Real estate is at a premium, which means that we can’t always afford the amount of space we want, whether purchasing a residential or commercial property. To make more room for living and working space, buildings are often designed with smaller bathrooms than we’d like. Fortunately, there are ways a small bathroom can be made to look bigger without having to change the plumbing or call an electrician. Here are some simple do-it-yourself tips you can use in your home or business to give the illusion of a bigger bathroom.
1) Lighting
It’s easy to use lighting tricks to make a bathroom appear bigger, and you don’t need an electrician to do it. Outdated, oversized light fixtures can be easily replaced with light, bright, adjustable, smaller, contemporary fixtures that you can adjust to give the bathroom an open feel. Adjustable light fixtures also allow you to highlight the best areas of your bathroom. Switching to LED lighting and adding dimmers will also save you money and add ambience to the bathroom.
2) Flooring
Believe it or not, small tile squares do not always work well in small bathrooms. So, if you plan on laying tile in your bathroom, consider larger squares. Also, stick with lighter coloured tiles, because dark colours make a space appear smaller.
If you do want smaller, darker, or patterned tiles for a more dramatic effect, reserve them for the floor space and keep the walls and backsplash light and bright. Placing the tile diagonally and alternating light colours with the dark colours can also help make the space look bigger.
3) Walls
If you’ll be painting the bathroom walls instead of tiling them, consider using light colours. Just as with laying tiles diagonally, the way you decorate the walls of the bathroom will impact how big it looks. Adding a few strategically placed horizontal stripes (in a contrasting colour) will make the room look larger. Permanent stencilled art is a good replacement for wall hangings, as it takes up no room because the stencilled art doesn’t protrude from the wall.
4) Accessories
It’s not just the floors and walls that can help add the appearance of space to the bathroom. Accessories can help, too. Hanging wall mirrors is an easy, inexpensive way to open up the bathroom. Also, if you need storage space for your textiles, consider adding a wall ladder. It doesn’t take up any floor space, draws the eyes up, and still provides a needed function.
If you do opt to hang artwork in the bathroom, consider small-to-medium sized light coloured frames and pictures. Also, too many things hanging on the wall can detract from your efforts to create the appearance of a bigger bathroom. Keep that in mind when deciding how many prints, pictures and paintings to hang.
Creating the appearance of a larger bathroom space does not require a complete remodel, nor does it require a professional. By following these simple tips, you can quickly update your small home or business bathroom on our own, without the expense of hiring someone else to do it.