If you’ve never been forced to make due with a small bathroom, stop reading and take a moment to congratulate yourself on a life well-lived. For the rest of us, though, there’s something undoubtedly alluring about the challenge of making your home’s most pivotal space a standout centerpiece, even if it’s a bit more cramped than you’d prefer.
The issue of expanding your bathroom, like any other problem, becomes simpler with money. Many high-end home builders offer full, gutting remodels and floor plan reconfiguration services to help residents make their personal sanctuaries as spacious and wide as the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. Bathroom remodeling is a potential solution for some, but a cost-prohibitive one for most.
In order to accommodate all budgets, here are some decorative and reorganization strategies—ranging from costly to cost-effective—that will help you maximize your bathroom’s fledgling square footage.
Reduce Clutter (and the Urge to Clutter)
No matter how you plan to maximize your bathroom’s comfort, you should have one rule of thumb in mind: never diminish the space you start with!
Reducing clutter seems simple enough, until you realize you’re turning your back on the convenience of tossing clothing and shoes on the bathroom floor before the hot shower that caps a stressful day (Ah, the catharsis!). To start, invest in some inexpensive but serviceable laundry hampers and store them under your countertop or cabinet. If you have funds to spare, you can also purchase fixtures with built-in storage, like a countertop with underlying drawers. A more cost-efficient approach could be to install ledges above your sink, toilet, or against any bare walls to store your toiletries.
Most importantly, even if you take these steps, you’ll still need to hold yourself accountable, especially if you’re a nesting soul that’s more comfortable in a space that’s “lived in.” That means using those new hampers and not leaving the toothpaste tube next to the sink even though that ledge you just fastened is, like, right there.
Replace Fixtures That Take Up Too Much Space
If your bathroom has a hinged door that opens inward, you’re forced to reduce your bathroom’s accessible surface area as soon as you enter. It would be less of an issue if your bathroom door could remain stationary against the wall, but open-door policies are frowned upon when it comes to the commode. If the option is available to you, install a sliding door and reclaim some of that precious space right away without making major alterations to your bathroom’s layout.
Those living with small bathrooms rely on door-mounted hooks to hang towels, washcloths, and the occasional wayward shirt or pair of pants. While these are preferable to lengthy towel racks that take up valuable wall space where other storage components could be fastened, hanging key items on your bathroom door forces you to constantly swing it open and closed just to access them. Soon, you’ll notice that you spend more time sidling around bathroom fixtures than you do enjoying your space.
Mismatched vanities are also notorious space eaters, so if you have the funds to do so and your vanity provides more surface area than you need, consider replacing it with a smaller model. If you’re looking to further transform your space while also making it appear larger, a productive step would be to invest in bigger tiles to reduce the amount of grout lines, which visually suggests a more segmented area.
Let Your Mirrors and Artwork Bring a New Perspective
This falls in the category of conventional wisdom, but wisdom is considered conventional for a reason. Hanging mirrors and artwork will distinguish a bare bathroom, but if configured correctly, these decorative elements will go a long way towards giving the appearance of an expansive space.
It’s not enough to hang mirrors and paintings indiscriminately, though; your best bet is to align similarly shaped mirrors on opposite sides of your bathroom, preferably on bare walls and partitions. The goal is to create a seamless decorative scheme that invites visitors to perceive the illusion of a larger space without hitting them over the head with it. Moderation, as with most things, is key, since too many mirrors will have the disorienting effect of walking through a funhouse.
The same principle applies to the artwork you hang. While you want paintings and portraits that evoke a sense of depth and presence, you also don’t want to line your bathroom’s walls with a bunch of M.C. Escher drawings and drive your visitors crazy. Instead, go with artwork that subtly incorporates depth and perspective. Also, aim to find art that shares a similar palette with your interior décor to create a seamless design scheme and emphasize the effects of your art.
Remove Partitions to Create a Boundless Bathroom
Low-level partitions, like a tub wall or room divider stationed next to the toilet to add privacy, will constantly remind you of how segmented your space is. If you can afford to hire bathroom remodeling professionals, ask your project manager if they provide room reconfiguration services. With this type of project, you’ll be able to tailor your space’s layout and remove any partitions that are not functional.
If room reconfiguration isn’t in the cards, you could also invest in a barrier-free shower to further reduce the partitions in your bathroom, while also visually suggesting an uninterrupted, boundless space.
Comfort and Relaxation Come in All Sizes
When you have a small bathroom, it may seem like you’re condemned to cramped daily routines forever, but there are many cost-effective ways to optimize your space’s surface area if you don’t have the funds for a full bathroom remodel. Of course, if you prefer to spare no expense, there are also many transformative renovation options. Whichever camp you reside in, always be mindful of the changes you do make and constantly ask yourself if your alterations add to, or subtract from, your space.
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