Most homes do not have huge bathroom spaces, but there are several light and airy colors that can make your small bathroom look bigger.
Creating a bathroom design which is both beautiful and functional can be difficult, but managing the lighting, materials and layout carefully can help you on your way.
Bathrooms need to fulfil several functions, but are also used often and should feel like they form part of the home’s design.
However, if your bathroom is particularly small, there are several visual tricks you could employ to make the space feel bigger.
These tricks can range from big mirrors to removing shower doors and everything in between, in order to maximize a light floor space within a small bathroom.
Using strategic color schemes within a smaller bathroom is one of the most effective ways to ensure that the space always feels light and airy, no matter how big the room actually is.
General bathroom design principles
Whether you are building a bathroom from scratch or renovating or redecorating an existing bathroom, selecting everything from the fixtures, surface materials, cabinets, electrical and everything else down to the plumbing options for a bathroom and hoping that all of these elements for a cohesive design at the end, can be very overwhelming.
Luckily, there are several tips and tricks to bathroom designs, which will ensure that you end up with a bathroom design, which is functional and reflects your personal style.
It is important in any room design to consider and balance the appearance, practicality, and durability of every element which you place into that room, but this is especially important in bathrooms, where there are many different functions and needs to be met.
To increase the functionality of your space, it is important to create a logical layout in your bathroom.
All the big elements like the tub, shower and sink should have their own dedicated space, and to avoid the feeling that everything was just squeezed into the room.
It is also advisable to never make the toilet the centerpiece of your layout visually, as this may bring the energy of the whole space down.
Since bathrooms are used for so many tasks from grooming to putting on makeup, using materials that can withstand daily use is always a smart idea.
Use materials like porcelain and metals to ensure that your bathroom will keep looking great over time, and is easy to keep clean.
The lighting within a bathroom is also very important. Adding adequate lighting and even lighting on different levels and at different angles, can help you to be able to see what you are doing, but also to help you create a calmer atmosphere within your design.
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Tips for making a small bathroom feel bigger
Very few people have large, open bathroom spaces or even the opportunity to expand their bathrooms if they wanted to.
This means that most people will need to use other ways to ensure that their bathrooms do not feel too cramped and small.
The easiest way to increase the actual floor space within your small bathroom, is to choose wall-mounted fittings whenever possible.
Wall mounted toilets and basins can be expensive to put in, but the sleek floating effect they have, will open up your bathroom space and make it feel much larger than it actually is. Using glass paneling is another smart way to make the bathroom feel open.
Adding glass touches can also help to improve the natural light in the room, as there will be no dark corners where the light is obstructed by walls.
Some designers even advise that you should remove shower walls and doors entirely, which will give the space a very modern look.
Adding big mirrors or even multiple smaller mirrors, like this Walker Edison round copper mirror set can be a great way to make your tiny bathroom feel more expansive than it actually is.
These mirrors will reflect light throughout the room, and make the walls feel further apart.
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A mirror that is the same size as an entire wall, can have a striking design effect and will certainly make your bathroom feel almost twice as big, by removing the harsh line of the wall and reflecting the room.
Minimal clutter on shelves and on the floor is also an effective way to make the space appear bigger. The less clutter, the bigger the space will appear and the less overwhelming and closed off you will feel within the space.
Although these design choices can be very effective in making a space feel big and open, choosing the right color scheme for your small bathroom is essential in making the space feel bigger than it is.
What colors make your bathroom look bigger?
White colors for small bathrooms
White reflects any light in the room instead of absorbing it, which ensures that the space feels bigger than it actually is.
This white color can be added in many different ways, including using white tiles, towels and even painting the vanity or the walls white.
Many of the elements that need to be added to a bathroom design like the toilet, basin and tub are traditionally also white.
By adding white to other elements in the room, like the walls and floors, you can create a seamless look, which will help to make the space feel like it just goes on forever.
This trick can be effective if you use the same color for the flooring and the walls, and using different textures for different elements can help to keep the space interesting, even if the same colors are used over and over again.
Alternatively, using the same color on the molding and on the ceiling can also help the ceiling to appear taller, which will also make your small bathroom feel bigger.
If this pure white look is not exactly what you are going for, you can also use off-white colors like beige and cream to create the same light and bright look.
Ancient Marble by Sherwin Williams (D1CCB9) and Shaker Beige by Benjamin Moore (D2C3A8) are two examples of light beige colors, which are not a stark white but will still have the same brightening effect as white.
Additionally, they can be used on multiple surfaces to achieve the same seamless effect.
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Light blue colors for small bathrooms
White and beige are not the only light and bright colors which can be added to small bathrooms.
Many people add statement walls in other colors, or even use these colors in other places like on furniture tubs and basins to add a bit of interest and personality to their bathrooms.
Powder or pastel blue are popular colors to use in smaller bathrooms. Using a blue color in the bathroom can add a sense of freshness, peace and inspiration to the entire space.
Magnolia’s Vibrant Horizon (AFCACD) and Benjamin Moore’s Harbor Fog (D4E8EE) are two light blue paint options that would work well within a small bathroom.
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Light pink colors for small bathrooms
If the cooler blue tones do not fit into your personal style, a lighter pink option will give you the same lightening and brightening effect, but in a warmer tone.
The color Setting Plaster by Farrow & Ball (EDD8C3) is a beautiful soft pink color which can be used or emulated in many different places in a small bathroom.
The softness of this color means that it can almost be considered a neutral color within the bathroom.
If you are considering a pink color and want to really go for a bold, colorful look within your bathroom, Early Sunrise by Benjamin Moore (F7D0DA) is a paint color which will have a striking effect, but still not overwhelm a small bathroom’s design.
Whether you are using a bright and light white, blue or pink shade – the trick to adding color to a small bathroom is minimizing contrast and defining lines to create a seamless effect, which will make the entire space feel bigger.
Conclusion
There are a few different elements which should be present in any good bathroom design, such as: balance the appearance, practicality, and durability.
Improving the layout and lighting in your bathroom can help to increase the functionality of your bathroom, but oftentimes, bathrooms are small and still need to cater to many different tasks and even with a smart design, the room still feels closed off and small.
If this is the case, using smart colors along with this smart design can be an effective way to make your bathroom feel more expansive than it actually is.
Light colors work well in small spaces, because these colors are particularly good at eliminating harsh contrasts and reflecting light from different surfaces in the room.
Pure white and off-white beige colors are classic choices for any small bathroom, but there are also more bold choices in the light and bright shade range, like light blues and pinks, which can help you add some personality to a tiny room.
