Most of us dream of having a vast, spacious bathroom with a separate tub and shower, two sinks and maybe even a decadent chaise just for lounging between soaks. Well, whether you live that dream or not, you can make your bathroom live up to its full potential by using these strategies to give it a larger look. From carefully choosing your color palette and essential fixtures to employing a few clever visual tricks, you can use some or all of these tips to make your bathroom appear twice as large.
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1. Go Airy With White on White
One of the easiest ways to give your room a spacious look is to use lots of white — white tile, white paint, a white vanity and so on. This noncolor-color naturally recedes, making the space look bigger. It also reflects any available light, rather than absorbing it.
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Novale Bathrooms
White finishes can make any space look bigger, but they’re especially effective in a bathroom. Since a bathroom typically has lots of white fixtures already (the tub, toilet and sink, for example), using white for other surfaces creates a seamless look that makes the space appear as airy as possible.
Lindan Homes
Note that using lots of white doesn’t mean the space has to lack character. Using different textural elements such as molding, pale stone or tile and fabric accents, as well as the occasional touch of metallics or wood, will retain the seamless look while still giving the eye lots of richness to take in.
Concept Interiors
2. Try Tone on Tone
Not a fan of stark white? You can still get a very big and breezy effect with a tone-on-tone palette in warm beige, soft grays or even faint hues such as powder blue. Choose a sumptuous tile, and find a paint color for the remaining walls that picks up on one of the hues within it. The overall effect is still serene and spa-like, without the jarring visual breaks to shrink your perception of the space.
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3. Use a Floating Vanity
In a tight bathroom space, it can be tricky to balance a demand for storage with a desire for space to breathe. A floating vanity is a great answer. It gives you lots of room to store daily essentials, but the peek of flooring underneath makes the area feel a notch more open. In a very small space, having a little bit more room to plant your feet can make a big difference.
Lupe Clemente Fotografía
4. Less Is More
If you don’t really need maximum storage, consider using a smaller vanity to leave a bit more open space, rather than fitting in the biggest unit you can. Leaving a little negative space will make the area feel less stuffed, and thus roomier. And if your toilet or tub is next to your vanity, you’ll appreciate the extra open space even more.
5. Go Big With Your Mirror
A large mirror can double the size of your space and, in a bathroom especially, can really help visually double your investment.
Toronto Interior Design Group
In one sense, a very large mirror can be a bit expensive. However, compared with the price of tiling that wall, a mirror can actually give you an equally dramatic look (if not more so) at a better value.
Splurge on a large mirror with a beautiful frame, or go wall-to-wall with a custom-sized piece. The effect can be so powerful that you need little else to make the room look perfectly finished. This can be especially effective in slim powder rooms with small walls that don’t take much glass to cover.
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6. Use a Glass Panel
Another great way to expand the look of your space is by replacing a shower curtain (which forms a bit of a visual wall even when drawn open) with a glass panel or door. The entire square footage of the room will be visible at once for a bigger look, especially when you’re in the shower.
Toronto Interior Design Group
If you prefer more privacy, you can use a frosted or tinted glass panel, which will still allow a lot of light to filter through so your shower experience feels less claustrophobic.
If you’re performing a complete renovation and don’t consider yourself a bath person, try skipping the tub altogether and installing just a shower stall instead. They are easier to get in and out of, and removing the tub eliminates a lot of bulk that eats up precious room.
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Wettling Architects
7. Find Your Niche
Sometimes a little extra space can go a long way. Adding an open niche not only steals some empty wall cavity space to use as storage, but it can add a lot of visual depth that makes the walls look farther away than they really are.
Breeze Giannasio Interiors
Don’t love open shelving? Use that niche space for an inset cabinet and get all that functional storage without having a large object protruding into the room at eye level. This will make the vanity area feel much more open and give you lots of extra elbow room.
Keep in mind that plumbing, studs and other hidden conditions can affect where you can and can’t add a niche, so you should definitely talk to a professional before planning to open any walls.
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Covello Design
8. Apply Bright Lighting
Good lighting is important to making any space look big and open, but in bathrooms, which often don’t have much natural light available, it’s especially important. Plus, in a bathroom, you need good lighting to do things such as shave or apply makeup effectively, so its importance can’t be overstated.
Constructionologists
For these reasons, it’s key to have a rich lighting scheme, preferably with multiple light sources at different locations. A grid of ceiling lights, as well as sconces or a contemporary edge-lighted mirror will help you avoid shadowing and make the space feel bright and open.
