Small Bathroom, Big Potential: Tips for Making the Most of Limited Space
In many cases, bathrooms are not given enough priority in the design process, they may be allocated to the remaining space, or they may simply be designated as a bathroom near the drainage pipes during a renovation.
However, with the perfect design, even the smallest bathroom can be transformed into a usable, functional and liveable space.
Here are some tricks and tips to consider when designing and renovating:
Figure out what you really need in your bathroom
Make yourself aware of when and how much time you spend in your bathroom during your daily and weekly routine, for what purpose and what activities you actually do there. Ask yourself if these things can only really be done in the bathroom, or if they might be better done elsewhere, e.g. if you only use the shower you won’t need a bath, if you have a dressing table in your bedroom you won’t need to store make-up in the bathroom any more.
It’s a good idea to keep a diary of what you use your bathroom for a couple of weeks to see if the design of your bathroom really meets your needs.
Be aware of the dimensions
Once you know exactly what you need in your bathroom, the next step is to work out how to fit it into the space you have available.
Get out a tape measure and measure everything in the space available, length of walls, internal height, location, length and width of windows, their distance from the floor, size and location of doors.
Remember that all fixtures have minimum space requirements. I have written more about this here.
Once you know your needs and have the dimensions, you can start the design process. Remove unnecessary items from the bathroom and replace them with features and fixtures that you really need.
Just the size you need
Now that you know exactly what you need, take stock of the items you should definitely keep in your bathroom. Unpack them on the floor and organise them according to what they are for and where you need them, you can even stack them where you use them. Once you have that, you can see what you need and where you need to store it.
Based on these, assess where the areas are where you can fit storage units in your bathroom. For the spaces you’ve mapped out, look for furniture that is exactly the right size for the items you want to put in it. You don’t need to design deep cabinets to store bottles, toilet paper, make-up kits – they can even fit in a narrower cabinet above the toilet or behind the mirror. And things that require more space can go in the necessarily deeper vanity cabinet or under the seat storage.
Find the right one for you
Keep your eyes open, browse online and find the right pieces.
