and splash the same coat of paint on the walls and the ceiling.
Trade Shower Curtains for Clear Glass
A shower curtain or textured glass around the shower stall will do nothing more than make it seem as though there’s an extra wall in your bathroom. While this does provide privacy in the shower, it will just create a visual barrier inside the room. Instead, clear glass will open up the space, and add square footage in a room that desperately needs it.
Without having to rip down walls, you can make your bathroom look a lot larger with a few tricks of the eye. You don’t have to physically add square footage to visually enlarge a small space!
