How to increase the space of a small bathroom. How to increase space in the bathroom

We spend a lot of time every day in the bathroom, as in the bedroom, and naturally we want our stay to be as comfortable as possible. Alas, Russian layouts most often give us bathrooms ranging from three to six m2. The situation is a little more rosy in modern houses, however, we are still desperately trying to use the treasured squares to the maximum. Today Kvartblog will tell you what five tricks can visually expand the bathroom a little, if actual enlargement is impossible.

More light

Most people's dream is to have a spacious bathroom with a window through which natural daylight will pour in. Alas, such luxury is most often available only in private country houses. In apartments, we rely on competent artificial lighting. To make the bathroom seem larger, the light should evenly fill the entire space, and not shine exclusively on the mirror or from above. The principle by which lighting should be done on different levels, works here too: ceiling lamps it needs to be combined with a sconce, then the room, flooded with light, will seem more spacious.

Notice how the niches are highlighted with light in the photo below.

Color is important

Light walls and floors are almost an axiom for small bathrooms. pay attention to Scandinavian apartments, which are approximately equal in area to Russian ones: the Swedes with unprecedented zeal exploit the color of the snow, diluting it bright accents in the form of colored towels, bath curtains and posters on the door.

Known fact: dark walls They cause an oppressive feeling even in spacious areas, let alone small rooms. In addition to what has been said: on dark tiles, drops of water are especially visible, which freeze and leave streaks.

Optimal color scheme for the bathroom: light base (white, beige, pastel) and contrasting accents, possibly one accent wall or colored cabinets.


Small space - small tiles

The size of the tile and the way it is laid out are just as important as its color. It’s worth remembering right away that what less space, the smaller the tile should be. Of course, laying it out is more troublesome, but small and mosaic tiles can create a sense of perspective on the wall. And too large a tile will give guests the illusion that the wall is so small that only 10 tiles fit on it. By the way, tiles with a small repeating pattern also work to increase space, this was proven to us by two designers with whom we visited. Alena Stark designed it in Moroccan style and in Arabic style.




Through the Looking Glass

Mirrors visually increase the space in any room, and in a small bathroom it would be a shame not to take advantage of this effect. Don't limit yourself to just a small mirror above the sink. Hang a mirror to the ceiling, as Anya did in her one-room apartment on Dubrovka, or choose cabinets with a mirror surface (you will also have organized storage and additional space for self-admiration). There is only one downside: mirrors require constant care. In the bathroom, they definitely won’t be able to escape accidental splashes, so you’ll have to wipe the mirrors more often than in other rooms.


Less e things in plain sight: hidden storage

In small spaces, you should not allow the room to become overgrown with too many things. Of course, in the bathroom there is a lot of things that we use every day: toothbrushes, creams (for girls they can number in the dozens: from face creams to highly specialized jars for dry skin on the elbows or something else), towels and so on. We advise you to try not to clutter open spaces near the sink, but to group things as much as possible and put them in hidden cabinets. Minimalism will create the illusion of a large and uncluttered space.

Small bathrooms are not uncommon even in spacious apartments. Guest bathrooms have a modest area, not to mention the bathrooms in houses built during the Soviet period. Therefore, most city dwellers are forced to think: how to make the bathroom seem more spacious, brighter and more comfortable? Let's look at some techniques for solving this pressing problem.

Use modern plumbing

Modern plumbing designed not only for palaces. The developments of many designers are aimed at saving precious square meters in limited space.


In a small bathroom, a shower will look more appropriate than a bathtub. If possible, it is better to abandon the bulky ready-made shower cabin, and install a tray and complement it with lightweight folding partitions.


Try to use corner models of furniture and plumbing fixtures as much as possible: corner showers with special folding walls, sinks, etc. If you decide to buy a full-fledged bathtub, take a closer look at the asymmetrical corner models.



A toilet with installation not only takes less space, but also visually looks lighter due to the absence of a leg.



Think carefully about storage locations

Main enemy any small room is a mess. Carefully consider storage areas in the bathroom so that bottles, jars and boxes placed on horizontal surfaces do not create a feeling of clutter. Shelves for towels under the sink and bathtub, a narrow basket for dirty laundry in the corner, wall-mounted corner shelves for shampoos, pencil cases - you can always show your imagination and evenly distribute the items so that each item has its own strictly defined place.







Choose furniture wisely

Remember that light glossy surfaces furniture facades, as well as clear glass, are best suited for small spaces. Try to use more hanging structures (from a toilet with installation to dressing table without legs) – they look more airy, without visually cluttering up the space.



