When we decorate our home, usually the last space we tend to focus on is our bathroom. Most of us live in small houses, therefore have small bathrooms. In family homes, things can get crowded, especially in the bathroom, between empty shampoo bottles and makeup stains, it’s just not the vibes.
Needless to say, organizing a bathroom, especially a tiny one, can be challenging. With limited space, it’s easy for bathroom counters and cabinets to become cluttered.
If we step back and really get strategic about what needs organizing and what things need to go, it can be a lot less daunting.
Enough rambling about why small bathrooms suck.
In this post, I’ll talk about 15 small bathroom ideas to make your bathroom look bigger.
How to actually deep clean a bathroom the right way
Declutter the space
Have you ever tried cleaning your room with clothes, books, and makeup crowding the floor? It’s impossible.
Clearing your space is overwhelming and daunting, but if you break it down into simple steps, it becomes a lot easier.
How to declutter your bathroom
- Start by grouping items like shampoos, towels, and beauty products
- Get rid of what you don’t need. This is easier said than done, but if you’re like me and have 10 towels in your small bathroom, chances are you aren’t going to use them all.
Begin by dusting
•Because bathrooms tend to be a lighter color, and shiny dust builds up like it’s a bathroom’s best friend. That being said, dust builds up everywhere on surfaces such as light fixtures, vents, and even walls. Removing dust may be tedious, but it’s worth the patience.
•A good tip is to start from the top of your bathroom and work your way down so you don’t miss any part.
Grandma’s way of deep cleaning
Ever wonder what your grandma’s secret was to keeping the bathroom so tidy? Me too, until my granny spilled the secret sauce to deep cleaning.
- Fewer products are better than too many cleaning products, because it builds up on surfaces like tiles and can be very sticky.
- Use bleach instead of filler cleaning products. This might sound scary to some who hate the smell of bleach or the harmful effects, but there’s a reason our grandmas used this product. Not only does it clean the best, but it also kills bacteria and fungus.
- Remember when you are using bleach, dilute it with water unless it’s already diluted in the bottle.
- Remember to wash bleach surfaces off with lukewarm water and a J cloth.
1.Strategic lighting fixtures
There’s nothing worse than a dark and dingy bathroom for so many reasons. For one, it’s hard to clean, and secondly, it’s hard to do makeup without decent lighting.
Strategic lighting fixtures are the way to combat this problem as they provide enough lighting to do your makeup and clean thoroughly. Well-balanced lighting creates the illusion of a much bigger space. According to Bassetts online, « Design experts note that clever lighting placement can create the illusion of spaciousness, especially when paired with mirrors and reflective surfaces ».
When I think of lighting, I think of its effect on my mood. Brighter light impacts the mood greatly, increasing that lovely hormone serotonin.
Not only does it have an impact on your state of mind. It goes back to practicality. Like painting a painting with no paint, having a bathroom with barely any lighting is pointless. I mean, you won’t be able to appreciate the small efforts you put in, the color of the tiles, the matching soap dishes, etc.
I love how lighting can transform your mood completely.
2.Hanging door storage
Hanging door storage is a great architectural solution for storage, as it equally minimizes clutter and frees floor space. It is also a safety hack, reducing the risk of anyone tripping on floor storage. Overall, I love this hack and wish I had thought of it sooner
3.Arch mirrors
Arch mirrors are all the rage this year, and I mean, why not? They radiate this high-end but minimalist style. The great thing about mirrors is that they reflect the room, opening the space, making the room appear smaller. One of the biggest benefits? Vertical illusion, which is defined as the concept whereby visual objects make something appear taller or more vertical. I love how the curved top draws the eye upward. Makes ceilings appear higher. Which is great for enhancing the sense of space in tight bathrooms, not to mention that arched mirrors are perfect for low ceilings or narrow layouts.
