5 Quick Ways to Create Bathroom Space

You've probably noticed the latest trend in remodeling: transform your bathroom into a resort, a spa, a personal retreat. What was once just a practical space in the house has now become a place of relaxation and leisure. It's true, renovating your bathroom will make you want to spend more time there, but on a more pragmatic note, it will also help your home's resale value. But what if you have a small bathroom? How can you turn a tiny enclosed area into an open-air sanctuary, and how can you do it under an even smaller budget? Well, here are a few quick tips that will help trick the eye:

1. Light and Mirrors
Like a magic trick, a great way to make small area look large is to simply create the illusion of space. Remove hanging light fixtures and install recessed lighting or wall sconces. Install mirrors that face each other to create a hall-of-mirrors effect. By bouncing the light and images around a room, your bathroom will grow in size and give the impression of space without removing any walls.

2. Look! Up in the Sky!
If you keep people looking upward, any enclosed space will look bigger. A simple way to do this is with striped wall paper that can elongate the room. Also, a tall, skinny shower door will direct people's eyes to the ceiling, making your bathroom feel taller and wider as well. Installing a skylight could also help make a small room feel infinitely bigger.

3. Don't Chop It Up
People tend to make small areas feel even smaller by blocking it off into sections. This would work well in large spaces, but in smaller areas you can't afford to not utilize all your space. Therefore, don't buy a curtain that closes off your tub: it literally cuts a room in half. Instead, buy a glass shower door that will open things up. Plus, if you buy a shower door that is frameless, there won't be any delineating lines and edges that tend to chop up a space.

4. Let's See It All, Almost
Let the room breathe. And the only way to relieve the burden of a tight space is to make everything visible and let every inch of the room come into focus. You can't hide anything anyway, so embrace the idea. Except, you have to be judicious as well: just a few candles around your tub, a small, decorative towel hanging from a hook. Since there isn't enough room to decorate haphazardly, make sure you organize. Use a bath caddy. Occupy every corner of your cabinet to relieve the counter of clutter. Or buy a medicine cabinet to hide away your things while still exuding an exposed appearance.

5. More Floor
You never leave towels on the ground. You pick up your clothes when you're done with the tub. So why leave other items lying around on the floor? Whether you have carpet or tile, covering up your floor can make a room feel smaller. Get rid of the magazine rack by the toilet. There is no room for flower pots or plungers to be just sitting around doing nothing. Why is that bathmat sitting in front of the shower door? Be severe and relentless about removing any clutter because any extra square footage (or maybe even inch-age) helps to open up a small space into something bigger. And the bigger a particular area grows the more relaxing and livable your entire house becomes.