Choose a light finish

Light shades of cool tones visually expand the space.



Avoid bright contrasts, large patterns and double tiles separated by a border - all of these options are not suitable for tight spaces. Remember interesting feature geometric patterns: horizontal stripes visually increase the width of the room, vertical stripes raise the ceilings. Feel free to use stripes in your bathroom decor, at least as decor for one accent wall.

Consider bathroom lighting

The lighting in the bathroom should be moderately bright and uniform, because there are usually no sources of natural light in it. Due to the lack of light, the room looks more cramped and oppressive than it actually is.

Majority standard apartments have very small bathrooms that only accommodate a sink, a bathtub, minimal free space and a toilet in the case of a combined bathroom. However, it is possible to expand the space of a small bathroom visually through the use of various tricks.

Decorating individual parts of the bathroom

First of all, you should pay attention to wall decoration. It must be taken into account that the color of the tiles can expand or narrow the space. For example, light shades contribute to the visual expansion of space, and dark ones, on the contrary, reduce the number of square meters. So if you decide to tile your walls with ceramic tiles, give preference to a light pastel solid shade. Patterns in in this case will be inappropriate. Alternatively, you can use a small mosaic tiles, which will visually add space to the bathroom.

It is worth paying attention to the pattern in the form horizontal lines. They can visually expand the space. But vertical lines will make the bathroom taller, but less narrow.

You can also visually increase the height of the room by painting a narrow strip of the ceiling along the edges the same color as the walls. For these purposes, you can also use a decorative strip of wallpaper or molding.

Another simple way to visually expand space is mirrors. A wall mirror can double the space of a room.

As for the ceiling, it can be made suspended with multi-level lighting. Alternatively it can be used on the ceiling mirror or stained glass. If placed on the ceiling spot lighting, the bathroom will be very bright, at the same time it will not be tiring for the eyes. For lovers unusual solutions A good idea would be to paint the ceiling to look like a starry sky.

We correctly plan the placement of plumbing fixtures and furniture

In solving the problem of visual expansion space will also help correct layout . If you place plumbing and furniture correctly, the room will gain additional centimeters. The best option in this case would be corner bath and shower. In the same way, it is quite possible to place a sink and toilet. It’s good if the bathroom has a small niche that allows you to place a bathtub or other plumbing fixtures there.

As for furniture, the best solution will be used built-in wardrobes and shelves, the lines of which will merge with the wall. To store things you don't really need, you can do a few things: open shelves slightly above the comfortable level. Shelves can be made of glass, which will help visually preserve the area of ​​the room rather than reduce it. Important to place in the bathroom as few things as possible, because the a large number of trinkets take up a lot of extra space. Only necessary items can be in easily accessible places; the rest should be hidden in closets.

To avoid cluttering the space, do not install it in the bathroom washing machine. It is better to place it in the kitchen. A good solution would be to put the space above the toilet to good use. For example, you can hang a cabinet there.

For clothes, you can install hooks in the door, but not many.

Regarding lighting, the best option is spot lighting. It helps to create diffused light and thus increase the space. Alternatively you can use several small lighting fixtures above the sink, bathtub and above the mirror. It is better to avoid white and bluish lighting. It is important that there are no unconsecrated areas in the room.

Small tricks

In most standard apartments, the bathroom layout does not include a window, however interesting solution can be false window. This way you can visually expand the space. To do this, you need to create a drawing on the wall that imitates the view from the window.. For greater authenticity, you can hang curtains or blinds.

Don't go overboard with bright objects: towels, decorative elements and so on. It is best to place such things in the far corner of the bathroom.

In apartments, as you know, there is a problem with free space, or rather the lack thereof, especially in the bathroom. How to properly distribute space in the bathroom, so that everything fits compactly and at the same time there is still enough space left for comfortable use of the bathroom?

A few simple tricks will help you visually expand a small bathroom:

Color and light

Use lighting as a tool to expand space, correct solution. The light should be full and bright. Lamps built into the ceiling visually increase the height of the room. Reflection in mirror surfaces will add volume to a small room.

Use only bright hues. Shades of cool colors visually enlarge the room. You can create harmonious contrasting combinations or stick to one color range. Both in modern design incredibly fashionable.

It is enough to place colorful mosaic tiles on the floor to visually expand the bathroom space. Small patterns on the tiles give the visual effect of a spacious room. Try to avoid too many items on the shelves. It is better to hide jars and bottles in closed cabinets. Clutter always attracts attention, distracting from the main thing.

