How to make your small bathroom look bigger

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In every compact bathroom, space is a premium. At REGAL Shower Screens, we understand the power of design in transforming tight spaces. This guide is dedicated to expanding your small bathroom’s visual horizons. Here, we’ll reveal how the right elements, from sleek, frameless shower screens to strategically sized mirrors, can create an expansive feel. Embrace the journey with us as we explore elegant, practical solutions to make your small bathroom look and feel more spacious.

Maximise Colour Uniformity

To create an illusion of a larger space in your small bathroom, consider the impact of colour uniformity. Using a monochromatic colour scheme composed of multiple hues of a single colour can create a unified and calming atmosphere. This approach makes small spaces feel more open and expansive. Lighter shades for walls and flooring and darker tones for furniture or accents add depth without overwhelming the space. In a compact bathroom, such a scheme avoids visual clutter and makes the area appear larger. Remember, the key is balance; too much of a single shade can overwhelm you, so integrating contrasting tones, like a light floor with a dark accent wall, can break up monotony and add visual interest.

For more detailed information, visit Tiny House’s article on Colour Psychology in Small Spaces.

Leveraging Light and Soft Colors for Spaciousness

Incorporating insights from Dulux, it’s evident that the strategic use of colour is a powerful tool in transforming small bathrooms. You can visually open up the room by choosing light and soft paint colours, creating a sense of spaciousness. Dulux recommends light, neutral shades to reflect natural light and enhance the overall brightness of the room. This approach, combined with the principles of colour uniformity, can significantly expand the perceived space in your bathroom. For more detailed advice on using colour to elevate small spaces, visit Dulux’s guide here.

Upgrade to a Frameless Shower Screen

To create a more spacious feel in a small bathroom, upgrading to a frameless shower screen from REGAL Shower Screens can be transformative. The absence of bulky frames allows for an unobstructed view across the room, enhancing the depth and space perception. This clear line of sight makes the bathroom appear larger and more open. Additionally, the sleek and modern design of a frameless screen adds a touch of elegance and simplicity, aligning with contemporary aesthetics while maximising the visual expanse of the bathroom. This upgrade is a style choice and a strategic decision to expand your intimate space visually.

Use Clear Glass in Your Shower

In addition to opting for our frameless shower screens, choosing the right type of glass is essential to enhance the spacious feel of your bathroom. We recommend selecting clear glass, or even better, opti-clear glass, as opposed to fluted or opaque options. The clarity of opti-clear glass allows for maximum visibility, further opening up the space visually. This choice ensures that light flows freely throughout the bathroom, creating a brighter, airier feel and giving the illusion of a larger area.

The combination of a frameless design with crystal-clear glass is a sophisticated way to make your small bathroom look and feel more expansive. Learn more about our glass options on our Shower Screens page.

Paint the Ceiling the Color of the Walls

Painting the ceiling the same colour as the walls is an effective design strategy, backed by professional painters, to make any small room appear larger. This approach minimises visual breaks, creating a seamless look that extends the room’s height and breadth. Such uniformity pairs perfectly with REGAL Shower Screens’ frameless screens and custom mirrors, enhancing the sense of openness. The unified colour palette allows these elegant features to stand out, making the bathroom feel more spacious and luxurious. This simple, impactful change can transform your bathroom into a more cohesive and expansive space.

Tile Color and Wall Color Harmony

Harmonising a small bathroom’s tile and wall colours is crucial in creating a visually larger space. Australian experts suggest choosing a neutral colour scheme for your bathroom tiles. Lighter colours like white, cream, or light grey are particularly effective, reflecting more light than darker hues. These light tiles allow the eye to ‘flow’ across the room, making the walls and ceiling appear higher, contributing to a more spacious feel.

By thoughtfully selecting and coordinating your tile and wall colours, you can significantly enhance the feeling of space in your small bathroom.

For more detailed guidance on choosing tile colours for small bathrooms, refer to the advice provided by Tile Wizards, available here.

Optimising Tile Layout for Small Bathrooms

In addition to colour, the size and layout of the tiles also play an important role. While there is a common belief that large tiles can make a small room look smaller, this is not always true. Using larger tiles with rectified edges and a matching grout colour can create a more unified, open space, reducing the number of visible grout lines. This streamlined look complements the aesthetic of REGAL Shower Screens’ sleek, modern designs.

Another effective layout technique for small bathrooms is laying tiles in a diagonal pattern. This approach can create an optical illusion, making the space appear larger than it is. Similarly, using rectangular tiles laid horizontally can make walls appear wider, while vertical placement can make the room seem taller.

For insights on effective tile layouts in small bathrooms, consider the suggestions from Coloursmith Journal, which you can explore here.

Minimise Transitions

Minimising transitions between different materials in a compact bathroom can greatly contribute to a more unified and spacious appearance. Continuous materials across the bathroom, such as the same flooring extending into the shower area, reduce visual breaks, creating a cleaner and more expansive look. This approach is about more than just the choice of tiles; it extends to all bathroom elements, including walls, flooring, and fixtures.

With their sleek and minimalist design, REGAL Shower Screens’ products are ideal for this concept. For instance, a frameless shower screen offers a clear, uninterrupted view, which works harmoniously with continuous floor tiling to create an unbroken, open feel. This enhances the bathroom’s aesthetic appeal and contributes to the illusion of a larger space.

