Have a small bathroom in your home? Would you like to make it appear larger? Small spaces can have a big impact on your home’s appearance, comfort, and even its value. If you’re preparing to sell your home, it’s important that you make every space feel as large as possible.
Even if you’re not preparing to sell, increasing the perceived size of a space can make the area more enjoyable, comfortable, and pleasing to the eye. No one enjoys feeling cramped, especially when you’re in your own home.
The good news is that that there are several steps you can take to make that bathroom appear larger. And you don’t even have to knock down walls or reroute plumbing. Some simple design changes could help you make the bathroom appear larger. Try implementing a few of the tips below.
Reduce transitions.
Transitions are your worst enemy when you’re trying to make a space appear larger. A transition is any point at which there is a sharp change in color or appearance. For instance, your floors may be white but your walls may be blue. Or you may have tile halfway up your walls with paint covering the other half. Both of those are examples of transitions.
The problem with transitions is that they break up the room. They help your eye carve up the room into segments. Instead of viewing the room as a whole, you view it in individual spaces or pieces. That makes the room look smaller.
Try redesigning your bathroom so there are fewer transitions. Use a paint for the walls that matches the shade of your floor tiles. If you have tiles in the shower, run them all the way up to the ceiling. You could even paint your ceiling to match your walls and floors. The fewer breaks and transitions you have, the larger your bathroom will feel.
Use large tiles.
Just as transitions on the walls can make a room feel cramped, so too can lines on the floor and in tile walls. When you use tile, you will naturally have grouted lines between the pieces of tile. There’s no avoiding those lines.
However, you can reduce the number of lines you have by using larger tiles. Each tile covers more space, reducing the number of tiles you need. That limits the amount of break lines you have between tiles, and the fewer lines you have, the larger your room will look.
Install big mirrors.
A mirror can be your best friend when you’re trying to enhance the size of a space. Why? Mirrors obviously reflect the space, making it appear larger than it really is. The larger the mirror, the bigger the impact will be.
Also, you can enhance the impact of the mirror by keeping it well-lit. Install lighting above the mirror. Better yet, install into the mirror, so the bulb is in front of the glass. The combination of reflection and light will help to make your bathroom look even bigger.
Finally, don’t get two mirrors, even if you have a double vanity. The use of two side-by-side mirrors creates another transition and break in space. That will actually offset the benefits you’ll gain from using a mirror.
Use a clear, frameless shower door.
Your shower may be its own separate space in your bathroom, but it doesn’t have to appear that way. In fact, it probably shouldn’t be that way. When your shower is cut off from the rest of the bathroom, it cuts down on the size of the space. That’s why it’s always a good idea to avoid shower curtains, frosted glass, or other obstructions that separate shower and bathroom.
Instead, consider using a clear, frameless shower door. These doors keep all the moisture inside the shower, but give the door a transparent look. The shower looks like it’s a part of the bathroom rather than a separate space. That helps to enhance the area’s size.
Let the natural light in.
Finally, one other important tip is to let in as much natural light as possible. Far too many homeowners put privacy ahead of design. They want to be sure that no one can see in the window, so they use heavy shutters or curtains.
You don’t have to choose between design and privacy. You can have both. The key is to get windows that allow light in while also protecting your privacy. One option is a window with a tone on tone stained glass. Another is a translucent shade over your windows. Remember, natural light enhances appearance. You want privacy, but you also want to let the light in.
Ready to redesign your bathroom? We’re here to help. From mirrors to windows to shower doors, Jack’s Glass can help you with all the glass items you need for your project. Contact us today to get started. Our knowledgeable and experienced glass consultants can help you choose the perfect materials for your bathroom makeover.
