Professional design techniques and clever space planning can help you make a big impression regardless of your bathroom's dimensions. When square footage is limited, you'll want to make every inch count. Reducing clutter should be the first order of business.

Think Positive
Play up your bathroom's best features by emphasizing qualities like intimacy and coziness.

"The warmth of natural bamboo floor or warm painted planks with brass inlaid details add to the texture and richness of a small place," says Carolyn Robbins, a designer in San Rafael, California.

"Add details one wouldn't expect and could be cost prohibitive in a larger area," she adds. Luxurious wood or stone accents and stylish finishes have a high impact in small spaces.

Color is Key
The best way to create a soothing, calming ambience is with color. Pale colors and neutrals make a room feel bigger because they reflect light.

"In an extremely small bath, the right wall color gives the room life," says Lesley Pinder McCarthy, design manager for John Wieland Homes in Charlotte, N.C. "You want a shade that is vibrant but not bright. Soft blue or a green-blue like sea foam are great choices. Avoid anything dark, boring or beige."

Use the same color on trim, doors, cabinets and counters as you put on the walls. This keeps the eye moving and gives the impression of more space. For the ceiling, go for a lighter tint of the wall color.

In a tiled bath, monochromatic colors and matching patterns make the room appear larger. Using the same tile for the walls, floor and shower allows your eye to flow and expands your visual space.

Fool the Eye
Raise or hang cabinets to keep the eye moving up, away from the floor. Robbins recommends using a counter and supporting legs for the basin area instead of a cabinet to create the impression of extended flooring.

Reflective and transparent materials can enhance the bathroom's proportions. Two mirrors positioned opposite each other to give the illusion of a never-ending room.

Allow natural light whenever possible. Instead of covering up windows, use light fabrics with little or no pattern. Hang curtains a few inches above the window frame to make the ceiling look higher. This trick applies to shower curtains, too, but, better yet, replace curtains with a clear-glass shower door. Choose glass rather than opaque shelving.

Strategic Space Planning
Create extra storage room by recessing shelving into the wall between studs or placing an étagère or over the toilet. Replace traditional doors with sliding ones or shoji-style screens. Save both real and perceived space by installing a wall-mounted sink. Use a single-control faucet.

Compact showers, sinks, toilets and vanities take up less room than standard sizes. Choose low-rise units such as a round toilet bowl that is shorter than an elongated one. Replace your existing bathtub with a lower-walled one to give the illusion of more space. Look for a five-foot tub with a flat bottom - it is deep enough for a pleasant bath and perfect for showering. Use every available inch. You can place shelving or even a tub-shower unit in a corner like Jacuzzi's Custom Neo-Angle™ Shower System or Summer Rain™ Neo Shower System.

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Sources

Carolyn Robbins
Carolyn Robbins Design
www.carolynrobbinsdesign.com

Lesley Pinder McCarthy
John Wieland Homes
www.johnwielandhomes.com