Tips for small bathrooms will show you precisely what tricks and tips you need to employ in order to make your small bathroom work at its hardest for you. Not many people have the luxury of large or spacious bathrooms. Sometimes even if the rest of the house is fine for space, the bathroom – the only room in the house that has to store items for multiple members of the family – feels like a let down. Here are some super tips to keep the space in your small bathroom to a maximum and allow each little nook to work hard for you.
Additional reading: Our special readers’ choice: 5 top ideas for bathroom designs. For great lighting for your bathroom project click here.
Tips for small bathrooms
Like in this picture (of my bathroom), showing more floor space in your small bathroom makes the entire room look larger. Under the sinks is clear floor space. Instead of floor cupboard for storage, use a wall cupboard that goes up to the ceiling.
This is a huge tip for small bathrooms: add skylight windows if you can. Being able to see the sky tricks the mind and makes the room feel spacious. This room has a skylight window so it’s always bright and airy.
Use mirrored cupboard doors in your small bathroom. These are easily available from Ikea. Also, use as much glass as you possibly can. In this picture there’s no shower curtain to block your view of the wall. The glass bath screen allows you to see all the way through. Use glass bath screens, dividers etc. I used normal cupboard doors initially on the cupboards you can see. The space in this room instantly looked 10% bigger when I changed those for mirrored doors.
Think tall and slim, when thinking tips for small bathrooms. Get tall and slim storage cupboards, as opposed to short and fat ones. Tall and skinny gives the illusion of more floor and room space. It takes the storage up – rather than sideways.
this mirror lies in a recess between the wall
Are you great at DIY? You could make storage spaces between the recess in your stud walls. This mirror lies in the recess between two wall studs. I’ve used a mirror because I don’t need the space for a cupboard. If I did, this would make a perfect storage space within the wall itself.
Use your wall as storage space in small bathrooms. Buy a nice bag, hang it on the wall and use to store soaps, face towels etc. It looks great and keeps the clutter away from the surfaces.
Don’t forget that jars make uniform and practical storage too.
Top tip for small bathrooms: there’s a wealth of storage space over your bath, over the bathroom window and over the toilet. Add open shelves there or customize existing cupboards to add there.
Re-use an unused old drawer which is collecting dust in your garage. Turn it on its side and use it as a shallow shelf on your bathroom wall. Prepare it and paint it the same colour as your wall and it will blend in nicely.
Have clean and simple shower curtains if you must use them. They should complement the rest of the decor in the bathroom.
You can buy cheap storage units, cut them down to fit awkward corners in your small bathroom, and paint them the same colour as your wall to see them almost disappear.
Are you (or someone you know) changing your kitchen? Re-use one of the wall-mounted units in your small bathroom. Paint to suit.
Use baskets and extra cupboard shelves (from Ikea and elsewhere) to double the space inside your existing bathroom cupboards. They don’t have to be specifically bathroom cupboards. Kitchen storage works wonders as well if they can be adapted.
Don’t forget that awkward space under your bath. Line it with an old mat or lino and use it to store toilet rolls, bath mats and other bulky things you don’t want on show.
Finally, always keep in mind that with some careful planning and creative thinking you can create a bathroom that suits your specific needs, regardless of its small size or unusual shape. At www.bathrooms365.com you can get some ideas on how to make the most of your bathroom space and even find a range of furniture specifically designed to fit into small and awkward rooms.
Do you have other tips for small bathrooms? What do you do to create more space (or more useful space) in your small bathroom? Please share your thoughts in the comment section. Please also add this page to your social networking sites. Thank you.
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Hey Anne,
Making a small bathroom look beautiful is really a tough task to do and you are an expert in that. I can’t put a sky window because of the house design but a side window is certainly what I am going to change in my existing bathroom. I personally feel adding big mirrors in the bathroom makes it look big and bright. Anne you are an expert in this so do correct me if I am wrong as I am planing to install some big size mirrors (half the size of a wall) in my bathroom. Thank you for sharing.
Just remember that putting a window in the wall means losing storage space inside the bathroom. As long as you’re okay with this, a window will make a lot of difference to the light and brightness of the room. Windows in the wall are harder to make than windows in the roof. This is why they can be more expensive. I just wanted you to be aware of this.
Concerning the mirrors, they’re great for bathrooms as they can make them look twice as big. However, keep in mind the following: 1. you will lose some shelf/cupboard space with such large mirrors. 2. You may not like it after you’ve had it put in if they’re too big and you can see yourself (in bathroom mode) every way you turn. If you’re okay with these factors, I’m sure your mirrors will be a great addition to your bathroom.
I like windows on the bathroom but I cannot apply one to our own house because my brother is afraid of seeing dark sky. This bathroom looks wonderful, if I had to choose a color, I want something like spring green, more refreshing and relaxing.
Thanks for sharing the wonderful tips. I have to agree that bathrooms usually look crammed up because of excessive storage compartments/cabinets. It is true that cabinets hide away the mess but if too many are placed inside a small area, like a bathroom, the entire room will be congested and look smaller than actual. I like your tips to clear as much floor space as possible and utilize the wall space.
Not every house can have a big bathroom, but yes to make a small bathroom look attractive is challenging. The blog gives ideas on how to go about choosing furniture for your bathroom, utilising the space between two wall studs, using old unused stuff to keep your bathroom clutter-free and to make it look spacious. The blog helped solving one of the basic issues of everybody’s life.
With small bathrooms I usually like to use clean lines and reduce clutter. Using a floating vanity is another good way to give the illusion of more space. I would also stay away from the smaller square tiles. They tend to draw attention to the size of the room. If you are going to tile use a 4″ x 12″ in a running bond and accent with larger tiles 16″ or larger.
You’re right about the small tiles. They tend to make the areas look too ‘busy’ thus smaller. They’re okay for larger bathrooms. On the flip side, if you have a small bathroom, you have to stay away from tiles that are too large as well. They accentuate the smallness of the room.
Small tiles are also a nightmare to clean. There’s too much grout space to tend to.
Hi Anne,
Painting storage unit with same wall colour is a good idea to try on small bathroom.I liked your creative ideas. Thanks for sharing your ideas with us,.
Thanks for stopping by. I’ve used this idea in my small en-suite and it works pretty well. It tricks the eyes into not seeing the storage unit and gives the illusion of space.
As a Realtor here in Oklahoma City, I enjoyed reading this. You have no idea some of the bathrooms I have seen when listing or showing a home to a prospective buyer. What I enjoy seeing here are actionable tips on how to advise a prospective home seller on what to do with a small bathroom presentation problem. Great stuff! Thank you!
I tried to include tips that most people can implement themselves – and affordable too. Thanks for stopping by.
The bathroom really sells a house for me. Thank God we were able to have a good sized one.
When I saw the title small bathrooms, I immediately thought of Turkish bathrooms. We traditionally built them very small in the past, and I think the only way to get around it is to knock it down and start again! 🙂
I suppose you’d have no choice if they’re terribly small. However, even tiny bathrooms can benefit from some well-placed storage 🙂
Hi, I like the picture. Thanks for sharing the tips for small bathrooms. I like some tips which i can implement those for my bathroom.
Glad I can be of help, Amruta. I hope you can check out the other bathroom links, as they provide additional help about bathroom decor etc. Thanks for stopping by.