BATHROOMS

Small but spacious

With scaled down fixtures and a mixture of wall colour , ventilator position and mirrors , a small bathroom can be made to look more spacious , cozy and sophisticated , says Anjali Tiwari


If a small bathroom is designed carefully keeping each and every aspect of utility in mind, it can prove more efficient than any unplanned big bathroom . There are just a few vital things that one needs to follow to make a small bathroom safe as well as functional . A lot of study and research has gone into the making of a small bathroom , which would fulfil all needs , space constraints notwithstanding .
There should be at least 28 x46 inches or 30x48 inches of clear floor space in front of the lavatory , out of which 17-19 inches (out of 46-48 inches ) can extend under the seat for knee space . There must be at least 24 inches of clear floor space in front of the toilet or bidet .
To give higher look to your bathrooms ceiling , you can put tiles extending to the ceiling . You can add height to your bath space by painting its wall in vertical designs like vertical stripes etc , or by putting wallpaper with similar patterns .
By correctly using lights and mirrors you can add width , length and depth to a small bathroom , but an overdose of mirrors can spoil the effect . Use one mirror , which reflects the light throughout the room . Construct windows and ventilators carefully to make the best possible use of natural light . Place windows , preferably near the ceiling , as by doing this you can avoid constructing ventilators .
Instead of using opaque shower screens use clear or frameless shower screen as it adds space in a small bathroom . To make small bathroom look larger install shelves high on the walls and close to the ceiling , and place lights underneath .
Be careful in deciding upon a colour scheme for your small bathroom ; as too much use of colours makes the bathroom look small as well as cluttered . So , instead of using bright and dark shades use whites , neutrals , light shades for bathroom walls , floors , and decors to make it look larger . Use white colour on ceilings as it makes a small bathroom look higher . But if you do not want to restrict yourself to white colour , paint the ceiling white and the rest of the bathroom with any pastel colour .
Choose the bathroom accessories (preferably in the light shade ) in coordination with the bathroom colour . Sleek and angular accessories look beautiful in smaller bathrooms .
A vanity unity should never be used in a small bathroom as it takes a lot of precious floor space . Instead of vanity unity you can choose exposed shelves , floating cabinets and a wall-mounted basins . To fulfil your storage requirement you can choose basins with a bench . By choosing this type of storage you can avoid clutter in your limited bath space . In a small bathroom , place the toilet in an alcove . Use the wall space above the toilet to install shelves . Thick glass shelves go well with any other kind of colour scheme and quite economic too . To add more space , use sliding doors instead of normal doors . The negative aspect of a normal hinged door is that it takes space while closing and opening. But if you do not want to replace it , use its back as a towel holder to keep neat towels , which you can use just after the bath . In a small bathroom , scaled down fixtures can be a blessing . You can use a tub (slightly smaller than the average size ), sink or WC. This idea proves good in the rented apartment where a person cannot make additions and also cannot break a wall to free more space for the bath . There are lots of showrooms in the market , which have small fixtures designed especially for a small bathroom . They are available in several colours , shapes and patterns . Various designs of sinks can be had from the market - like small bathroom sink , pedestal sink , wall-hung sink , corner sinks , and so on. But before choosing the sinks , the location and size of the faucet is very important . Positioning the faucet in the corner is the best way to utilize space for a small sink . Make sure that the sink that you are going to choose should be big enough to allow you to wash your hand comfortably in it . A corner sink can well accommodate a countertop faucet . Another good choice is a wall-hung sink that is again great for small bathrooms . The bathtub should be at least 60 inches long and 30 inches wide . Small and deep bathtubs can be used for a small bathroom . The next crucial point is the design of the toilets tank . Instead of choosing a two-piece low toilet tank , one can choose a one-piece low toilet tank with approximately 12 inches rounded front seat . This combination takes less space while the elongated front seat takes little much space .So , by employing the above ideas a small bathroom can be made to look larger . These small bathroom decor are definitely not going to increase the bathroom area , but they certainly lend a cozy , sophisticated and spacious feeling.