Bathroom Design Tips

Some Bathroom Design Tips from Jay Harris of Home Depot.

Here are some great ways to stretch a room from top to bottom or side to side and everything in between.
Creative Coloring
In general, incorporating color on the wall with paint is the quickest way to begin to define the “mood” of a room. Because bathrooms are traditionally smaller rooms, there are a few basic guidelines related to color and lighting to keep in mind to create the illusion of space:

If you have a window, you have more flexibility with using a darker paint color on the walls; otherwise, small rooms without natural lighting are made smaller when painted dark colors.
If you don’t have a window, you can paint the walls a “medium” dark color if you incorporate bright light fixtures and mirrors to reflect the light around the room.
If you lack a window but do not want a neutral wall color, you can incorporate a bright color – instead of dark navy, use a bright sky blue that will still coordinate with your color scheme.

*Tip: If you like the neutral tones on the wall but need a pop of color, consider a bathroom cabinet or bathroom vanity painted in your favorite shade!

Perfectly Proportioned Components

In addition to being a prime example of a neutral color palette in a powder room that lacks a window or other source of natural lighting, incorporating the clean elegance of a pedestal sink as the bathroom vanity was the optimal choice for this small space.

Indeed, exchanging a large bathroom cabinet or vanity for the streamlined space-saving smarts of a pedestal sink is a textbook illustration of how you can enlarge a space without touching the structural bones of the room. Simply address the size of the bathroom components contained within the confines of the walls!
*Tip: Make sure that no matter the dimensions of your bathroom, the pieces within it make sense size-wise. In addition to vanities, if you have an otherwise good-sized bathroom that is completely dwarfed by the huge garden tub insert that takes up half of it, consider swapping it out for a claw foot tub that you’ve refinished on a dime or even a smaller bathtub/shower combo that you can purchase from a home
improvement store.

Climbing Up the Walls

When you can’t spread out in a space, spread up! In general, the walls are seriously underutilized real estate in many rooms but nowhere does that present more of an issue than when you are working with a smaller bathroom.
For example, when you lack bathroom cabinets period, install a towel rack with multiple bars to make up for your loss of linen storage in your cabinets.

Or, if you really want that vintage vibe, incorporate an unexpected touch with a coat rack!

With a coat rack, you can even add another layer of color décor by hanging brightly colored towels that coordinate with your shower curtain or bathmats.
*Tip: If you have a larger family, using a coat rack is a great way to keep everyone’s towels straightened out: choose a different color for each person so everyone knows exactly which towel belongs to whom! Or if all of your towels are the same color, assign each person a hook that only they can use.

Picture Perfect

When you want to add decorative elements to your bathroom, pictures and wall art are a sure-fire way to do it. For instance, hanging frames on the wall is a great way to:

Add color to a neutral bathroom;
Tie in the metallic finishes of the fixtures in a brightly-colored bathroom with frames that complement the faucet or light fixtures;
Add personal touches through family photos or special mementos that you’ve framed into a shadow box;
Effectively utilize wall space that would present an empty patch in your otherwise perfectly proportioned powder room!

*Tip: By shopping antique’s markets, bargain bins and places like second-hand stores and consignment shops, you can find fantastic pieces that can get a second life and provide a great bang for your buck.
What are some of the creative ways you’ve maximized a smaller bathroom space by addressing the things within it rather than the room itself?
Jay Harris, a Home Depot sales associate in the Chicago area. Jay is a regular contributor on kitchen and bathroom topics on the Home Depot website. Jay writes on design topics ranging from bathroom vanities to storage and fixtures.