How to Make a Small Bathroom Look Beautiful

Are you unhappy with the way your small bathroom looks? Do you feel like it's impossible to make it look beautiful? Well, think again!

In this blog post, we'll show you some simple techniques that will help you transform your smaller bathroom from drab to fab.

Get ready to release your bathroom’s true potential and fall back in love with what you have to work with.

Things to think about before you start

How small is small?

To open up a smaller space you need to open up your mind by evaluating exactly what you have to work with.

What is taking up all the space?

Start by considering what features already exist in your bathroom. What effect are they having on the room?

For example, bulky basins and vanity units may be swallowing up a lot of space. Big baths may be taking up a tad too much room. Or, extra storage units and cabinets could be making things a tight squeeze.

Once you’ve established what is and isn’t working, you’ve already made more room to work with.

 

Next up: colours

When it comes to smaller bathrooms, heavy, dark colours can make the walls feel like they are closer together. Consider which pallets you could dabble in to lift the room and re-open the space.

Remember that colour doesn’t just have to mean what’s going on across the walls.

Think about how these space-creating and zonal hues can be used across all bathroom features including furniture, flooring, ceilings and accessories.

 

And finally, get realistic

Cramming too much into a smaller area will always make it feel like a tight squeeze.

What is the minimum amount of core features you can get away with, whilst dynamically achieving a functional and homely bathroom?

For smaller cloakroom toilets, maybe a toilet and basin will suffice.

And for master bathrooms, would losing a bath, and instead opting for a larger shower that meets the needs of your family and lifestyle work better for the space?

There are plenty of options to create a bathroom of dreams without cramming copious amounts of products and features into the smaller space.

 

What are you trying to achieve?

There are two trails of thought when it comes to smaller bathrooms.

Some are trying to find ways to make the room feel lighter and more open, forming the illusion of a larger space.

On the other hand, others aim to utilise this smallness, captivating petite character through design. There’s much to be said about truly embracing the more intimate, zoned-in bathroom feel, to showcase a small, yet stylish feature room in the home.

Both ways work, and inviting space with purpose and stylish flair is entirely achievable, whatever angle you’re taking.

Whichever you choose, it’s important to get away from the idea that small means restricting.

Is there something taking up too much space?

You have to be realistic when designing a smaller bathroom.

Some bathroom features, may not seem bulky and oversized in a larger bathroom, but when brought into your smaller space may all of a sudden create a constricting and confined feel.

We’re talking about baths, vanity units and cupboards. What works in one bathroom, may not work in another.

And, while not every toilet or bathroom needs the space to swing a cat, a bathroom is supposed to be a place that offers an area to relax and freshen up.

You need physical space and room to move for both functional and aesthetic reasons.

 

Is it time for a layout change-up?

Homeowners and even builders don’t always get it right first when it comes to bathroom layout.

If you’re bathroom layout just feels a little all over the place and isn’t working for you, there may be potential to have a bit of a shift around.

 

 

The first thing you need to do is to get to know your bathroom's anatomy.

Identify what’s going on behind the scenes.

Find out where the waste pipes run, as well as the water pipes. Establish if they can be moved, and if so, how and where to.

If you look behind the wall, you may discover the potential to move the wall back a touch, to pull back some space by adding extra meterage onto your bathroom.

Alternatively, you may realise that building a stud wall to create a storage cupboard, could actually work to use the space more efficiently.

Planning ahead will help you to save considerable cost, time and disruption throughout your bathroom renovation project.

Think about positioning

Even the most subtle changes in bathroom product layout can have the biggest impact on the Feng Shui of the room.

One of the most common habits of smaller bathroom owners is stacking. While this might seem like a sensible thing to do, to create more space, it actually usually results in the reverse effect.

Often rooms feel more confined and cluttered when products are placed on top of each other. And that’s because it creates this immediate sense of blocking free flow and movement.

Ideally, you want to avoid this, to instead achieve a calming ambience.

The static stacked look can be reversed by reconnecting to the space, reconsidering positioning and getting clever about how to use the room to meet your needs and design ambitions.

