Spacious bathroom designs

If you're cramped for room in the bathroom, and you're planning to upgrade the space with a renovation, following some advice on how you maximise the area's layout can help you get your room looking even bigger.

1. What are your bathroom renovation needs?

Before you dive into your bathroom renovation ideas, assess your needs so you can make the most of the space available. If elderly people are using the bathroom, then you may want to forgo a bath and splash out on a bigger shower instead. Or, if it's a bathroom for testy teenagers, a double bathroom vanity might be wise.

2. Room to move around the bathroom

If you have multiple bathroom toilet facilities in your home, then consider sacrificing one in the name of greater bathroom bliss. It's common now for renovators to knock down walls between bathrooms and toilets to make room for spa baths and double showers and vanities.

3. It's all in the bathroom tiles

The shape, size and colour of your bathroom tiles will inevitably affect your sense of space. If you want to make a small bathroom seem bigger, large tiles laid from floor to ceiling will help create a seamless, open look. Mixing and matching colours will create a sense of depth and volume.

4. Bathroom storage ideas

Remember, your bathroom space isn't a linen closet, so anything you do store there could potentially suffer the damaging effects of moisture - which means keeping storage to a minimum. If you must have bathroom storage, then consider recessing your cabinets into the walls to save on space.

5. That floating feeling

One secret to making a small bathroom look bigger is to have as much floor space visible as possible. This can be achieved using the latest wall-hung fittings. Basins, vanities and even toilet pans can now be 'floated', meaning they don't reach the floor and free up space underneath.

6. Illuminating idea

Clever lighting makes a bathroom more inviting. To this end, consider installing low-lying LED strip or step lights. These can be recessed into floors, walls and joinery and create a soft, candle-like glow that's perfect for long, luxurious soaks.