As the massive DIY market powers its way toward the $14 billion a year mark, there are lots of people looking to get more out of their space in every way. In a small bathroom, finding ways to build some more space is vital to feeling comfortable at the start of every day. A few bathroom ideas might make you feel totally different inside of a familiar space.
Here are five tips to help you improve your bathroom.
1. More Shelves
If you want to ensure that you get more out of your small bathroom, consider building more shelves and adding elements to them. if you have more ways of getting things off the floor or organizing them better, pursue that route. While you might be tempted to store some things on the ground, bring it all up to a shelf or higher.
The more shelving that you can add to your small bathroom, the more it might seem spacious. However, the trick is to make sure that you use your shelving efficiently.
When you add shelves, you tighten your space up a little. When your shelves stick out 8 inches from each wall, you potentially lose several square feet in bathroom space. This might not be the ideal result, so you need to decide if this works for you.
If you’re storing things on the ground, going up is the way to go. You should always go up instead of out, but make sure you’re using your shelves wisely.
2. Take Out What You Don’t Need
Many people store more than they need to in their bathroom. While it might seem reasonable to keep excess toilet tissue, towels, and cleaning supplies in your bathroom, maybe there are some other places they could all live. Rather than keeping everything in a small bathroom, find ways to open up that space.
Put towels in a nearby closet or a shelf in your bedroom. If you don’t have a lot of strangers coming by, there’s no good reason to keep all of your towels in your bathroom. The same goes for your toilet tissue.
Consider an enclosed wardrobe for your things once you take them out of the bathroom. Placing that closed wardrobe just outside the bathroom ensures that you’re not making it hard to get to those things but not cluttering your bathroom.
Clean your bathroom out every so often to ensure that you don’t start building up clutter in there. Many people collect old magazines in a pile or in a basket in the bathroom. This might seem somewhat reasonable but could turn into a waste of space very quickly.
3. A Shower Instead of a Tub
If you have the budget for a serious remodeling effort, consider how far you could go. If you have a tub, you should consider replacing that tub with a shower. By making this choice, you buy yourself a lot of extra space.
Usually, a shower can fit inside half the space of a tub. While a bathtub is nice, they’re not always practical, easy to maintain, or inexpensive to clean properly. If you don’t ever lie down in your tub, maybe it’s time to consider replacing it with a shower.
While this might seem like an unnecessary investment, it’s a much better way to make use of your space in a small bathroom. If you’re constantly struggling for space, opening up a few square feet could end up going a long way in solving storage solutions.
If you have a family, you need to consider the reality of how they might feel. When someone is used to having something, they don’t always take kindly to making a switch. Even if your family is never in your bathtub, they’re going to start clamoring for their tub if you take it away.
Watch their tub habits if you’re looking to propose this idea.
4. Optical Illusions
There are a lot of ways to imply a bigger space when you’re stuck in a small one. One of the best ways to make a space seem bigger without building anything extra is to add a few optical elements to help out.
Mirrors go a long way in making a space seem bigger. If you have the budget or the space for them, add mirrors that stretch the length of the wall. Facing one mirror against another might seem too trippy for you, but it’ll give you more space as far as your eyes are concerned.
Painting things bright white also makes them seem bigger. If you want to ensure you get the most out of your space, pick bright colors and brilliant whites to make them look good.
5. Freestanding Sink
If you’re wasting space with a shelving unit under your sink, you might be wasting space. While this sometimes seems like a good idea, it’s often a place to store things that you forget about. Instead of making more room for storing things you should get rid of, just get rid of the clutter and the space that protects it.
A freestanding sink not only looks better than the average sink and shelf combination, but it gives you some real and perceived extra space.
Make it narrow and just enough of what you need and you’ll get more out of your space and leave little room for clutter. Keep yourself from lining your sink with products and you’ll build a cleaner and bigger sink.
Give yourself some new ventilation with the help of this guide and you’ll feel excited to be in your bathroom.
Bathroom Ideas Don’t Have to Be Pricey
When you’re coming up with some new bathroom ideas for your space, you don’t need to spend an arm and a leg. There are lots of clever DIY remodeling ideas that don’t cost much and end up being easy for you to implement.
If it’s time to move on to the kitchen after the bathroom, check out our guide for tips.