When renovating your home, the bathroom is easily one of the hardest rooms to tackle out of all of them. This isn’t just for the lack of enthusiasm many of us have for our bathrooms, either. There are lots of elements to juggle, and a lot of associated costs to bear in mind too – and this is before we even address the challenging sizes and shapes that many bathrooms possess.
If designing a bathroom is hard enough on its own, then decorating a small bathroom can be an especially challenging creative endeavour. With the right approach, though, you can make the most of the available space in your own pokey loo, and create yourself a luxurious oasis of calm and relaxation in the process. Here are some key possibilities for the betterment of your least-favourite space.
Colours And Surfaces
The easiest place to start is with the colour palette. Small bathrooms will invariably benefit from light colour palettes, which bounce light around the space and increase its perceived size both horizontally and vertically. Opt for a white-painted ceiling, and soft, neutral colours for the walls, tiles, and fixtures. Additionally, incorporating reflective surfaces, such as glossy tiles and contemporary bathroom mirrors, can further enhance the sense of space; mirrors, in particular, create artificial depth by extending the ‘horizon’ of the room.
Storage
Storage is, naturally, at a premium in smaller bathrooms – but you still need some for your toiletries, towels and so forth. Wall-mounted shelves and cabinets are absolutely the way to go, in order to prevent the unnecessary taking-up of floor space. Try installing such furnishings over other fixtures, like your toilet or bath, to reduce the impact of them on your walkable space.
Fixtures
Speaking of fixtures, if you’ve the budget to do a complete renovation, this could be an excellent opportunity to downsize some things. Now, the decisions you make here are dependent entirely on your personal preferences – after all, it’s you that has to live here!
Some would be more than happy to create extra space by doing away with a bath entirely, in favour of a more spacious and practical shower; but this might not spark joy if you’re a fan of self-pampering spa treatments. A shower-bath takes up more space, but may be more practical. It could also be justified by opting for a smaller-sized sink and a compact toilet.
Accessories
Finally, we come to the small effects which serve to personalise the space. Minimalism isn’t always the route to take, even if it seems apt for a pared-back and space-deficient bathroom. While it's undoubtedly important to keep the primary elements of the bathroom streamlined, there’s no reason you can’t judiciously apply some personal elements. Decorative towels and bathroom-friendly artworks only serve to take up wall space, and could in fact improve your enjoyment of the bathroom more than any illusory mirror would.
