Bathrooms come in all shapes and sizes but can often feel small and compact. When designing or renovating your bathroom, there are a number of tips and tricks to consider that will help you make the most out of any space. This month, we’re covering several ways you can optimize space in a small bathroom.
Placement of Bathroom Fixtures
One of the first things you can do is consider the placement of your bathroom fixtures. There are a few options here and the most obvious is to avoid having them stick out into the middle of the space. For example, ensuring your toilet is flush with the wall, rather than sticking out diagonally from a corner, can make your bathroom appear bigger. Another option to consider is hanging your hand basin off the wall instead of installing a pedestal unit that sits on the floor, as this will create more open floor space.
The biggest space-taker in the bathroom is the bathing fixtures. To optimize the space, consider installing a curved or triangular shower unit to avoid any unnecessary corners cutting into the floor. If you’re more of a soaker and love to relax in the tub, a steam shower with a small fold-down seat can be a great alternative, so you can still use your bathroom as a place to relax without installing a tub.
Design Finishes
There are many ways to use the materials you choose to trick the eye into believing there’s more space than there really is. Keeping your color tones light will make the space feel expansive, so consider neutral tones such as beige, taupe, or off-white. If you’re a fan of bold color palettes, consider adding those in with accessories such as bathmats and soap dispensers rather than on the wall. This will help create the illusion of space.
Another way to trick the eye is in how you lay your bathroom tile. Larger tiles can make the room feel larger as a whole while installing tile right up to the ceiling can make the room feel taller than it is. Another option is to lay the tile in a diagonal pattern on the floor and continue this pattern through a glass-encased shower unit to create an illusion of space moving through the points of the line.
You should also consider using see-through or reflective materials. For example, using glass for your shower door means that line of sight continues through the full width of the room in contrast to being met with a heavy, translucent material that can feel like an additional wall. A well-placed mirror can also make a room feel much larger.
Storage Optimization
One of the biggest challenges when designing a bathroom is how to include as much storage as possible so that you can avoid clutter without the room feeling boxed in.
First, it’s important to get organized and consider what you really need. Anything that has been sitting in your bathroom without use for more than a month should either be moved or thrown away. This process is important as it will help inform how much and what kind of storage you need.
Utilizing wall space is the single most important thing when it comes to storage optimization. One option to consider is recessed shelving, which can be installed on walls made with drywall in between the beams. This option is ideal as it provides much-needed storage without taking up any space within the square footage of the bathroom. If that isn’t an option for you, there are a few alternatives.
You could install a towel shelf over the door. This keeps towels within reach but out of the way. Another option would be using a storage ladder. If attached to the wall properly, these sit vertically and almost flush with the wall, making it an ideal space saver. If you do want to install shelving on the wall, a good option is thin glass shelving or narrow shelving the same color as the wall. Make sure to keep the items you use the most at eye level, keeping the less-used items on the higher shelves to make it conducive to your everyday life.
If you have questions about your own bathroom remodel, reach out to a member of our team here.