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There are plenty of ways to make your home’s interior look and feel bigger. Rearranging your furniture, using large mirrors, and getting creative with storage are all ways to create (or at least give the illusion of) more space. This is a bigger challenge, however, when it comes to the smallest room in your house: the bathroom.
If you share a bathroom with other people, you’re probably very familiar with the frustrations that come with a cramped space. Your bathroom has to not only serve all of its obvious functions, but it also has to store everyone’s toiletries, medicines and linens with easy access.
Most of the time, creating more functional space in a bathroom means remodeling. If knocking down a wall is not an option, the next logical step is to replace those space-hogging fixtures like sinks, tubs and toilets, with newer models that are either physically smaller, appear smaller, or provide more space for usability. Here are some great options that are available now.
Curved Front Bathtubs
It used to be that in order to have a larger bathing space, you’d have to have to install a monstrous bathtub, but not anymore. American Standard’s Ovation Bathtub is an extremely durable, solid acrylic tub that is compact enough to install into a standard 5 ft. x 30 in. bath alcove, but has a curved front apron that gives you extra bathing room. Along with providing extra comfort and elbow room, the Ovation tub also pairs perfectly with curved shower doors and matching wall surrounds for extensive storage.
Diminutive Sinks
One huge space-saving bathroom renovation you can do is replacing your hulking cabinet-and-sink combination with a diminutive sink. These smaller options, which include wall-hung, corner and pedestal sinks, save a ton of space and are visually appealing as well. It may seem like a given, but if you choose one of these diminutive sinks, pay very close attention to the faucet. Make sure that you can actually fit your hands under it to wash them!
One-Piece and Rounded-Front Toilets
Replacing your toilet is another smart way to give your bathroom more space. The main aspects to focus on when planning for a new toilet are the rough-in measurement, seat shape and tank design. The rough-in is the distance between the wall and the center of the toilet drain. In older homes, rough-ins are generally 10 or 14 in., while in newer homes they are 12 in. If you have a 10 in. rough-in, opt for a smaller fixture with a rounded seat because it will take up less space. In terms of tank design, one-piece toilets have lower tanks, which make them appear smaller, but they actually take up the same amount of space as two-piece toilets.
Étagères
The final space-saving bathroom change is not a fixture replacement, but rather a smart addition. If you swap your cabinet and sink out for a diminutive sink, you lose a ton of storage space. The solution here is a bathroom étagère, which is a piece of furniture with small cabinets and shelves that goes over and around your toilet. These are perfect for storing toilet paper, towels and wash cloths, beauty products, and anything else you need easy access to.
What changes will you make to add space to your bathroom? Check out these beautiful bathrooms for some inspiration!
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