Jim The Bathroom Guy

Let me, Jim the bathroom guy, guide you through the ins and outs of what makes a bathroom feel small — and how we can make your bathroom act bloody bigger.

Many older bathrooms are smaller by choice. They were built during a time when bathrooms were thought of as practical spaces, not areas designed for relaxation or even being able to look in the mirror in front of the sink.

Below, I will break down:

• Why does your bathroom feel small
• 3 basic tips to follow

Why does my bathroom feel small?

Often, your bathroom feels small because it is either really small or designed to look small.

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s work on the key factors for a bathroom feeling small.

These are common issues in bathrooms that make them feel cramped:

• A swinging door that closes off space.
• Framed showers — they create a wall-like corridor feel.
• Horizontal borders that highlight how small the room is.
• Small, bright, or decorative floor tiles that emphasise the small footprint.
• Off-Set Mirror – Mirrors that are on one wall and your vanity is on another.
• Jutting Out Items – Towel Rails

3 Basic Tips to Follow

• Avoid small tiling everywhere
Small tiles and lots of grout lines create too many visual lines, which makes the space feel smaller. Better to use larger format tiles and minimise busy patterns.

Jim’s Tip – Use 600 x 600 or even 1200 x 600 large format tiles to create a seamless finish in a small room. If you do you use small tiles if you can color match grout to elimate lines to makes a huge difference.

• Go sliding or cavity for doors
Traditional pivot doors eat up usable space. A sliding or cavity door frees up that space and makes the room feel much larger.

Jim’s Tip – Cavity sliders are super expensive to install most times in a renovation, so a sliding door most of the time is the cost-effective option or no door if you are feeling brave.

• Light and bright colours + natural light
Light colours make the room feel larger and brighter. Getting as much natural light as possible — for example, via skylights or windows — makes a massive difference.

Jim’s Tip – Natural light is my biggest go to in person when you have a small space to lift a space from small to large.

Final Thoughts

So you have a small bathroom? That’s okay — it just means your renovation will cost less! More seriously, though, keep it simple when trying to make a small bathroom feel big:

• Bring in as much natural light as possible.
• Use floating and curved fixtures to open up floor space.
• Tile to the ceiling with tiles that show off the room’s height using large-format tiles.

Also consider shower niches instead of shelves so fewer items protrude into the space.

If you have a small bathroom, look at the space and take note of what your eyes are drawn to and how you flow through that space. It will start you off in the right direction for change in your space.

This is the start of a 10 part small bathroom series that will aim to make any small bathroom space the best it can be so subscribe to not miss out.

Disclaimer: It’s important to note that all our advice is general in nature and all bathrooms are unique, so speak to your local qualified tradesman for the best advice and make your own informed decisions after seeing a specialist tradesperson.

Looking for some more bathroom renovations for inspiration. Check out out my Instagram page below with tons of helpful pics and video guides

Instagram @jimthebathroomguy