A small bathroom can be challenging in more ways than one. Besides having limited storage space, a small bathroom can feel as if the walls are closing in. When decorating a small bathroom, try the following tips and tricks to make the space appear larger. Not only will it appear larger, but it will feel more open and more spacious than ever.

Paint or Paper it Light

A dark space can appear small and inadequate, but a room painted or papered in light cool colors naturally looks larger and less confining. Take a look at your small bathroom, and if it appears dark and drab, give it a facelift with a gallon of paint or roll of light-colored vinyl wallpaper. It is amazing how much larger a room will look and feel when it is painted or papered in lighter hues.

Shower Tips and Bathtub Tricks

A small bathroom with a combination bathtub and shower might look smaller than it actually is - if the shower curtain or door is kept in a closed position. A decorative shower curtain or door can add a considerable amount of style and design in a larger bathroom, but in a smaller room it can hide a large amount of visual space. Instead of keeping the shower curtain or door closed and block the view of a portion of the room, keep the shower curtain open. The small room will look instantly larger, and if the bathtub and adjoining walls are in good condition, keeping the curtain open will greatly enhance the look of the room.

Wall Decor for Small Spaces

Bigger is not always better, especially when decorating a small room. When selecting wall decor for a small bathroom, keep the dimensions of the space in mind. It may be tempting to purchase large-scale wall decor for a bare wall, but in a very small room, small-scale home decor is preferable. Instead of choosing wall decor or wall sculptures that are too large to view from a reasonable distance, select smaller versions of favorite wall decor styles. Create a grouping of small accent pieces to form an impressive display and to help make the space appear larger.

Wall Decor Reflections

Mirrors are essential in a bathroom of any size, but in an effort to make a small bathroom appear larger and more spacious, choose an additional wall mirror that will help expand the visual size of the room. This simple mirror trick is nothing new, but when a wall mirror is placed directly across from another wall mirror it will greatly increase the size of the appearance of the space. Better yet it will provide another view of bathroom wall decor and stylish accents.

Light Tips and Creative Tricks

Lower lighting levels in a small bathroom will make the area appear smaller than ever. If the bathroom has a natural source of light, remove heavy window treatments and opt for stained glass window film. It will provide much needed privacy, but it will allow the infiltration of natural light. At night when the lights are on, the window film pattern will be illuminated on the outside, and during the day the pattern will be apparent indoors.

In addition, make sure the level of artificial lighting is adequate. Check safety recommendation for existing bathroom fixtures, and install room-enhancing eco-friendly bulbs of the highest recommended wattage. Alternately, consider replacing outdated or inadequate light fixtures with newer fixtures. New lighting can make a tremendous difference in the overall appearance and the visual size of a small bathroom, and when considering the size of a bathroom, bigger really is better.

All text copyright Relica. Photo from Flickr - "Bathroom from the door" courtesy of DharmaLemon.