Designing small bathrooms is no small feat! Making sure you’re using the space to the best of its ability is a tricky task. Get it wrong and you risk swamping the room or overpowering it. We recently saw a small bathroom where the lady couldn’t step out of the shower without almost being a contortionist having to bend around the glass shower screen and avoid stepping into the toilet!
At Alan Heath and Sons, we like to create beautiful serene bathrooms and that includes small bathrooms too.
Here are another six ideas for designing your small bathroom space.
1. Use a corner basin in a small bathroom
When designing a small bathroom, you need to work out how you’re going to fit in all the essentials. One of those is your basin. The basin can jut out and take over the bathroom if you’re not too careful. Using a corner sink could be an option for a small room.
Use up the dead space in the corner and go for a curved design to keep the look minimal. You could pop a bit of storage underneath too.
2. Shower curtain instead of a shower door?
Here’s an idea that goes against all of the advice out there. Use a shower curtain not a shower door. The shower curtain can be drawn back and show more of the room as well as being easier to enter and exit your shower than a glass door.
If you’re short on space then a big glass door opening into your shower is best avoided if possible.
NB: You’re likely to create far more problems than you gain with this option. Water will escape from the shower area as it invariably does with a curtain. Another option are shower doors than open inwards, into the cubicle, rather than outwards and therefore the screen can be left open helping with elbow and shoulder room.
3. Vanity basin with storage underneath
Using hidden or dead space is where the smart money is at for bathroom design. Under your basin is a prime spot for lost space – let’s fix that.
Using your under basin zone for storage or towel hanging is a popular and sensible bet here. Toilet rolls, spare soap or simply hanging your hand towel uses valuable space wisely and can even be practical too.
4. Wide mirrors create more space visually
We’re all familiar with the mirror trick, yes? We see mirrors used everywhere to create the feeling of more space. But just having a mirror doesn’t have to be the final answer. Why not look further into the mirror and see what else you can do with it?
The wider your mirror, the more mirror you’ll have – and by elongating the reflection you’ll give yourself more visual space. It’s a dramatic effect too.
5. Consider a small bath instead of a shower
Yes, we know – a bath is bigger than a shower – but go with us for a second. Every home needs a bath and although a shower is more convenient you can still have a bath/shower combination.
Go for a smaller bath tub with a half glass shower screen. It will stop most of the water escaping, it won’t swamp the room and you get the best of both worlds. Bath and shower depending on your mood and still keep your space for the WC.
I’m again not sure on this one. Most people who have a bath want to be able to relax in the bath. If you go for a shorter bath you are more likely to have to sit in it rather than lay in it.
6. Towels on the back of the door
Of course when you get out of the shower or the bath you’ll need a god rub down. The humble towel is your friend but it can be a foe in your fight for space. You probably shut the door when you shower leaving the back of the door exposed and crying out for towel hanging.
Don’t just go for a hook – go the full hog and secure your towel rail on the door. Your towels will be accessible when you need them and hidden when you don’t.
NB: You’ll need to make sure that your door is suitable for the weight of the towel rail and a damp towel… always plan for the worst.
Alan Heath and Sons – Finding space in your bathroom since 1987…!
Looking for space in your bathroom is sometimes very simple. Be clever with storage, don’t use sharp-edged suites and try to keep it light with a clear floor.
Small bathrooms can be very spacious when you plan well. Need more help? Contact us today or visit our Coventry bathroom showroom.