Maximising Small Bathrooms: Design Tips Using Mirrors to Create More Space
Learn how to make small bathrooms feel larger with smart mirror placement, lighting, and design tricks that enhance both style and functionality.
Utilising mirrors can be the best way to enhance a small bathroom.
By bouncing the light around the space, it will refresh the proportions and add new shape, shadows and reflections. While there aren’t many ways to make small bathrooms feel more open and functional, playing with lighting is one of the most well proven.
From thoughtful installations to minor design changes, here’s how to make the most of your bathroom using mirrors.
1. Reflect Natural Light to Brighten the Space
Firstly, positioning mirrors opposite windows or other large light sources can help to amplify natural light. This makes the bathroom look bigger and more inviting too, perfect for those tech-free morning routines or late-afternoon soaks in the bathtub.
If you have obscured glass windows in your bathroom already, you’ll find that the light bounces around with colour and interesting patterns. Using a mirror only helps to showcase this effect even more, sometimes adding kaleidoscopic patterns on the bathroom tiles.
2. Choose the Right Mirror
Mirror size, shape and style matter immensely to creating the best effect. It’s worth taking time to choose quality bathroom mirrors to complement your home. Consider the overall style of the bathroom, and its dimensions, before you go shopping.
Round or oval-shaped mirrors can help to soften the space, while larger or rectangular mirrors may help to create the illusion of more height. Think about what you usually need your bathroom mirror for: do you need an up-close makeup station or a full-length fit check
3. Try Built-in Storage
Finding the right storage solutions for your bathroom can be tricky, especially if you’re already short on floor space. Fortunately, there are a few clever ways around it.
Built-in storage is a brilliant place to start: it gives you all the practical benefits of that much-needed space to store your stuff, without sacrificing on the design or style of the space. You can find mirrored cabinets or shelves, which rotate either on a swivel or hinge. They reflect light, give you a practical mirror, and reduce clutter in small spaces. Perfect!
4. Create Depth
Finally, being strategic with placement makes for better organisation in the bathroom. For example, placing mirrors on adjacent walls or in smaller corners can help to expand the visual space you have available.
Giving your bathroom a more open feel usually involves clearing the floor space and using height to your advantage. You’ll want to try and choose units that are a very similar height to your sink and toilet cistern, for example.
Even placing mirrors in the corner can make the space seem wider or taller. Spatial illusions pack a punch in small bathrooms, so don’t be afraid to experiment.
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