In a small powder room, or where you can’t add new electrical for lights, try changing your ceiling light to one with multiple bulbs so you have light coming from several directions from one fixture.
9. Create Long Lines
Whether your bathroom is a typical rectangle or more oddly shaped, you can usually find one wall or area that’s a bit longer than others to emphasize. Adding a shelf, a band of tile, a molding chair rail or another long element (even a simple stripe of paint) can help emphasize the longest line in your room and draw the eye to the widest point.
In this room, the encroaching low ceiling is de-emphasized by the wide shelf and tile backsplash that highlight the widest point just below where the slope begins.
Fluidesign Studio
10. Visually Push the Walls Apart
If your bathroom is already very long and tunnel-shaped, rather than emphasize the length even more, consider working against the length and visually stretching the width instead.
This room uses the direction of the long, elegant floor tiles, as well as a band of accent tile in the shower, to visually stretch the width of the room for a more balanced look and a less tunnel-like atmosphere.
Jodie Rosen Design
11. Go Vertical
If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em! Sometimes, if your bathroom has small square footage, rather than try to make it look bigger horizontally, the smartest approach is to embrace the height as the largest dimension and emphasize that feature instead.
Using vertical elements as simple as a tall, thin mirror and a bold accent color on a skinny wall can enhance the height of a space and make the room feel big and breezy from that perspective. Add some delicate lights and a little black and white tile, and you’ve got lots to keep the eye moving from flooring to ceiling.
Siren Spaces
12. Keep a Low Profile
Want to add some personality or drama to your bathroom without visually shrinking the space? Just look down. Try adding drama to elements with a lower profile, such as the vanity or the floor tile, while keeping the elements around your eyeline more simple and open. This approach gives the room lots of character while still maintaining a sense of openness. In fact, having a dark or vibrant color near floor level can sometimes make the upper half of the room feel even more open and airy by contrast.
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With expertise in interior design and spatial optimization, I can delve into strategies that amplify the perceived size of a bathroom. The concepts discussed in the article offer a comprehensive guide to visually expand any bathroom space.
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White on White: The use of white creates an illusion of space by reflecting light and visually expanding boundaries. Employing white for various elements—tiles, paint, and fixtures—enhances the seamless, airy appearance.
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Tone on Tone: Beyond stark white, employing a palette of soft tones like warm beige, gentle grays, or subdued hues creates a serene, spa-like ambiance. Coordinating tiles and wall colors in a similar tone amplifies the perceived expanse.
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Floating Vanity: Balancing storage needs with spatial openness, a floating vanity maximizes floor space visibility, making the area feel more expansive.
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Less Is More: Opting for a smaller vanity or leaving negative space, rather than crowding the area with bulky furniture, generates a sense of roominess.
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Amplify with Mirrors: Large mirrors contribute to an optical enlargement of space, reflecting light and creating an illusion of depth. Investing in a sizable, well-framed mirror can drastically enhance the perceived size of the bathroom.
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Glass Panels or Doors: Replacing shower curtains with transparent or lightly tinted glass panels enlarges the visual footprint of the room by eliminating visual barriers, especially beneficial in smaller spaces.
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Niche Utilization: Creating open niches or inset cabinets not only serves as functional storage but also adds visual depth, making walls appear farther away.
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Bright Lighting: Adequate lighting, especially in bathrooms lacking natural light, is crucial. Multiple light sources—ceiling lights, sconces, or edge-lighted mirrors—eliminate shadows and enhance the spacious feel.
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Emphasize Long Lines: Highlighting the longest wall or area with elements like shelves, bands of tile, or paint stripes draws attention to the widest point, visually expanding the space.
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Visual Width Enhancement: In elongated bathrooms, emphasizing width using design elements like floor tiles or accent bands counteracts a tunnel-like appearance, achieving visual balance.
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Vertical Emphasis: Embracing height rather than width can be beneficial in smaller bathrooms. Incorporating tall, slender mirrors or vertical design elements accentuates height, making the room feel more expansive.
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Low Profile Drama: Adding character without compromising space involves using bold elements, like dramatic floor tiles or vanity designs, while keeping eye-level areas simple and open, creating an illusion of openness.
Each strategy capitalizes on visual perceptions to optimize the perceived size of a bathroom, creating a spacious and inviting ambiance regardless of actual square footage.
