Maximising bathroom designs with a professional

With a small bathroom design, homeowners were desperate to find out how they could maximise the bathroom space with the help of a professional.

Janet and Leigh's bathroom interior was not ideal. It was a cramped and badly designed space, with the toilet squashed up against the bath tub and a mess of sickly 1970s yellow wall tiles. With a solid shower screen frame and some wall separating the bathroom vanity from the rest of the room, there was barely space to move. 

After engaging the services of bathroom designer Jason Francis for a study and guestroom combination, Janet was impressed with his creative flair. She was eager to see what he would come up with for her bathroom interior and was happily surprised by the results. Rebecca Jaeske from Bathroom Concepts put the design into action with her technical know-how and attention to detail.

Making the most out of a small bathroom space 

Without much room to work with, the efficiency of the interior design has made the bathroom feel luxuriously spacious. The illusion of space has been created with generous lighting, lighter coloured walls and floor- and wall-mounted fixtures, such as the toilet.

Plenty of natural light streams in through a high window and, where a separating wall once blocked light, glass shelving has been used, adding a sense of openness to the space and brightness to the bathroom vanity area.

The great space enabler is the large piece of thick curved glass acting as a shower screen. Extra support has been put into the tiled wall so it can stand up to the heavy glass. Hinges allow the screen to move back and forth as needed, curving around the shower area while it's being used and sitting tidily against the wall when done.

Janet has plenty of room for cleaning when the screen's out of the way. She also enjoys the added seclusion it provides when functioning as a door.

"It gives me privacy when I'm in the bath, so that if the kids come running in I'm not totally exposed like I used to be," she says. 

Bathroom fitting options for the new layout

Without solid boundaries for the shower, good floor drainage was a necessity. The result is a grate so discreet it looks like part of the tiling. After chatting to some friends back home in her native Canada, Janet decided floor heating was one indulgence she couldn't do without either, and that helps remove any excess water and dampness.

"The floor heating is just fantastic," says Janet." And with the real powerful exhaust fan we put in, it clears the fogged-up glass mirror in about two minutes."

Bathroom lighting

The sense of luxury is completed with elaborate lighting. There are dimmers on all the lights and these are particularly popular during intimate evening baths.

An attractive niche in the wall beside the bath would have been an ideal spot for candles, but Janet's reluctance to use open flames inside resulted in the inclusion of some attractive downlights. 

Find out how a bathroom designer in your area can help you get the most out of your small bathroom space: