Bathrooms often comprise the smallest rooms in the home, but we spend much of our time at home in them. Besides necessary bodily functions, we bathe in the bathroom, prepare for work or school, and get ready for special occasions like first dates and prom.
With all that time spent in the bathroom, wouldn't it feel great if it seemed more expansive than its actual size? Sure! You can make it feel and look larger, even if you turn a walk-in closet into an extra bathroom.
Let's start with our expertise – bathroom flooring ideas. The flooring you choose influences the ambiance and the room's overall feel.
Use Light Colors
Dark colors close in a space, but light colors open it up. When you choose a light-colored flooring material, you create the illusion of greater floor space. White, cream, and light tan work well in a bathroom.
Use the Same Material on the Walls
Have you ever noticed that in most saunas at spas, the flooring and the walls match? Both use the same material. Saunas feel rather spacious, though. Their design allows more than ten individuals to sit in them at one time, yet still feel spacious.
Spas do this by using the same flooring on the walls. Using all one material, especially one that looks like wood, ensures a clean feeling. Just as a room painted all one color feels bigger, you can achieve the same result using the flooring material on the walls.
This process works in a bathroom with tiles or engineered wood flooring. Using the same material in both places ensures the room shows no seams or dividing lines where floors end and walls begin. This creates the illusion of more space.
Keep in mind that wood and bathrooms don’t mix well. Hardwood products, like most vinyl products on the market, are not designed to have standing water on them, and the failure to manage them properly can result in a shorter life of the installation.
Choose Plain Colors and Tiles
Forget busy patterns in a small bathroom. Stick with monochrome designs. White works best.
Use the same color on the ceiling for uniformity. This continues the illusion of space.
Lay the flooring horizontally to create the appearance of a larger space. Sometimes, how you do something influences its outcome; in the case of flooring, the direction you install it can make a room feel larger.
Design That Works with the Flooring
The rest of your bathroom design must also work with the flooring and walls. You can work interior design elements into an existing bathroom or design from scratch.
Bathroom Design Elements
If you design a new bathroom as a part of a home addition or a new home, forgo the traditional design of a small bathroom window. Instead, flood the bathroom with natural light. Use a skylight and a large wall window to create a bright environment to make a small bathroom seem huge.
Frosted Glass on Huge Windows
If modesty or concerns about peeping neighbors bother you, use frosted glass in the windows instead of clear plate glass. The frosted windows emit the same amount of light but don't provide a view in or out of the room.
Design with a Focal Point
Design with a single focal point, then place the sinks across from it. Why? Because you'll hang a large mirror over the sinks to seemingly double the size of the room.
Use Frameless Glass Shower Screens
Skip shower curtains and shower doors. Instead, take a cue from hotel design. Hotels use a clear glass wall to separate the shower from the rest of the room. These frameless shower screens open up the bathroom while keeping everything dry while you shower.
Use Open Shelving
Small bathrooms have little space for cabinets, and furnishings would crowd the room. Using open shelving at shoulder height creates an out-of-the-way method of storing needed items and creates useful décor.
Interior Design for an Existing Small Bathroom
Don't despair if you're redoing an existing small bathroom. You can still make it feel bigger with new flooring and wall covering in matching materials. Use the following tips to create new storage options and make your space feel bigger.
Hang a Big Mirror
You still hang a large mirror over the sink. It should span the entire length of the counter that encloses the sink or go past it if your counter and sink use less space. To ensure your mirror reflects a gorgeous focal point, hang a piece of art on the opposite wall if it doesn't feature a window. Other options include hanging shelving on the opposite wall and placing a floral arrangement at the center point of the shelves.
Install Shelving
Add shelves as you would do in a new build. Use the space that's chest high and above to keep the flooring open yet have space for everything. Use pretty baskets to collect bottles of hair products or toiletry essentials.
Cut the Clutter
Back to the example of hotel room bathrooms, they prove that you don't need clutter to make a bath feel nice and provide the essentials. Reducing clutter in your bathroom and your home overall makes it feel bigger.
Re-Home the Laundry Bin
Save space by keeping your laundry bins in the bedrooms. Free up that space rather than using a large central bin in the bathroom. Provide each bedroom with a small laundry bin. This method also reduces musty smells in the bathroom since damp towels won't collect in one enclosed space in the future.
Get Started on Your Updated Bathroom
Shop the vast selection of materials at From The Forest to find your ideal bathroom flooring and wall materials. Let us help you design a bathroom that feels massive and offers all the amenities in a small space.