Another way to make a room feel larger is to use shades of the same color. For example, light gray or pearl gray color will significantly expand the room. Interspersed with white spots in the form of plumbing fixtures and furniture are acceptable. In addition to the tiles and furniture, hang towels in the same shade and the bathroom will look elegant!

Colors that create an expanding effect:

  • white;
  • beige;
  • blue;
  • pale green;
  • grey.

It is better to choose furniture with a glossy surface. Closed hanging shelves will help keep things organized. For facades wall shelves, perfect solution- mirrored doors. Reflective surfaces will make the room lighter and more spacious. Good decision- choose furniture that matches the color of the walls, then the cabinets and shelves will visually dissolve in the room.

Shower area

Instead of the usual bathtub, now more and more people are installing shower areas. Big choice cabins can be found at any plumbing store.

A shower area without a massive cabin can be organized directly on the floor. An experienced master will do this professionally and quickly. To do this, dismantle the bathtub and lay out ceramic tile to the floor Before laying the tiles, the master must raise the floor level to lay the pipes. A slight slope is made, the drain is closed with a ladder. It is better to choose ceramic tiles with a slightly rough surface to eliminate the risk of slipping on a wet floor.

The effect of the remodel will exceed all expectations. You can put a washing machine in the free space.

Plumbing

It is better to choose a toilet and sink standard sizes, but not miniature analogues. You have to wash your face and hands several times a day; it is more convenient to do this in a medium-sized sink.

Trough-shaped sinks have a large, convenient rectangular shape. They perform the function of a basin, with special valve in the plum. With such a sink, there is no need to keep containers for hand washing separately.

Wall-hung toilets significantly save space in the bathroom. Such plumbing fixtures are functional and practical. The process of cleaning the bathroom is greatly simplified. With the installation of a wall-hung toilet during renovation, it becomes possible to lay tiles on the floor without any obstacles. The toilet is mounted directly on the wall in sewer pipe. Sturdy mounts quality products can safely withstand weight up to 400 kilograms.

All complex works for laying and installation of heat, gas and water supply must be carried out experienced craftsmen in compliance with all standards and rules.

You can make your bathroom feel large and spacious, even if it's not, with a few simple tricks. Here are 9 ways to make your small bathroom look bigger and better:

But before you start, there are a few things you should know about.

First, you need to know the sizes. How small is your bathroom really? It is necessary to measure the square footage and height of the ceiling. Also pay attention to how much space cabinets, shelves and other items take up.

Secondly, you need to understand how you will use your bathroom. This is very important to know before moving forward.

Tip #1: correct lines. Visually vertical lines make us look thinner. Take advantage of this by arranging the tiles in a line perpendicular to the long line in your bathroom. For example, if the bathroom is narrow from side to side, your lines will flow from you to the back wall rather than from side to side. This will visually increase the width where you need it.

Tip #2: choice of grout. It is best to use grout that is the same color as the tile, whether large or small. The only exception would be the use of light gray or white grout for multi-colored glass or stone mosaics.

Tip #3: use large mirrors. IN small room, it is better to hang large mirrors. If you have a large mirror that extends up into the ceiling, install it behind the sink. This will help make the ceiling higher, expanding the area in square meters. It is better to install sconces in the mirror above the dressing table, and not in the wall on either side of the mirror. This will double the amount of light available.

Tip #4: single tile color. Walls in the same color will make the room appear larger. To the extent you are able, be consistent in the colors you choose to make large plots bathroom.

Tip #5: lighting in the bathroom. Installation proper lighting in your bathroom will help you feel more comfortable and wake up faster in the morning after a shower.

Tip #6: install window. If your bathroom is in a private home, you may consider installing a window above the sink or bathtub. Additional, natural light will help the room feel more open and bright. Window with frosted glass hides your privacy, but at the same time gives you sunshine.

Tip #7: paint the ceiling the same color as the walls. In the case when different colors ceiling and walls, especially if up in dark shades, That general form the room will turn out to be understated. You will feel small. When the eyes can travel effortlessly, without boundaries in color, your space will be visually expanded.

Tip #8: storage priorities. Clutter will make your bathroom look smaller as it takes up space, both physically and visually. For this reason, a properly organized bathroom looks better. If you want to make your bathroom visually larger, store things in specially designated places, the same applies to bottles of shampoos and masks in shower stalls.

Tip #9: choose narrow shelving. If you've always wanted to try those cute (Ikea) ladders and storage shelves, this is the place for them. Narrow shelves are in a good way to build extra storage space without taking up much space.