Configuring a small bathroom can feel as if you a tackling a tricky puzzle. While you want to ensure that it features all essential components, you also want to leave plenty of space to manoeuvre with ease. While a bathroom that is limited in floor space may be a little frustrating to design, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to compromise style, decor and most importantly, the fixtures you cannot live without. With meticulous planning and a little extra attention to detail, you can most definitely achieve a bathroom that is not only stylish but also practical and spacious. Take a look at our top ten tips on how to make the most out of a small bathroom for inspiration!
10 Tips On How To Make The Most Out Of A Small Bathroom
Whether you are designing a bathroom, bedroom or any other room in the home, almost every fixture can now be made bespoke, which is ideal for those with limited space. It is imperative to ensure that every corner, contour and crevice is used to your advantage, paying careful attention to areas that would be perfect for fitting hidden or ‘floating’ storage. Our guide to making the most out of a small bathroom includes ideas that can easily be altered to meet any interior design theme, ranging from both ends of the price scale – we can guarantee there will be something for everyone!
1. Floating Vanity
A vanity is an essential feature of any bathroom. They allow all of your cosmetic products to be hidden away to avoid cluttered surfaces – a big no-no if you are already somewhat limited in terms of free space. However, if fitted freestanding, they do take up a considerable amount of floor place and protrude away from the wall. With this in mind, we recommend opting for a floating vanity.
Floating vanities are fantastic for modernising your bathroom, along with avoiding wasting any valuable floor place. They use up only empty wall space that would not be used otherwise. Multi-purpose vanities, in particular, continue to grow in popularity as they can double up as a sink and useful storage. Inside is several drawers to keep all products organised and in one place, helping to maintain the ‘minimalist’ aesthetics that many homeowners adore. We love the generous selection of wall hung vanity units available on Victoria Plumbing.
2. Corner Sink
Corners are one of the biggest culprits for wasted space. Particularly in a small bathroom, you want to determine methods that will enable you to have all of the essential fixtures still, but without taking up floor space – a corner sink is ideal for achieving this.
Corner sinks often feature rounded casing which, if matched with the wall or tiling colouring, will camouflage seamlessly into the corner, making them incredibly discrete. You could even consider equipping the casing with additional shelving or storage around the pedestal, which again, creates a multi-functional solution. They require no additional plumbing during installation, making them a super easy method to save space!
3. Use Mirrors
Mirrors remain a long-running interior design hack for creating the illusion of not only a larger room, but also extra depth. They reflect natural sunlight during the day and artificial lighting in the evening, allowing the light to bounce to every inch of the room and create an airy appearance. Those who lack sunlight or do not have a window in their bathroom can use a cleverly shaped mirror to mimic a window. While they do tend to a little more on the costly side, window frame mirrors are designed in the shape of an arch with panels to replicate panes. We suggest taking a browse on Wayfair if this idea strikes your interest.
Not only can mirrors be used to enhance light, but also create a focal point of the bathroom. When faced with a smaller bathroom, many homeowners aim to keep decor at a minimum and avoid the use of wall art – mirrors can be used as an alternative. Decorative mirrors can be utilised to inject personality to the room with various traditional and more modern styles available in numerous shapes. Decorative Mirrors Online have a wide range of styles to choose from!
4. Space-Saving Shelving
Similarly to vanities, shelving can also be cleverly placed in the bathroom in a floating style to maximise space. They can be fitted directly to the wall without any chunky brackets creating a super seamless appearance, immediately adding a contemporary touch. Various styles are available from those made with glass to a simple white colour scheme; many of which are equipped with additional hooks for hanging storage. We love the range on Mano Mano!
Determining the best place for shelving can prove somewhat challenging, especially if you want to avoid making walls look over-crowded. We suggest considering areas such as above the sink, in the shower for toiletries and even above doors. Many fit smart shelving above doors for bulk items such as toilet roll or bathroom cleaning products.
5. Neutral Colour Scheme
Having many years of experience fitting luxury bathrooms in Buckingham, we can most definitely confirm that a neutral colour scheme is the most effective route when designing a bathroom. There are many different ways that you can incorporate a neutral colour scheme without creating a ‘clinical’ appearance.
