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Maximising Space In A Small Bathroom

24 Mar 2024 | home & cosy

(collaborative post)

A small bathroom might feel like a wasted space. Keeping it simple and light ensures you make the most out of it. It’s imperative that you’re happy with your small bathroom because you’ll spend many hours in there. A survey of 2,000 Brits revealed that you’ll spend as much as 416 days of your life in a bathroom. Enough reason to make sure yours is fit for purpose! 

So, if you’ve got a smaller space and aren’t sure how to get the most out of it, read on. Find our tips below to learn how you can maximise space in your small bathroom.

Optimised layout 

Floating sinks, baths and showers that share the same space and sliding doors are great ways to include the features you want in a smaller space. By saving floor space and reducing clutter, you can create an illusion of a larger room. You could save even more space with an electric shower. The box that powers them can be mounted on a wall without taking up too much room.

Avoiding clutter in your bathroom with the help of hidden storage units will certainly add to the illusion of a larger space. Bathroom cabinettes or boxes that can hide all your products will keep the room looking sleek and clean, whilst still prioritising practicality. 

Smart storage

Vertical storage is your friend here. Use every inch of space you have if you have lots of toiletries, making sure to keep it tidy. You’ll want compact storage that doesn’t stick out into your space too much. Otherwise you might feel claustrophobic while you get ready for the day. 

Clever solutions include behind-the-mirror storage and floating shelves in your shower for storing your shampoos and body wash. Wall-hung storage such as hung cabinetry and a mounted towel rail are great options. They allow you to keep your accessories and bath products close by without having to remove them from the room. In addition to a floaking sink, a cabinet can be installed underneath. This will provide enough storage to house toilet paper, makeup products and spare towels.

Floors and tiles 

Be smart with the choice of flooring and tiles you go for. Laying the tiles on the diagonal gives the illusion of a larger space as well as larger tiles with fewer grout lines. Be sure to do this to your walls too for the same effect and you’ll create a clean flow. This ensures its size and style look great.

As the floor space is considerably smaller than a regular sized-bathroom, why not choose a high quality stone or tile to elevate the design of the room? Marbled, textured or beautfifully coloured tiles can make a large impact in a small space. 

If you’ve found a tile that you simply can’t let go of but it’s a smaller size, lay them vertically to make the room feel taller. Opt for elongated accessories such as rectangular mirrors to match the grout lines on the wall. 

smart design for a small bathroom to maximise space

Lighter design 

Stick with cooler, lighter colours in your colour scheme. Darker colours can make a room feel smaller, so lighter tones will brighten up the space and make it seem airier. Some of the best colours for making a room look brighter include: 

  • Pale blue
  • Cool grey
  • Light green
  • Blush pink
  • Crisp white

Using cohesive colours avoid overwhelming a small space and creates a consistent flow throughout the room. Adding small bathroom plants is a great way to implement pops of colour. You can replicate this in the tiling, towels and small accessories such as hand soaps, too. 

Or, if simplicity isn’t your vibe, be brave with pattern! A small bathroom is the perfect place to experiment with bolder colours and designs. You won’t have to invest in multiple rolls of expensive wallpaper when there’s only one small wall to cover, so go crazy! Floral wallpaper patterns are beautiful when paired with similar colours on the bathroom tiles such as forest greens and hazy yellows. 

Use mirrors to make it look bigger 

Most bathrooms will have a mirror in them but did you know these make the space feel bigger too? Opt for a large mirror to get the most out of your space by tricking the eye into thinking the bathroom is bigger than it actually is. 

If you want to get more from your mirror, you could opt for an LED one that illuminates around the edges. This makes it easier than ever to get ready in the morning or before a night out with friends. Multifunctional mirrors are also worth looking into, as those with doors to hide products or treat as a medicine cabinet act as storage solutions.

Maximise light

All is not lost when it comes to a small bathroom, if you’re lucky enough to have a large window. Make the most out of the natural light it provides. Avoid heavy blinds in dark colours, and instead, opt for lighter-toned blinds that fold up to the top of the window. 

If your bathroom lacks natural light and only has a singular, small window, utilise lighting fixtures to draw the attention away from the small space. Choose spotlight fixtures on the walls that point to the ceiling to draw the eye’s attention away from the limited floor space. Another option is to position the lighting to point near a mirror. This will help to bounce light around the room, avoiding dark corners and dimly lit space. 

It will take creativity, a lot of thinking time and strategic planning. But if you’re willing to transform your small bathroom space into the best room it can be, these steps are sure to be a helping hand. Make the most of every inch and get creative. There are plenty of possibilities you can create in this space. 

This post was published in collaboration with a content partner. The article is meant to inspire you how to live a slow, simple, soulful and sustainable lifestyle and may contain (affiliate) links to articles, websites or products/services that may be of interest to you.

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