Through the Looking Glass - Ways to Make Your Small Bath Appear Bigger

There's no getting around it — and no getting around in it! A small bathroom is just, well, small! If you've got a tiny bath and no way to enlarge it, do the next best thing, give it some of the Alice in Wonderland magic with mirrors and glass.

Subtle reflections

A standard, builder’s grade bath typically has one large mirror above the vanity (or stand-alone sink if your bathroom is super small). Create some reflective light by attaching a glass shelf in front of the mirror and populating it with colored or clear glass bottles of varying heights. Light reflecting off the various surfaces bounces around the room and off the ceiling to give your space a sparkling, sunlight on water feeling.

Add more mirrors of various sizes, shapes, and frames to the room to allow the light to cast a glow into dark corners while dressing up plain walls. Mirrors of differing depths (think shadow box versus floating frames versus one matted light a picture) add dimension to your room.

Or choose a mirror-backed frame around a metallic sculpture to double down on reflection back into the room. Perhaps add reflective metallic frames in various metals around your mirrors to complete the look. Or, try a mirrored frame around a reflective object.

To increase how light moves in the room, instead of a patterned or colored shower curtain, choose a heavy clear hotel-weight curtain with decorative mirrored, metallic, or reflective rings. Seeing through the curtain into the bath area increases the room’s visual size by extending the view.

Change out your light fixture for a mirrored one that reflects both the light and the room and choose LED bulbs in warm white for the most natural light for makeup application and cooler bulbs over the shower and bath for a more relaxing experience.

Finally, if windows are high enough, leave them uncovered to allow as much light in as possible. If they are too low and risk exposure, consider covering them with a thin frosted film rather than a curtain or blind so that light still passes into the room while preserving your privacy. Mirror the back of the door as well, so that when it's closed, it casts backlight into the room. Give the space that much more reflection by choosing shiny chrome fixtures too.

And if you’re in the market for a larger bath, talk to your real estate professional about what’s available in your community.