5 Ways To Make Your Half Bath Feel Bigger
There are three different types of bathrooms. A full bathroom has a toilet, sink, shower, and bathtub. While most homes have this size bathroom, many have an additional ¾ or a half bath. A ¾ bathroom has a toilet, sink, and either a shower or tub, but not both. Meanwhile, a half bathroom only has a toilet and a sink. Badeloft Luxury Bathrooms explains that the average half bath is between 16 and 20 square feet. The average full bathroom ranges from 40 to 60 square feet.
Half baths are great for busy areas of the home but often feel cramped. You can do many things to create the illusion that your half bath is larger than it actually is. A big step before implementing one of these methods is eliminating unnecessary clutter. You don't need a ton of décor and shelving in such a small space, but there are ways to create storage and incorporate your décor items. With small rooms like a half bath, you may want everything in there to serve a purpose, though.
1. Use vertical space
Using the vertical space in a small half bath is one of the best ways to make the room appear larger and create more room for storage. Putting décor like a tall piece of artwork or mirror on the wall makes your eyes move up, creating the illusion of the space being bigger. The trick here is that you want to have some décor, but you don't want to add so much that the room feels cluttered. There should be a balance between décor and pieces that serve a purpose. Adding floating shelves for your folded towels or toiletries is one way to do it.
Marcus explains that accent walls are a great way to decorate a half bath. You can create these accents with a pop of color, statement wallpaper print, or shiplap. They will add to the room's design and can draw the eyes up depending on the pattern. You can also add plants to the room as a pop of color. Fake plants can look just as lovely if you don't have a lot of natural light.
2. Utilize natural light and mirrors
Natural light is your best friend. The more light you add to your half bath, the bigger it will look. Natural light does this the best, but you can't add a window without renovations. Luckily, if you don't already have one, you can still maximize the amount of light in your bathroom with mirrors. They create the illusion of your room looking larger because they reflect light, making your space appear bright and open, according to Mirror City.
Placing a mirror directly across from a window will create the most light. However, mirrors in a bathroom usually go above the sink. If this affects the layout, you can also opt to use a more oversized mirror or have your overhead lighting face it. Wall-mounted lights installed above the mirror are another option. Although, they will only be able to reflect in the mirror and brighten a small room if facing down.
3. Create storage space
Including storage space in a half bath is very important. There's not much room to hide things like extra toilet paper rolls, therefore, making use of every inch and corner can help keep you organized. MYMOVE explains that different-shaped shelving units fit into corners, so you don't waste space. Hanging floating shelves on the wall is also a great way to turn your items into décor. On these shelves, you can display q-tips and cotton balls in pretty containers, stylish toiletries like perfume bottles, or extra folded towels.
If you don't like the look of floating shelves, you can hang baskets instead. They can be installed facing up for things like hair dryers or facing out to act more like shelves. To utilize all the space in your bathroom, take advantage of the area above your toilet. You can install your floating shelves over the toilet or over-the-toilet cabinets. These cabinets are great for you to put the items you don't want to have out for display.
4. Light paint and large tiles
The paint color you choose for your half bathroom can make a huge difference. Lighter shades will keep your spacing looking brighter and more extensive than it actually is. MYMOVE explains that the best colors are off-white, blues, or greens. These colors help create the illusion that the room is larger because light can bounce off them. Another way you can use paint to your advantage is by using a lighter shade on your trim than the walls. It will make the walls look further back and elongate the space.
The size of your floor tiles can also affect how small your half bath looks. To make it appear larger, use larger tiles that don't have a pattern. The size of the tile matters because there are fewer grout lines when they are larger, according to American Olean. However, you need to make sure to keep the room looking proportional by using smaller tiles on the walls.
5. Instal a pedestal sink
Half baths only have a toilet and sink because they are so small. There isn't room for a shower, and sometimes there is barely any room for you to move while in them. The type of sink you have can help with this problem. Pedestal sinks are the best choice for these small rooms because they are compact. Lamont Bros. explains that these sinks are suitable for half baths because they take up the least amount of floor space, giving you more room.
Pedestal sinks do best when you incorporate other storage options in your bathroom. It would be best if you did this because they don't have cabinet storage under the sink like vanities. The open space below the sink also means you can see the plumbing lines. However, this is not an enormous con when pedestal sinks add much more space to the bathroom.