5 handy ways to make a small bathroom feel bigger

If you’ve spent any time on our blog at length here at NPM Bathrooms, or taken a wander through our designer bathroom showroom, you’ll know that we firmly believe that bathrooms are more than just a place to get yourself clean and hygienic. Modern bathrooms can be a space where you go to get some time to yourself, to relax in your own personal oasis as you let your worries drift away in a hot shower, or sit back in the bath with some scented candles and a scintillating book.

However, we know that achieving that sense of calm and serenity can be difficult if the space feels too cramped and cluttered. So with that in mind, here are our top tips on how to easily open up a small space!

Strip everything back down to the bare essentials

Bathrooms are one of those rooms which, over time, can end up accumulating all sorts of odds, ends, and Stuff with a capital S. So when it’s starting to feel like you can’t properly move around in there, a good thing to do first is to take everything out but what actually needs to be in there. You’ll probably find that the toilet, shower and sink are the only fundamentals, and when you work upwards from those, you can end up successfully removing a fair amount of clutter.

What you’ll ideally be left with is a bathroom with surfaces that are a lot more clean and clear, giving the area some much-needed visual space, and possibly even reflecting more light around your bathroom. If you need any more storage solutions for toiletries or other ancillaries, see if you can integrate them into existing features, such as under the sink.

Keep the floors clear if you can

Following closely on from our point above, if you want to clear the space and keep it looking clean and spacious, it’s worth focusing your attention on the floor, and whether you’ve only got the bare essentials down there. It’s difficult to feel like your bathroom is airy and spacious if you find yourself constantly having to pick your way through numerous ground-level obstacles to use it. If you’ve got any decorations you’d like to put in it, keep them confined to your walls and out of your way if you can. And when it comes to storage solutions, keep them tall and thin rather than short and wide, to maintain the amount of available floorspace.

Be selective with your choice of colour

It’s not unusual for small bathrooms to suffer a bit in terms of the amount of natural light they get, and many don’t have any windows at all. What’s more, if the existing colour scheme is too dark or rich, it can have the effect of making the space feel a bit cramped or dingy. To counter that, opt for a brighter colour scheme of white or pastel colours, as they’re far better at reflecting the light available. If you’re unsure about what sort of colour to choose, one safe option to go for is a largely white colour scheme, finished with a bit of texture from natural wooden floors and strong black fixtures.

Pause to reflect

Mirrors have a fantastic ability to visually amplify the amount of space available in a smaller room, partially because – you guessed it – they’re very good at reflecting light. Most bathrooms will have at least one mirror anyway, but you might want to consider installing a single large one above the sink, which generally works well. Alternatively, if you’d like you can opt for an arrangement of smaller ones – possibly in a variety of different styles, which can add some visual intrigue to the bathroom wall without compromising the overall spacious feel. (We’ve written a little more about the best ways to use bathroom mirrors in a previous post.)

Come up tiling

When it comes to tiles for your bathroom, we’d recommend opting for larger ones if you can. What this does is essentially reduce the amount of grout lines in your bathroom, which can end up making the space feel confined and grid-like. On the other hand, the spacious look of larger tiles produces less visual ‘noise’ for your brain to process when looking at the bathroom, effectively making it feel bigger.

Those are just a few of our suggestions – you might well have some of your own! If you need a little more guidance, or you want to discuss them further, our bathroom designers are only too happy to oblige right here at NPM Bathrooms. Feel free to look through our customer bathroom gallery or head by our showroom on Manchester Road if you’d like more inspiration. We’re here to help!