Neutral tones are ideal for achieving the illusion of a larger space as they successfully reflect light, as opposed to dark colours that absorb light. Some of the most popular shades include beige, brown, white and light grey which perfectly complement a range of fixture materials such as wood, stone and porcelain. It enables you to ‘future-proof’ your bathroom as instead of having to renovate the entire space when the decor becomes outdated; you can merely refresh the finishing touches. Better Homes and Garden have a plethora of fantastic ideas on how to achieve a neutral bathroom for inspiration!
6. Hanging Accessories
Hanging accessories is a great way to free up space in a small bathroom. They allow you to keep all necessities in easy to reach locations without compromising valuable floor space.
Due to the rising popularity of hanging storage, you are now able to find a solution that has been explicitly designed to fit almost every bathroom essential that you may need. Whether you opt for hooks for hand towels, wall-hung toothbrush holders or small trays for toiletries, hanging accessories are ideal for maximising space. One of our favourite ideas is a tiered storage caddy which allows you to keep everything organised and in one place. The Range stocks a vast collection of bathroom caddies for an affordable price!
7. Bright Lighting
In a bathroom, it is more than likely that natural lighting will be limited, which means that you will need to enlist extra help from artificial light to ensure the space remains bright, airy and spacious. Bright lighting is ideal for ‘opening up’ the bathroom; however, it must be placed strategically to avoid being too overpowering.
Recessed lighting remains incredibly popular when searching for bathroom fittings. They are super effective in a small space as they are installed into a hollow opening in the ceiling instead of a large fixture. It creates the appearance that the light is shining from a hole in the ceiling directing downwards like a spotlight creating a super minimalist look. These are ideal for a small bathroom as it creates the illusion that the ceiling is taller. As recessed lighting is a little more complex to install, it is recommended to hire an electrician to ensure that all safety standards are met. Recessed lighting can be purchased in various colours, including chrome and white from Lighting Direct.
8. Shower Enclosure
If you are more of a shower-lover rather than a bath, then you would most definitely benefit from ditching the tub altogether and installing a shower enclosure.
Shower enclosures are designed bespoke to your bathroom to ensure that it fits seamlessly into the allocated space. They are most commonly placed in the corner of the room and are merely a walk-in shower that is surrounded by a glass screen. The glass screen is ideal for creating the illusion of more space as you can still see all of the walls. Unlike a regular bath or shower, there is not a bulky fixture blocking a considerable amount of space.
It is entirely your choice the shape of shower enclosure you opt for, some of the most popular are square, quadrant, rectangular or d-shaped. For an additional contemporary touch, you may even want to consider going frameless, which means that screens are fitted directly to the floor and a drain is installed in your bathroom tiling.
9. Tiling Illusion
Tiling is ideal for not only making the room appear larger but also creating a cleaner aesthetic. Aim to fit tiles strategically in a linear formation as this will draw the eye to the widest part of the room, whether this may be the flooring or walls.
It is important to keep in mind that tiles fitted horizontally will elongate the space, whereas vertical tiles will make the ceiling appear higher. With this in mind, we suggest opting for rectangular shaped tiles that are plain in colour as opposed to patterned tiling in unique shapes. This will help to maintain your neutral colour scheme.
10. Freestanding Bath
Many assume that due to limited space, they cannot make a statement in their bathroom through the use of a freestanding bath. However, great news, this most definitely isn’t the case! As industry experts specialising in freestanding baths in Amersham and surrounding areas, we have some fantastic tips on how you can incorporate the luxurious bath style without overcrowding your bathroom.
Due to the smaller floorplan, opt for placing the bath in the corner of the room instead of the traditional layout of the middle of the bathroom. In doing this, you will still be able to clearly see the quirky mounted feet without compromising a considerable chunk of floor place. Always ensure that, before going ahead with a purchase, you take measurements of the available space. There are many different traditional freestanding baths available that are in slightly smaller dimensions. If you’re in need of any advice regarding investing in a smaller freestanding bath, please feel free to contact Ahmco Exclusive!
Create A Spacious, Luxury Bathroom!
With thorough research and planning, creating the bathroom of your dreams couldn’t be easier – even when you are faced with limited space! Always ensure that you take measurements before going ahead with any installations and aim to keep fixtures at a minimum to avoid overcrowding.
We hope that you found our ten top tips helpful, if so, why not share on social media?
