How to make a small bathroom appear larger.....A Before and After

I recently completed a powder bath renovation and we are so pleased with the results. After an unfortunate crack and leak in the original sink, the client was ready to change the space into a lighter and brighter room that functioned better for their guests. Just by choosing the right materials, the room was transformed.

The Before-
Dark, textured walls and a small, distressed mirror made it hard for the sunlight to shine through the window and bounce off the walls. A bamboo window shade also blocked light, making the already small room seem smaller......

I love dark, moody walls, but the elements in the room weren't working for my client. She was hoping for something light and pretty that would make her smile!



The After-

My inspiration for the room is this amazing fabric from Kravet.  I found it 6 weeks before I knew this project would even happen, but I knew we would find a place for it in this house. Luckily the client was on board and I had a roman panel made that allows light to come through but still offers privacy. Pale blue grass-cloth was a beautiful companion to adorn the walls and immediately lightened the space up and added a splash of color. By choosing lighter fabric and wall coverings, the room already started to feel bigger.

The original sink and vanity were lower then what is now standard (this house was built in 1936), so we had a custom vanity built. I then searched for a lighter stone to be made into a counter top and had a curved back splash cut to add detail and height. Because the room is as small as it is, I had to search for the perfect sink to fit into our new vanity. I chose a wall-mounted faucet so we weren't completely jam packed. The polished nickel finish is gorgeous with the blue walls and the sunshine bounces off of it.

I found fantastic hexagonal shaped nickel door pulls and a pair of nickel sconces that coordinated with our hardware. 

Finally, an oversized mirror allows the light to reflect into the room and it appears larger than it did. 
Steps to consider:
1. How much natural light is there?
 This bath has one small window, so using a lighter color on the walls makes it appear larger. If there is a lot of natural light, you can consider a darker wall

2. What are your window coverings? 
We used a lined fabric for a roman panel that provides privacy but also allows the natural light to shine through

3. What additional lighting will you have?
Consider the wattage on your ceiling or wall lights....you do not want anything too bright but you also don't want anything too soft. 60 watts per lamp is good

4. How can you maximize the light?
Consider an over-sized mirror like we used here to really let the light reflect back into the room

With the right materials, it's easy to make the room appear larger!