How to decorate a small bathroom and still save space

One of the most frustrating aspects of any home that can be decorated both aesthetically and functionally is the dreaded “small bathroom”. If you are an amateur decorator tasked only with bringing your own home to life and after five years you still haven’t found an answer to reviving the style of this tiny bathroom, don’t despair: very well paid and famous interior decorators have failed many times before you.

Oh, and there’s one more reason to delay despair. Sometimes the pros get so excited about showing off their latest trending concepts that they overlook the obvious. The following ideas for designing small bathrooms may not be the obvious answer to your problem, but they should definitely get you started figuring out how to decorate a small bathroom so that it remains functional while pleasing to the eye .

Storage solutions

Small bathrooms present enough storage problems; small bathrooms are basically just a little place in hell that has managed to climb to the surface. When it comes to designing and decorating small bathrooms, it is important to always find a way to introduce a storage component into any idea.

Adding shelves above the toilet, for example, achieves the goal of using limited space, adding extra storage space, and at the same time allowing your creative juices to be what those shelves look like. The sad truth of many bathrooms and far too many small bathrooms is that the wall space directly above the toilet is completely wasted. If you’re worried about something important falling into an open dresser, just don’t put anything that you can’t easily wash into this storage space.

If your small bathroom takes a second and the space is crowded with a bathtub, you may be able to double the storage space by removing the bathtub or replacing it with a stand-alone shower.

When you are at the planning stage for small bathroom design, one of the most useful ideas is to expand the limited counter area that you have to work with. The counters can be customized with outwardly tilting drawers as well as with curves that allow a little more space for adding storage components. The added cost of such an adjustment can be significantly reduced by the long-term convenience.

Keep it functional

Another key to always keep in mind is that the bathroom, more than any other room in the house – even the kitchen – should put function above form when there is competition between the two. Let’s face it, if a kitchen isn’t working, you can always eat out. When a bathroom doesn’t work, things get difficult. How can you design your small bathroom so that it is functional and yet not a completely uncomfortable space?

When several household members share a small bathroom, color coding accessories is one of the most aesthetically functional options. Assign each person in the house their own color for towels, storage baskets, toothbrushes, and other items to display. This type of organization not only gives the bathroom an instant pop of color, it also gives it a deep sense of functionality as everyone knows what to use and, perhaps more importantly, has to put away after use!

Amazingly, some people with small bathrooms try to save space by putting the dirty laundry basket in a separate room. This is the exact opposite of functionality! Your interior design ideas can come to life by choosing just the right container to fill all your decor dream, while also making sure that dirty laundry stays exactly where it should be before being tossed in the washing machine.

Did you know that the only place in your home that medicines should never be kept is in the medicine cabinet in a bathroom? All of this moisture and warmth is not good for most medications. So, if you are actually using your medicine cabinet for such purposes, this is an excellent way to add a functional design to the space. Tear the cabinet away from the wall and attach a long vertical mirror in its place, or remove the standard sink underneath along with the cabinet and replace both with a smaller pedestal sink and a shorter vertical mirror above.

Coloring

One of the easiest ways to add dramatic decor to your small bathroom is to add a little color. This has become easier and easier since my manufacturers realized that not all bathroom fittings have to be painted white by law. Did you know you can now add red toilets and blue tubs? Not to mention any other color in the spectrum.

Don’t you like this color spectrum? Here is a nifty little bathroom decorating idea that has the potential to make your small bathroom the unique conversation piece of your entire home decorating scheme. Grab your paint and brush and get to work adding color to toilets, tubs, sinks, floors, walls and ceilings yourself. Renew the cramped bathroom by adding a touch of whimsy that is clearly your own. And if you’re not particularly artistic, don’t be afraid: that’s what stamps and stencils are for.

Sometimes all a boring little bathroom needs to transform its lack of character is a unique pop of brilliant colors. In fact, small bathrooms really are one of the few types of spaces where the addition of just a single element of vibrant hue can make such a huge difference. Ah, but where can you find this contrasting color? Well, for starters, an incredibly pink toilet seat in a very small bathroom, where the predominant color is otherwise sterile white, can quickly deserve the “shocking” hue.

This little color pop trick can also be used to save big bucks. Instead of spending half your monthly income on quality ceramic tile, buy just a few one-off pieces with intricate designs in dazzling colors and randomly place them on the wall. The ultimate effect is usually bigger than if you had spent all that money decorating entire walls or floors.

Small bathroom layout ideas

Add the illusion of grandeur to your small bathroom by installing mirrors diagonally. If you don’t quite like the look, you can randomly place mirrored tiles for a more versatile design effect.

Small bathrooms are actually beneficial in that you can do some crazy types of decorations that would only be overwhelming if done in a larger room. For example, black and white checkerboard tiles on the floor that rise up on the surrounding walls and stop at random heights on each wall.

It’s the little things that matter most in a small bathroom. For example, things like personalized shower curtains, borders around mirrors, stencil designs on floors and ceilings. A little of these additions can go a long way in bringing a small bathroom to life.