8 small bathroom ideas that are simple and stylish

Using a small bathroom, day in, day out can quickly start to wear a little thin. If you don’t have the budget or time to knock out a wall to make it bigger, you could be forgiven for thinking there’s nothing you can do about increasing your space. However, this is far from the truth, as there are a number of simple actions you can take to make your small bathroom feel a little bigger. Whether you're looking to install a small powder room or just want to give your washroom a bigger bathroom feel, these ideas provide simple solutions to get it done.

You’d be surprised what a bit of extra light can do in a small space to make it feel better. Brightening a room will help eliminate dark spots, shadows and corners that can shroud a room, especially if there is also a lack of natural light. By brightening a room, you’ll see everything more clearly, including your walls, tiles, shelves, tub and more. Swapping out a few bulbs or changing the lighting fixtures is a quick and easy solution. The more light in your bathroom, the brighter, more inviting and larger your bathroom will seem. You can also brighten the space by choosing a lighter colour for your walls. Dark colours can still work, but make sure the paint or tiles contrast with the rest of the room to bring out its brightness.

Related article: 15 neat and nifty bathroom decorating ideas for 2024

Clutter is a surefire way to make any room feel cramped. It’s a big no-no in any sized bathroom, let alone a small one. Clutter includes any discarded items that you might leave around, like towels, clothes and grooming products. There have been studies to show that clutter can make you feel anxious in your own bathroom. Bathroom furniture storage is a great way to organise your things and reduce clutter. For example, some people will use a pocket door to eliminate space. Instead, try adding hooks on the door to hang towels and grooming essentials. You can even add shelving or baskets under a floating sink or near a tub to store a towel or other essentials. By eliminating clutter, you will feel better and discover space you never knew you had.

Does your small bathroom have a decent-sized mirror or multiple mirrors? You could be doing yourself a basic disservice if not. Making a small bathroom feel bigger can be done using design techniques like creating the illusion of space. Installing a nicely-sized bathroom mirror or two will help you do exactly that. A wall-mounted mirror will reflect the room and create a sense of space beyond the walls. This illusion is more effective when you purchase the right mirror for your walls. A small mirror may exaggerate the small space feel that you have. Instead, go for a large unit, ideally one that you can see your floor in. This will make your tiles feel lower to the ground in the mirror's reflection, which will also make the room seem much larger.

Related article: 15 stunning bathroom mirror ideas for Australian homes

This one seems obvious, but you’d be surprised by how many large cabinets you’ll find in extremely small bathrooms. The appeal of storage is what makes people do it, as they think they can never have enough storage. But large cabinets will do more harm than good for a small bathroom especially a narrow one, taking up valuable floor space in an already confined area. If you are worried about losing the storage, a light coloured shelf will give you some nice storage space that will bring an open, airy feel to your bathroom. Use other storage solutions like stylish baskets or containers to store your toiletries, which will also help make your space feel less cluttered.

Having a sink and toilet is non-negotiable, even for a small bathroom but that doesn't mean your sink or toilet needs to dominate the space. It also doesn’t mean you have to buy the smallest options on the market. Wall-mounted floating pieces are fantastic as far as small bathroom ideas go. For those who haven’t come across them before, they are vanities and toilets which are mounted to the wall leaving a space underneath. A floating vanity and toilet will create more floor space and also enhance the illusion of space, making the bathroom feel more open, especially when looking in from its entrance.

Shower cubicles can feel like they’re protruding in a small bathroom but you can make this feel less so if you are smart about it. The transparency of a glass shower screen will help mitigate this much more so than compared to something like a shower curtain. If you have a bathroom and shower combination, you can still install a glass shower door rather than a curtain for the bathtub. The glass shower door will then serve as a part of the bathroom instead of a closed-off partition. You can get glass walls for your shower or bath, no matter the shape, including rectangle, square, or curved. You’ll never be so happy to be rid of your shower curtain once you make the move.

Related article: 9 common types of shower heads - pros, cons and pricing

When people are dealing with small bathroom designs and tiles, they typically focus on the size of the tiles. Instead, consider the texture of the entire room. When your layout features different textures on the wall, floor or even the sink, it creates interest and brings out the bathroom's dimensions. These different focal points will keep the eye busy and help make it feel bigger. Consider how the texture of the floor tiles matches the bathtub or showers tiles in your home. Then, extend the area by matching up textures and contrasting them. You can have a great deal of fun by doing this, bringing out the true interior designer within.

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Maximise your bathroom space by utilising recessed shelves or niches built into walls or shower areas. These provide functional storage without extra space, offering a sleek and streamlined look. These built-in features are perfect for storing essentials like toiletries, towels, or decorative items, without sacrificing valuable floor or wall space. For some added flare you could add contrasting tiles, LED backlighting, or matching the material to your countertop or flooring.  

Related article: 18 neat bathroom storage ideas for Australian homes

Don't feel trapped by your small bathroom any longer than you have to. Whether you bring in new tiles, add brighter light fixtures or change the texture of your floors, these simple but stylish small bathroom ideas will help create depth and showcase your impressive bathroom design skills.

This article was updated on 25th November 2024

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