What small bathrooms lack in square meterage, they can make up for in style. Meet the challenge of making small bathrooms look bigger with these creative ideas.

1. Large format looks larger

Grout lines create a grid pattern that can make rooms look smaller. Large-format tiles reduce the amount of grout lines creating a seamless space. We’re talking 75×75 or 60×120 tiles and World of Tiles offers an expansive range of these. Rectified tiles laid with narrow spacers (1.5mm, or 1mm if the tiler is top-notch) will also reduce the grout-line grid. After all, you want to show off tiles, not grout.

2. The wet room illusion

When space is tight, a wet room, even a small one, creates a luxe look that suggests there’s space to spare. The effect is best achieved with a frameless glass shower screen. The glass will also reflect the available light and make the bathroom appear bigger.

3. The power of a good mirror

A mirrored wall will double the size of a small bathroom, however, it’s not to everybody’s taste or may not be structurally feasible. The latest mirrors have in-built LED lighting, for putting on makeup Hollywood style… but classier! Our range of My Life Bathrooms mirrors and mirror cabinets includes round mirrors with backlighting and a wide choice of rectangular mirrors and mirror cabinets with strip or surround lighting.  Keep an eye on what the mirror reflects — it’s not ideal to be looking at the toilet every time you look in the mirror.

4. Floating in space

Create the illusion of space by keeping furniture and ceramics off the floor. Besides being easy to keep the floor clean, this reduces the cluttered look.

5. Compact combos

Ideal for a cloakroom or small en suite, a combination toilet-vanity gives you all the essentials plus storage. A slim seat also helps keep the look tidy.

6. The colour illusion

Light colours will add brightness and a sense of space and tiling floors and walls in the same tile adds to the effect. However, small bathrooms don’t need to be boring. With a multitude of marble-, concrete- and stone-effect designs, with light-reflective polished or gloss-glazed surfaces, you can introduce texture and achieve a contemporary appeal. Add interest with mosaics or decor relief tiles matching the base tile.

7. If you can squeeze in tub

Nothing says luxury like a beautiful bath. Small bathrooms aren’t ideal for these, however, if you can squeeze one in, a free-standing or slipper bath is a good option. The elegant curved shapes will break the boxy lines of the small space.

8. Free up space with a sliding door

Sliding doors make the world of difference to designing small bathrooms. With options for square, rectangular and curved corner units, there’s no need for any door slamming.

9. Hide it and seek it

Free up space, particularly the clutter of bottles, with good storage. A wall-mounted tall boy is a great addition. Pair it with a matching floating vanity with drawers for easy access to all those bits and bobs.

10.  Light it up

In a perfect world, every bathroom would be flooded with natural light. In reality, a small bathroom is likely to have no windows at all. If there’s no option for a skylight, there are other ways to bring in light creatively. We’ve already mentioned mirrors with no-touch LED lighting. Also consider vanity units with LED lighting within the drawers, and alcoves with little LED lights for both mood and that extra bit of brightness.

Get more bathroom design ideas in our article on bathroom alcoves.