Small Bathroom Designs

Decorating Small Bathroom: Ideas and Designs

Small Bathroom Ideas on a Budget
Before you decide remodeling a small bathroom, ideas and your budget should be jotted down. This helps you in allocating the money for the paints, fixtures and the other accessories for your bathroom. Scale map of the bathroom as it stands at the moment, using ordinary graph paper. Most of the plumbing supply pipes and other waste outlets can be difficult to change and move around , not to forget extremely expensive as well. So be realistic in your designs and how much of the bathroom space you can change. Include costs for contractors, electricians and plumbers if you're not a major fan of the DIY projects. Read more on bathroom decoration ideas.

Colors and Bathroom Tiles
Pale, pastel colors, neutrals or the usual whites tend to give an illusion of space to any room including your small bathrooms. These cool colors can be paired off with strong, bright colors for the accessories and the towels. This helps in brightening up the space while making it look larger and airier. While some people opt for bold reds and oranges to rev up the small spaces, they can make a smaller bathroom look and feel constrained. For tiled walls, use different colored or patterned tile on top of the walls to draw eyes upwards. Just like the walls the floor needs to be done up in a lighter colored tiles in tan grays and light blues. Read more on bathroom color schemes and accessories.

Cabinets and Drawers
When it comes to small bathrooms, storage is the key to a clutter free, clean look. For this you can organize drawers and cabinets to maximize countertop space and minimize clutter. Open shelving makes the space to appear bigger by allowing you to see all the way to the wall. Under-sink storage and towel bars create a clutter-free countertop. A floating vanity or a pedestal sink takes up less space without compromising style. These are available in a range of designs, colors and style. Limit the items like storage shelves, hampers, and decorative items as they can take up too much of the space in the bathrooms. Sometimes small storage spaces just outside the bathroom, or in the hallway can help you save up the valuable space and help you declutter. Read more on bathroom storage tips.

Lighting
Increasing the natural light in the room by installing a new window, or even putting in a skylight makes the space look airier and open. Moreover, additional light fixtures or using higher wattage bulbs makes the bathroom look brighter and more inviting, This extra bathroom lighting opens up the space and makes the wall look farther apart than they are. Adding mirrors to the room helps to capture all of the available light and reflect it back into the room making it look brighter and much more spacious as the reflection makes the walls look farther apart. Read more on bathroom design ideas.

Other Very Small Bathroom Ideas
Use small and deep bathtubs or glass shower enclosures to give the illusion of space in small baths. You should also be mindful of a door swing as the opening and closing of the door can take quite some space in the room.

Bathroom Photos

Bathroom Designs Ideas

Making Your Own Spa Bathroom

Whirlpool Bathtub
The first and foremost thing that is vital for a spa bathroom is a whirlpool tub, or soaking tub. Keeping in mind that this type of bathtub is about five to ten times more costly than a traditional one, it may seem a little extravagant at the first go. However, you will realize its worth once you come from a stressful day at work and spend an hour at your whirlpool tub, relaxing and leaving back all your worries in there.

Selection Of Bathtub
Once you have decided that you want to go for a whirlpool tub, the second issue is selecting one. The selection of the tub will depend entirely upon your usage. However, the size of tub that would fit in your bathroom and whether you want it to be heated or not is entirely your jurisdiction. If you have space, it is generally nice to put the tub in a small, recessed alcove or simply on a raised platform, to separate it from the rest of the bathroom.

Walk-in Showers
Walk-in showers are amongst the popular elements of a spa bathroom. Made of ceramic tile, natural stone, glass blocks, marble or glass tiles, they have a rainfall showerhead, which is mounted into the ceiling. Some walk-in showers also include multiple body jets that are located in the space along each side wall of the shower. Select the one that suits your needs the best.

Double Vanity
Another feature that is vital in a spa bathroom is a double vanity. You need to have a private closet in the bathroom, so that you do not end up fighting with your spouse for sink space! Generally, a double vanity is sixty inches long, but if you are ready to spend some extra bucks, you can get it customized as per your needs as well. This will solve the problem of someone disturbing you in the spa, to use the bathroom for practical reasons.

Heating
Heated flooring and towel bars are more a necessity, rather than a luxury, in a spa bathroom. After all, who wants to get out of a warm cozy tub and get exposed to a cold place? So, you need to have in-floor heating with ceramic tiles in your bathroom. In case you want to have some aesthetic heating in your spa zone, go for gas, electric or wood fireplace. At times, it is very calming to sit and watch the fire, while you relax in the bathtub.

Lighting
Lighting is very important factor that you need to keep in concern, while designing your spa bathroom. You will certainly need several kinds of lighting in the bathroom. Bright, natural light would be required in the vanity area, while in the whirlpool area; you'll need indirect and dimmer lights. Overhead light source in the shower will also be required. To give a natural look to your bathroom, include as many windows as possible.

Bathroom Designs

How To Make Your Small Bathroom Look Larger

•      Vertical stripes will do all the magic for your walls! Consider sticking on wallpaper, patterned with vertical stripes. The stripes will make the ceiling look taller and open up the space in the bathroom as well.

•      Another option to brighten up the bathroom and virtually increase its space is to paint the walls with off white, white, cool colors or light pastel shades. Avoid using dark and warm colors, which tend to 'shrink' the space.

•      Coordinate the look of the walls with suitable flooring. You may opt for light colored marble or floor tiles as well.

•      Instead of using accessories to store the bathroom essentials, consider installing cupboards and shelves, high up on the wall. This will reduce clutter, which will in turn make your bathroom look bigger.

•      Installing floating shelves above the toilet is a nice idea to open up the space. You can keep toiletries such as facial tissues, toiler paper etc. in the shelves.

•      The standard door is not recommended for a small bathroom. Sliding door will serve the purpose, because you will save a lot of space.

•      Mirror can create the illusion of more space. Hang large decorative mirrors on the wall. By doing this, more light will be reflected and the space will be opened up. Make sure that the mirrors are installed at a perfect angle to the lighting fixtures.

•      Lighting is a decisive factor, which can either increase or reduce the space of a room. Use wall sconces for your bathroom. Get rid of the shadow cast in the corners of the room, which make the room look small, by illuminating those areas.

•      Do not clutter your bathroom unnecessarily, by placing accessories like baskets and excessive toiletry products. The emptier the room, the more spacious will it look.

•      Do not overcrowd your counters with makeup products, hair care items and brushes. Place them back in the cupboards, immediately after use.

•      Since a bathtub occupies a lot of space, consider having one that is compact and allows you to move freely in your bathroom. A lower-walled bathtub is suitable for small bathroom, because it creates the illusion of more space.