Functional Small Bathroom Ideas To Maximize Your Space

At first, having a small bathroom might not seem like much of an inconvenience… until you try finding a place for all your towels and toiletries while still keeping the space looking neat and organized. But not all is lost — you can find a place for all your things while making the small space feel larger with these tips:

Go Vertical

To maximize storage in a small bathroom, you have to maximize what little space you have. And because your floor space might be limited, think about what you can do with wall space. An easy way to do this is install floating shelves up your bathroom wall.

You can use these shelves as storage — just place a woven basket on each shelf and use them to store towels, toilet paper, soap and other bathroom necessities.

Think About The Sink

Sinks can take up an unnecessary amount of space if your bathroom is on the smaller side, especially for small half-baths. But there’s a way to work around it — instead, install a pedestal sink, a basin sink or a trough sink.

These models will free up your floor space, giving you more options for storage.

Add A Cabinet

Medicine cabinets are the best for tiny bathrooms because they give you a place to store your medicine, makeup and other supplies. If you don’t have a medicine cabinet, install another cabinet above the toilet to maximize your storage and space.

Place Storage Outside

For the smallest of small bathrooms, you might have to place some extra storage outside. But no, this doesn’t mean haphazardly stacking extra toilet paper or towels right outside the door. Opt for placing an armoire or bookshelf beside the bathroom door in the hallway, and use it for storage.

If you have a closet beside your bathroom, use that for your bathroom storage needs.

Look Under The Counter

If there are no cabinets underneath your bathroom counter or trough sink, install floating shelves underneath here as well for maximize storage.

If you don’t want to add the extra low shelves, simply place some woven baskets on the floor underneath the counter. These baskets are great for organization, and even though they’re just resting on the floor, they also act as decor.

Strategically Place Towel Racks

Towel racks are a necessary part of any bathroom, even smaller ones. To keep the racks from taking up valuable space, take some creative approaches.

Hang your towels above the toilet or the bathtub, if your bathroom has one. They will be easy to grab when you’re done bathing and still leave the walls free for shelving and other storage needs. Or if you have space underneath your sink, or even as part of your sink, install them there.

Keep Out The Clutter

It’s easy for clutter to accumulate in a bathroom. From makeups and hair products to hand soap and lotions, your sinks can quickly become messy and make the small space feel even more cramped. To avoid excess clutter, make sure everything has a place in a drawer, on a shelf or in a cabinet. For the items you need to have sitting out, such as soap and lotions, use a vanity tray to keep everything all together and contained.

Sliding Doors

Doors can take up an annoying amount of space when you swing them open. If you have a particularly small bathroom, the open door might even take up half the floor space and make moving around difficult. For this reason, forego the traditional door in exchange for one you can slide open, such as a pocket door or barn door. Without a door taking up space every time you enter or exit the bathroom, it will feel much more spacious.

Add A Big Mirror

Hanging a large mirror in your bathroom is an easy way to seemingly double the size of the space. Hang a big mirror above your sink, above your bathtub or even have a mirror take up an entire wall.

You can also add oval mirrors, which extend upward and appear to make the bathroom ceiling higher.

Opt For A Glass Shower Door

Though most people want to obscure the shower with a shower curtain, try installing a clear glass door instead.

This might seem like a small detail, but it makes the size of the room appear bigger because it makes the shower appear like an extension of the room rather than the ending point.

Don’t Block The Windows

If there is a window in your bathroom, make sure it isn’t obscured. Allowing natural light to filter in makes any small, confined space seem much bigger.