The bathroom is one of the most important and functional rooms in the house, but because of the small size of many bathrooms requires a focus on accessible bath solutions in order to make the most of them.
Part of the reason for this is that, especially in older buildings before the most recent building regulations documents, architects would prioritise bedroom space over a bathroom design, meaning that bathrooms would typically have only just enough space for a toilet, sink and a bath.
However, particularly if you are making more substantial updates and upgrades to your bathroom, there are plenty of tricks and tips you can use to make the most of the space without it feeling cluttered or claustrophobic.
Here are some top tips to get the most out of a small bathroom.
Leave Out The Bath Entirely
If you can go without a soak in a bathtub, then by far the best solution is to get rid of it and give yourself more space for either a low-profile walk-in shower area or a shower area inside a wet room.
Wet rooms, in particular, have become a very popular option for bathroom design, as the continuous design opportunities they enable without a shower tray or bathtub interrupting the tracking of the eye makes the room feel longer and more spacious, and eliminates the step-over entirely.
Without the bulky bath in the way, the room can feel immediately bigger and less cluttered.
Opt For Multi-Purpose Storage Solutions
When space is at an absolute premium, it is actually less about what you can go without, but how well you can integrate storage with other functionality and build your bathroom around maximising opportunities to save space.
The easiest and most common example of this is to have a mirrored storage cabinet, which replaces the need to have a separate mirror fitted in the bathroom itself and can be used to store a range of different items, from medication to extra toiletries.
With smaller bathrooms, the key to making the space feel bigger is in the avoidance of clutter, as that can draw the eye and make a room feel smaller than it is.
Mirrors And Light
One of the most common tricks used when preparing a house for sale is to fit mirrors opposite the window and use bright neutral shades to reflect the light around the room and create the illusion of size.
Obviously, it is possible to go too far with this, and a completely white bathroom can feel a little too sterile, so use lighter, natural textures such as stone, marble and wood.
Wall Hang What You Can
Hanging your cabinets, your sinks and your toilet can make for an excellent luxury solution that creates a natural break for your eye between the fittings and the floor, which creates the illusion of more space.
The more of the floor you can get away with showing, the bigger the ultimate result, which means that if you can use wall-hung bathroom furniture, do so as much as possible.