Making the most of a small bathroom

If your bathroom is small, you might be considering knocking through a wall to expand your space. Before you begin with any extensive (and expensive) renovation work, however, it may be worth considering whether our arsenal of bathroom magic tricks can help…

It could be that your existing bathroom looks tiny because your sanitaryware and bathroom furniture was designed for a standard size bathroom, and simply doesn’t fit. As a general rule, you should ensure that you have at least 60cm of space in front of a toilet and basin, for ease of access, and 70cm of space alongside a bath, for the same purpose. You also need to ensure that there’s enough elbow room when you’re using each piece, so crowding items together is a really bad idea in terms of practicality. It’s a bad idea for the overall look of your bathroom, too – cramming large pieces of bathroom furniture and sanitaryware into a small space is a sure-fire way to make it seem smaller than it really is.

Take detailed measurements of your bathroom, ignoring your existing layout, and try a few different designs to see how you can maximise your space.  You need to shop for pieces that will really fit the space you have, not the space you want, and you should keep your emphasis on usability. If a bathroom is easy to move around, chances are it will look better too.

There are a huge number of small bathroom solutions out there: as the modern bathroom gets smaller, so designers have an expanding market to cater to. We’d recommend petite vanity units and corner toilets, open shelving and tall, corner bathroom cabinets – because the key to making a room feel more spacious can be not only to properly use then space you have, but to create more space by tidying away all the clutter that’s crowding your existing surfaces. Storage is where bathroom furniture excels.

If you’re worried about your new bathroom furniture appearing bulky, try wall hung pieces. Simply by comparing a floor standing range and a wall hung range in a bathroom showroom, you’ll be able to see for yourself the space enhancing properties of wall hung bathroom furniture. This type of furniture tricks you into believing that your bathroom is larger, because you can see more of the available floor area than you can with floor standing furniture. The difference may be marginal – but every little helps.

To enhance a small space further, you might like to think about using mirrors. A strategically placed mirror or two can really open and lighten a small space: try to catch the light or the view from your window, or double up details of your decor – an interesting area of tiling or an attractive washstand, for example. And last but not least, make sure that you stick to a pale palette of colours and reflective surfaces for your decor: pale walls and reflective tile surfaces can help to make a room appear both lighter and larger.