Shall we get honest? Smaller bathrooms can seem such that you are attempting to figure out a Rubik cube but you are blindfolded. Catch it with a bad toss and all of a sudden your toothbrush is going on a dive in the toilet (been there, done that). Here is the thing though: small does not always mean small, and I have learned this lesson firsthand after having to live in too many shoe-box bathrooms than I want to tell you about.
Have you ever had that experience of going to a friend and noticing the itty-bitty bathroom and despite the fact that it is unrealistically small it somehow feels big and tidy? That is not magic, it is, that was smartly made. The key to making a small bathroom look and work brilliantly is something I have discovered after all these years of banging my elbows on towel racks, and maneuvering the toiletries into a kind of Tetris game.
Wall-Mounted Everything: Your New Best Friend
This is one thing I wish someone would have told me years ago, the floor is valuable space in a small bathroom. An inch of closable space here and an inch there may make an enormous difference, and by far the simplest way to gain it is by wall-mounting fixtures.
I changed my clunky sink vanity to a wall sink somewhere around two years back, and yanno? Game changer. Suddenly I was able to see the floor which, at once, made the room seem bigger. Also, it was immensely more convenient to clean it, as there was no longer an embarrassing situation of manoeuvring around a cabinet base.
Wall-hung toilets may sound posh and prohibitively costly (partly because it kind of is), but when revamping a complete bathroom, they are worth an investigation. The sight flow of not seeing any parted floor space deceives your senses into believing the room to be more significant than it should.
| Fixture Type | Space Saved | Visual Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Wall-mounted sink | 12-18 inches depth | High |
| Wall-mounted toilet | 6-8 inches depth | Very High |
Vertical Storage Solutions That Actually Work
Did you ever notice that when in the bathroom we think horizontally always? Big mistake. The magic is in vertical storage, and I am not simply implying throwing up a medicine cabinet and putting in the money.
Over-the-toilet storage units have a bad reputation of being tacky, but take your time and snag a good looking one you have just created optimal space to store towels, toiletries and any other bathroom periphery that seems to be increasing exponentially overnight. I added an elegant wooden ladder-type of thing that is storing way more stuff than my former linen closet ever was capable of.
Narrow tall cabinets are miraculous as well. I came across this attractively sleek tower that fits best next to my toilet and can accommodate even the most diverse objects such as extra toilet paper to hair styling equipment. The right answer is vertical not horizontal–don t build even a fancy, multiply-windowed ranch house: build a sky-scraper.
Smart Shelving Tricks
- Floating shelves in corners capture dead space you probably didn’t even notice
- Recessed shelving between wall studs creates storage without eating into your room
- Medicine cabinets with side storage give you double the space of traditional options
Mirror Magic: Double Your Visual Space
Wondering what is the least expensive way to make your bathroom look like it has doubled in size? Tactical placing of mirrors. I am not referring to simply planting a larger mirror on top of your sink (nor is that unhelpful).
Mirror doors on cabinet doors reflect the light and make the illusion that there is depth. The replacement of my old medicine cabinet included the one with mirrors both sides of the doors included. Each time you open that, it has this cool infinity effect which gives the viewer a sense of infinite space.
Full-wall mirrors will read like they take over, but when you do it correctly, it is amazing. One wall of her small power room is covered in mirror tiles and it is always a question whether she had a wall collapsed to enlarge the space.
Corner Solutions That Don’t Suck
The corners of small bathrooms design are such that the creepy space beneath the staircase–forgotten and generally useless. And when done right they are your storage and functionality secret weapons.
Corner sinks make use of dead space and remove walls for other fixtures to be placed. Sure they are not huge, but in a small bathroom, you are not washing dishes you are brushing your teeth or washing your hands.
There are actually quite a few things that can be jammed into the corner shower caddies (not the flimsy tension rod types) that you won;t think should fit. I bought a stainless steel corner one mounted onto the wall and so far it has been withstanding three years.
Corner Storage Winners:
- Triangular corner shelves for toiletries
- Corner hampers that tuck away neatly
- Rotating corner organizers for maximum accessibility
Light Colors and Reflective Surfaces
This may be stating the obvious but I witness so many people getting this wrong. The light colors create perception of more room in a space-end of discussion. Not everything is painting everything white and calling it a day (though white is pretty magical, NGL).
