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Small Bathroom
Design
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Even with
limited bath space, there are some important things and
basic fixture designs that we need to follow, so that
our bathrooms are safe and functional. Different areas
may have some typical requirements and design parameters
specified by the concerned departments and we should
take care to follow them because they are well studied
and researched to suit the local needs. There should be
at least 30 x 48 inches of clear floor space in front of
the lavatory, out of which up to 19 inches (out of 48
inches) can extend under the seat for the knee space.
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There should
be at least 15 inches of space from the centerline of
the lavatory, toilet or bidet to the bathroom walls on
any side and 30 inches of space from the centerline of
another sanitary fixture. There must be at least 24
inches of clear floor space in front of the toilet or
bidet. Though, you can choose tub size of any size but
there should be at least 60 inches long (which is also
the standard size of the bathtub) and 30 inches wide
clear floor space along its side. There should be easy
access and no obstruction in reaching plumbing and
whirlpool motors. All enclosed showers should have at
least 34 inches of usable space from wall to wall inside
them, though many people use showers with 32 inches of
space too. |
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Though
shapes of the showers may differ but there must be at
least 30 inches of interior circular diameter and 1024
square inches of finished interior space in a shower.
Limited bathroom space can be renovated to give an
illusion of space by using some designing optical
illusion tricks. You can add height to our bath space by
adding vertical lines to its walls. Paint the walls in
vertical stripes, put wallpaper with similar patterns,
put tiles extending to the ceiling or you may also line
the edge of the ceiling with a border or just a cornice
to make the ceiling look higher. For tiled walls, you
can just use different colored or patterned tile on top
of the walls to draw eyes upwards. |
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Add width,
length and depth to a small bathroom using mirrors and
lights correctly. However,
too many mirrors can just spoil the effect. Use one mirror positioned
strategically to reflect light throughout the room. In small bathrooms,
clear shower screens add space and light unlike the opaque ones while a
frameless shower screen looks better as it does not cause visual
barriers in the bath space. Make the best possible use of the natural
light by incorporating windows or skylight in the bathroom. Illuminate
all the corners and perimeter of the bathroom to make it look larger and
install shelves high on the walls and near the ceiling and put lights
under.
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Keep the
color scheme of the bathroom simple as too many colors
or patterns will make your bath space look smaller and
more cluttered. It is best to use light colors, pastel
shades, neutrals or white color for the bathroom walls,
floors and Decor to make the small space look larger.
Rectified porcelain tiles with identical shapes and
narrower grout lines and larger tiles give the illusion
of more space and similarly tiled floors that attract
attention add to the feeling of space in the bath. |
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Floating
cabinets, exposed shelves, recessed cabinets and a
pedestal or wall mounted sinks and basins add space
while vanity unity should never be used in small
bathrooms as it takes much valuable floor space. Basins
with a bench can solve your storage needs and avoid
clutter in limited bath space. In small baths, place windows near the ceiling and place the toilet in
an alcove. Use the wall space above the toilet to install shelves. Small
and deep bathtubs may be used for small bathrooms. |
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Use sliding
doors instead of normal hinged doors for more space
while the sliding doors that hide in an in-wall cavity
look clean and high-tech. Hinged doors take space when
you are closing and opening a door but if you must use
one, hand the towel racks on their back instead of the
walls. While these tips can help you to make your small
bathroom larger, you need to accept the fact that
bathroom with limited bath space will always remain so,
no matter how you decorate it. It may look
sophisticated, sparkling, cozy, intimate and less
claustrophobic but decoration can not add area to your
bath space. So, use these limited bath space ideas to
make best possible use of the space available to you. |
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