 

How to make your small bathroom look bigger

There are so many different ways to open up smaller bathroom spaces and elude to the feel of a more spacious bathroom. Here are a few tricks you can try:

Lighten up the colour palette

For more space, choose light and bright.

 

 

And, that doesn’t have to be white or magnolia every time. You can choose your favourite pigments and shift towards the lighter hues on the colour wheel.

Create a warm and inviting atmosphere with majestic hues of dusky pink, oatmeal or flavourful orange. To reflect the feel of an open natural landscape, choose lighter earthy tones, such as light sage green and calming blue.

Colours can be mixed, matched and incorporated into the space in a number of ways.

Colourful vanity units will create a playful lift, bright light walls will transcend natural rays through the space and speckles of darker colours can be used in moderation to build contour throughout smaller accessories such as toilet roll holders, towel rails and toilet seats.

Let the light flow

Natural light is the cheapest way to make your bathroom look bigger.

When the sun’s rays flood through a bathroom window, it instantly lights up the room whilst showing off the gorgeous shadows and contrasts across the room.

Depth and body created with natural light are key if you’re to create a truly tranquil bathroom with the feeling of more space and free movement.

Therefore, it’s important to let this light in.

Avoid cluttering the windows with mirrors, toothbrush pots and heavy blinds, and instead, illuminate the room with a warm glow and natural vibes.

 

Centre the room around one feature

Pick a feature and run with it.

Placing all the attention on just one bathroom feature will command space and attention by drawing the eye in. This will immediately create the illusion of a more expansive area.

If you have the room, a freestanding bath is one way to do this.

However, it could be something that actually takes up far less space. A high-level toilet is a perfect pick for narrow or shallow cloakroom toilets.

For master bathrooms where you require a little more storage space, a bold and bright vanity unit is certainly a core central feature to consider.

Alternatively, you may think about how to centre the room using vertical space, and instead create a colourful feature wall, shower backsplash or even panelling.

 

Use smaller features

Never lose sight of the purpose of your bathroom by getting lost solely in design.

It needs to work for your everyday needs. Therefore, it has to include some pretty important elements to make it function as a practical bathroom space.

So, here’s a design hack that marries together everyday living with space-saving perfection.

 

 

Try swapping key products and features for smaller, compact-room-friendly styles.

For example, if your basin looks too clunky, try a more traditional slender basin or small-sized basin. Perhaps you could try swapping out a bigger bath for a smaller one or instead opt for a shower-only bathroom.

These smaller products will in themselves act as fun-sized features, creating a better-streamlined flow in a more organic way.

And, they work both ways, whether you’re trying to make the space feel bigger, or promoting its smallness.

 

Accentuate wall height to bring space to the floor

When we think about small bathroom spaces, it’s important to think holistically. Instead of looking at just the floor space, bring the walls into the mix.

Wall-hung toilets, vanity units and floating basins are a great way to insinuate a sense of more floor space.

Taking these features up a level works to add depth, gliding lightweight texture across the room to maintain a clear and open feel.

 

 

Hide the toilet

A toilet is certainly a bathroom necessity, but sometimes it’s a key feature that can be a hindrance to space.

By putting your toilet cistern behind the wall, instantly you’ll have gained that bit more space in a modest and stylish way.

However, that’s not the only option. More space can be created when functionality becomes multi-purposeful.

Boxing in your toilet is a clever trick to add an extra dimension of layering across the room, whilst gaining a shelf for decorative features and a storage space for functional purposes. Or opt for a back-to-wall toilet.

And for a ready-made approach? WC units are the way to go. Available in a choice of colours, you can make your toilet a luxury bathroom centrepiece.

 

Mirror the room

Mirror mirror on the wall, harnesses one of the easiest ways to create big from small.

One of the oldest tricks in the interior design book; add a mirror.

So simple, yet so very effective, adding a floor-length mirror is one of the best ways to make a bathroom look bigger instantly.

Whether you fit the mirror to the back of the door, or to the wall, make your bathroom look double the size in seconds.

