Bigger is better when it comes to bathrooms – most new homes feature expansive bathrooms featuring bathroom furniture and other amenities including flat screen televisions, on demand coffee makers, small refrigerators and more. Even if you don’t live in a mansion you can enjoy many of the same niceties in your own home with some careful planning and creative use of space.
The best way to begin is by taking everything out of the bathroom in order to access the situation. This is also a good opportunity to take stock of what you may have that you no longer need or want – items such as unused toiletries can be donated to charity while old towels can be used as rags or donated to a local animal shelter. Take a look at what you really need and try to limit it to the essentials. Since most bathrooms have limited storage space you should use it wisely and only store what is absolutely necessary.
Once the room is empty it is the ideal time to clean and even paint the bathroom if necessary. Be sure to remove any window treatments and carefully clean the windows, mirrors, walls and any light fixtures. This is a good time to switch over to energy efficient light bulbs if you have not already done so; use the highest recommended wattage light bulb in each fixture in order to get as much light as possible. A wall mounted or counter top lighted make-up mirror is a nice addition to any bath or powder room.
Bath and shower furniture comes in all sorts of shapes, sizes and materials. So you can look for something like bathroom vanities that look like furniture, a shower bench, towel ladder, vanity seat or small spa seat to use in your bathroom and create a spa like environment. A teak bath mat is another nice addition; teak is naturally water resistant. Multi-functional items such as a bath hamper which doubles as a seat or a storage ottoman can be very useful in a bath or powder room.
One way to get the most out of a small space is to use the walls – mount shelving, towel bars, racks and rings; this not only frees up floor space, it helps to keep clothing, towels and toiletries off the floor. Install decorative mirrors and wall sconces to add more light and make a small bath or powder room feel larger than it actually is.