Maximise Your Mirror Size

In small bathroom spaces, one of the most effective ways to create an illusion of more space is by maximising the size of your mirror. A large bathroom mirror can significantly open up the room by reflecting light and the surrounding area, giving a sense of depth and expansiveness.

REGAL Shower Screens offers custom mirror solutions tailored to fit your bathroom’s dimensions and style. By choosing a large, custom-designed mirror, you can enhance the space’s functionality and aesthetics. The reflection of light makes the room brighter and creates the illusion of a more expansive area.

Moreover, a larger mirror can act as a statement piece, adding a touch of elegance and sophistication to the bathroom. It’s not just about utility; it’s about creating a visually pleasing environment that feels more open and less confined.

Strategic Use of Mirrors

Following the theme of maximising mirror size, another crucial aspect is the strategic placement of mirrors further to enhance the perception of space in small bathrooms. The versatility of our custom bathroom mirrors allows for creative placement that can significantly impact the room’s overall feel.

Placing a large mirror opposite a window can amplify natural light, making the bathroom brighter and more welcoming. This strategic positioning also creates an illusion of an additional window, contributing to the feeling of openness and depth. Similarly, positioning a mirror to reflect a key feature of the bathroom, like an elegant vanity or a unique light fixture, can add a sense of luxury and spaciousness.

For bathrooms without windows, placing mirrors in positions that reflect the most light from existing fixtures can help distribute light more evenly, reducing shadows and dark corners. This can make the bathroom feel larger and more inviting.

Moreover, using multiple mirrors, when done tastefully, can add to this effect. For example, a full-length mirror on one wall and a large vanity mirror can create an almost ‘panoramic’ effect, significantly expanding the visual space.

Incorporate Plenty of Natural Light

Enhancing natural light is key to making small bathrooms feel more spacious and inviting. Here are some tips on how to maximise natural light and how our custom mirrors can amplify this effect:

1. Use Light-Colored Paint: Light and reflective wall colours can significantly increase the amount of natural light in your bathroom. Soft whites, creams, or light greys are excellent choices.
2. Opt for Translucent Window Treatments: Use translucent window treatments instead of heavy curtains or blinds. These allow natural light to filter through while still providing privacy.
3. Strategically Place Mirrors: We can strategically install our mirrors to catch and reflect natural light. Placing a mirror opposite a window can double the light entering the room. Mirrors can also reflect light onto darker areas of the bathroom.
4. Consider a Skylight: If structural changes are an option, installing a skylight can bring significant natural light.
5. Keep Windows Clean: Regularly cleaning windows maximise the light that can penetrate the room.
6. Use Glass Shower Doors: Clear glass shower doors allow light to flow freely throughout the bathroom, unlike opaque or frosted options, which can block light.
7. Integrate Reflective Surfaces: Besides mirrors, consider other reflective surfaces, such as glossy tiles or chrome fixtures, to help bounce light around the room.

By following these tips, you can enhance the natural light in your bathroom, making it feel brighter, larger, and more open.

Recess Cabinetry and Shelving

As we wrap up our guide for making small bathrooms appear larger, let’s talk about recessed cabinetry and shelving. This is a clever design move, especially when space is premium. While we don’t offer these specific products, understanding this concept can still be beneficial in planning your overall bathroom design.

1. Identify Suitable Walls: Look for potential spaces in your bathroom where recessing can be done, such as beside the sink or above the toilet.
2. Slim and Sleek Designs: Choose slim, sleek designs for your recessed storage to maintain a streamlined look. This ensures that the cabinets or shelves do not protrude excessively into your bathroom space.
3. Seamless Integration: Aim to integrate the recessed areas with the existing wall design. For instance, aligning the cabinetry with the tiling can create a seamless, uncluttered look.
4. Depth Balance: Ensure the shelves are deep enough for storage but shallow enough to keep the area feeling open and spacious.
5. Incorporate Mirrors: If adding a recessed medicine cabinet, consider one with a mirrored front. This serves a functional purpose and contributes to the illusion of a larger space by reflecting light and views.
6. Professional Advice: Consult with a bathroom renovation expert or interior designer to ensure that the structural integrity of the walls is maintained during the installation of the recessed spaces.

Conclusion

Making a small bathroom feel larger is all about smart design choices. Each element plays a crucial role, from maximising colour uniformity with light and neutral tones to upgrading to a frameless shower screen from REGAL. The strategic use of large mirrors and clear glass in showers opens up the space, reflecting light and creating an illusion of depth. Recessing cabinetry and shelving saves precious space while maintaining a sleek look.

Remember, the goal is to create a seamless flow using continuous materials, colours, and strategically placed elements to enhance the feeling of spaciousness. REGAL Shower Screens’ range of products, known for their elegance and quality, can significantly contribute to this transformation, offering solutions that blend style with functionality.

If you want to transform your small bathroom into a spacious retreat, consider these tips and explore the options available at REGAL Shower Screens. With our expertise and your vision, we can create a bathroom that looks larger and feels like a personal sanctuary.

Explore our range and plan your bathroom transformation with REGAL Shower Screens today. Let us help you turn your compact bathroom into a spacious haven of relaxation and style.

Contact REGAL Shower Screens on (07) 5596 3135 for a quote on your bathroom renovation.