4.Corner shelving
In a small room, every piece of space on the ground or on the wall should be used. My favorite feature in a bathroom is shelving, as it transforms the whole space by adding texture and variety. However, most people tend to go wrong with bathroom shelving as they add clutter without having a system in place. When done right, corner shelving is great from a practicality standpoint and also aesthetically pleasing to look at. I love the idea of using floating shelves as they are easy to hang up on the wall and have a retro but minimalist feel. Especially if they are glass, they complement any design choice.
5.Wet room bathroom
If wet rooms had one fan, I’d be them. I mean, they are just so handy, as you don’t have to worry about getting the ground wet with shower water. Needless to say, I love the multifunctionality of wet rooms. If you’re anything like me and find yourself working with a small bathroom, a wet room might be the right call.
What is a wet room?
It’s a fully functional, waterproof room, where the shower is on the floor. It’s an old design type that has increased popularity mainly in the elderly generation.
6.Choosing the right tiles
Tiles are the make-or-break of a bathroom. If you have ugly tiles that look cluttered, they overwhelm the design of the bathroom. It might sound strange, but it’s been proven that larger tiles work better in smaller bathrooms. Why is that?
You might ask, fewer tiles result in fewer grout lines, which means less clutter.
7.Matching toiletry containers
If you find the space in your bathroom still feels cluttered despite deep cleaning it the previous day, there’s a simple solution to fix this. Swap out your old dusty shampoo and other toilery product bottles for new matching ones. Different bottles, bright labels, and mismatched colours can make even the nicest bathroom feel chaotic. That’s where matching toiletry containers come in.
This simple swap can instantly make your bathroom feel organised, minimal, and high-end without a full renovation. I love this idea because it’s such a low-effort way to make a real difference to your bathroom.
8.Magnetic strips for small storage
If space has run dry in your small bathroom, you might have to start thinking outside the box. Using a magnetic strip is a life hack that’s so easy yet effective for storing small items like bobby pins. I tried this hack myself, and honestly, it was a game-changer as I used to go through 1 packed of hair clips a week; with this hack, I don’t lose them.
9.Fold towels to save space
Have you ever been in a bathroom with many towels hung on one small rack? If you have, you know how much of an aesthetic killer it is. Clutter is a small bathrooms nightmare that’s why folding your towels the right way matters more than you’d think.
In the visual guide above, you’ll find a guide on how to fold and roll towels. Remember, the most important step is pulling after folding to ensure no towel gets loose in the process of folding.
10.Shower caddy
May seem like a small addition to add to a bathroom, but it makes a world of difference to the buildup of clutter. I love this one in particular in the photo below, as it adds a bit of a rustic feel to a minimalist bathroom.
11.Use labels
What do I do if clutter isn’t the problem, but rather the lack of matching shampoo and toiletries? Labels are the solution to this problem as they make everything look matching. I love these in the photo represented, as they are bold, and I love the fancy writing. Labels really are the secret game-changer for small bathroom design.
12.Under the sink storage
Credit goes to Pinterest @TheMimiEdit
Is one place of storage I personally completely overlooked, because it gets dusty, there’s cob webs, and a weird smell that mysteriously comes from the pipes. When I quit ignoring the storage opportunities that came with under-the-sink storage, my bathroom really leveled up.
13.Raised trays
Credit goes to Pinterest @shebethriving
Are not just a simple,e cute idea but rather a design feature that elevates your clutter off the counter. I love adding texture, and what better way than adding a wooden tray? You can find these in most interior sections of stores, such as Primark or even Amazon. They are one of my favorite items that really elevate my space.
14. Add different textures
When most people think about the most transformative thing they can do to make a small bathroom appear bigger, texture isn’t usually something that springs to mind. There’s not just one way to add texture; you can do it in many ways, layering different towels with varied fabrics. You could also use a grainy tiled wall for added texture or a textured art piece. The possibilities really are endless when adding texture to a bathroom.
15.Add skylight to bathroom
15. Adding a skylight if possible
This is by far the biggest hack to having a brighter, bigger bathroom because the truth is, nothing can replace natural light.
There you have it, 15 hacks to make your small bathroom appear bigger.
Thanks for reading
Love from,
the24homemaker