This is what I should have learned when I took my first little bathroom and painted it what I should have understood was a warm charcoal gray. Spoiler: it was cave-like. Light gray, pale-to-washed out pastels, and soft whites reflect the light and open up the illusionary space but do not sterilize everything.
Tile finishes and fittings that are glossy reflect the light within the room. My subway tiles are slightly glossy to the point where it shines but not to the point where they resemble an unnecessary carnival mirror.
Multi-Functional Fixtures: Work Smarter, Not Harder
Everything in small spaces must serve two purposes. Consider built-in vanities with storage that is the easy route, but what about additional features?
Heated towel rails, which perform the functions of radiators, kill two birds with one stonehouse. Electrical outlets include medicine cabinets that allow storing and using grooming tools at the same place. Toilet paper dispensers that have shelves above them make use of any space.
I encountered this fantastic mirror, which had inbuilt LED lighting and had small shelf doing away with the three different fixtures. In other instances, the most space saving solution is purchasing of one item that will take the place of three.
Hidden Storage Opportunities
You would be surprised the amount of concealed storage capabilities there are in small bathrooms. The behind-the-door organizers utilize wasted into special storage property. I put up one where I can hang cleaning supplies, extra toiletries even a tiny towel.
Find your under-sink storage solutions will make the mess at the bottom of your bathroom sink a well-devised heaven. The bent weird baskets that go around plumbing pipes? Lifesavers in getting every inch.
Integrated toilet paper storage into the wall beside the toilet is genius-the surplus rolls are at arm length without hogging floor or counter space.
Smart Lighting That Opens Up Space
Bad lighting has a way of making small rooms seem smaller and the unflattering glare of ceiling lights casts bad shadows showing off the smallest corners. Here is where you need layered lighting.
Dual light sources (led strips under floating vanities) provide ambient light that causes the reservoir of the fixtures to disappear which creates the appearance of more space. Mirrors with sconces offer flattering light with an equal distribution without any space, they occupy the counter.
Natural light is the obvious holy grail but in case you were lucky enough to get a window, don?t cover it up with heavy treatments. There is frosted film or cellular shades so that there is privacy but still, the light penetrates.
Compact Fixtures That Don’t Compromise
Even though the size of your bathroom is small does not mean you should compromise. Space-saving toilets of reduced depths can be helpful in saving some few precious inches, without feeling crammed. The backs of the vanities (18-20 inches deep, as opposed to a standard of 24) leave more room to walk.
The corner toilets are strange sounding but are genius when given in narrow areas. Towel bars are built into the bottom of pedestal sinks and add needed storage without bulk.
| Fixture | Standard Size | Compact Option | Space Saved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vanity depth | 24 inches | 18 inches | 6 inches |
| Toilet depth | 30 inches | 25 inches | 5 inches |
Creative Door Solutions
Pocket doors can be fantastic space savers, should you have the layout to do so. Put that swinging door away no more. Barn doors are also a possibility, albeit requiring wall space on which to slide across.
Bifold doors use less swing space in comparison to conventional doors. It could be as small as changing the direction of your door swing (so you can swing it out rather than in ) which can result in more usable space within the bathroom.
Organization Systems That Actually Stay Organized
Cut to the chase, it will be nonsense to speak about a personal storage solution when you are even not ready to maintain it. Drawer dividers prevent what would otherwise become a tangled mess of small stuff. Being transparent, so to speak, clear containers allow you to see what is already there and therefore you will not buy duplicates.
Magnetic strips inside medicine cabinets keep tweezers, nail clippers and other little metal items in line. Suction cup organizers are a great item for having bathroom soap or body wash in showers.
You may feel that labels are too much, but once everyone in the house knows where things belong organization systems really works in the long run. 🙂
The verdict is, finding the most space in a small bathroom does not lie in one magic bullet, but in the intelligent decision with each item. Wall mounted fixtures to getting it just right in terms of colors adds together to a space that is much larger than it should have been considering the square footage.
FYI, I do not expect you to put all these ideas effect immediately. Do the things that make the most immediate visual effect (that mirror or new paint) first and then over time add more storage, better fixtures as money permits.
Your bathroom is small but it should not feel like a punishment. It will with a bit of the right touch turn into a fully functional, equally spacious escape and a wonderful place to prove the adage that good things come in small packages.