 

A frameless free-flow

To avoid a flat and clinical look, layering is important in any bathroom, regardless of its size.

However, breaking up a smaller space should be done with caution.

Thick linears and harsh silhouettes should be avoided in a bathroom where space is limited.

Instead, you want to be working on taking the ‘bulk’ out of the room, to keep the design fairly fluid, whilst still providing some level of layered texture.

Opting for slimline frameless shower enclosures or walk-in showers offers a more delicate approach to this, whilst keeping the majestic character of your bathroom alive.

 

 

Go large on tiles

If there’s one thing you do want to go big on, it’s the tiles.

It’s a common mistake; often people think ‘small bathroom, small tiles’. But lots of dividing lines, created when you tile a bathroom with smaller tiles, will actually enclose the room further.

Instead, think big.

When fitted floor to ceiling, large tiles formats avoid this issue and help to elude to a capacious space. Choose grout with a close colour match to the tiles to achieve a clean, flush finish.

 

Consistency all the way

With smaller spaces, you need to avoid jumping between too many different styles, colours and patterns. It’s important to choose a style and stick with it across your space.

That’s by no means to say that you can’t create clear-cut zones between different areas of the bathroom. In fact, this can help to keep the room refreshing on the eye.

Rather, pick a theme.

Choose perhaps two or three distinct colours or textiles that appeal to your design ambition whilst complimenting each other and work the style of your space around these choices.

Whether it’s an industrial finish, timeless traditional, hearty natural stone and timbers or a monochrome look, keep it consistent when choosing wall panels, products, tiles or smaller details such as taps and shower kits.

 

Turn a small bathroom into a feature

Making a small bathroom feel bigger is one way to go. But how about fully embracing the size, or lack of, and creating a dinky delight that acts as a core feature of your home?

Remember, small isn’t always a bad thing.

In fact, many homeowners fall in love with older buildings with cosy and quaint interiors where small is a key part of the property's period architecture and character.

If you’re all about celebrating tiny spaces, then we’ve got a few ideas on how to turn your small bathroom into a big feature.

Turn your attention to darker colours

 

 

For dramatic effect, it’s got to be a black bathroom.

As the darkest colour, it draws light and creates a more intimate space that boasts beautiful shadows and highlights. This gives the feeling that there’s more going on, bringing the space in and tying the room together in a sophisticated way.

But if you prefer a drop more colour, darker tones can be achieved with satin blue, sea green and aubergine purple. These vibrant hues are winning choices when celebrating smallness.

To lighten things up a touch and establish an elegant contrast, pair darker tones with lighter shades such as white, cream, oatmeal or even classic magnolia.

For narrow bathrooms, try a 50/50 split from floor to ceiling.

Use dark panels, tiles or paint at the bottom half of the wall, balanced against bright white and cream colours at the top of the wall. A dado rail is a subtle yet characterful feature that can be included to complete a clear-cut contrast.

Or for more dark, and less light, use a picture rail to split between darker walls and a lighter ceiling.

Be quirky

Think about products you wouldn’t necessarily expect to find in a smaller bathroom and invite them to the party.

For a bathroom that reflects your own personal style and character, choose a bathroom centrepiece that is entirely you.

This could be a bathroom product, such as a freestanding bath, a fabulous feature wall, or a statement piece of artwork. Whatever you choose, enjoy the every day-different that comes with your newfound petite bathroom design.

Tiny tiles

Big tiles make a bathroom look bigger, and, you guessed it, smaller tiles make a bathroom look smaller.

Contour more shaping detail into your space by opting for metro-style brick tiles with contrasting grout. Or, for something a little more abstract, choose intricate detailed patterned tiles.

 

 

A little summary of big ideas

Remember even the smallest bathrooms have huge potential.

If it’s time to give your bathroom a little love with a refurb, first decide whether you’re going to embrace all things small or work to achieve a larger look.

Lighter colours will always make a room feel bigger, whilst there’s plenty of room to get experimental with darker tones when celebrating smallness.

Smaller bathroom features, sophisticated storage and fine-tuned feature placement should always be considered to achieve a functional yet beautiful bathroom space.