Even with limited bath space, there are some
important things and basic fixture designs that we need to follow, so
that our bathrooms are safe and functional. Different areas may have
some typical requirements and design parameters specified by the
concerned departments and we should take care to follow them because
they are well studied and researched to suit the local needs. There
should be at least 30 x 48 inches of clear floor space in front of the
lavatory, out of which up to 19 inches (out of 48 inches) can extend
under the seat for the knee space. There should be at least 15 inches of
space from the centerline of the lavatory, toilet or bidet to the
bathroom walls on any side and 30 inches of space from the centerline of
another sanitary fixture.
There must be at least 24 inches of clear floor space in front of the
toilet or bidet. Though, you can choose tub size of any size but there
should be at least 60 inches long (which is also the standard size of
the bathtub) and 30 inches wide clear floor space along its side. There
should be easy access and no obstruction in reaching plumbing and
whirlpool motors. All enclosed showers should have at least 34 inches of
usable space from wall to wall inside them, though many people use
showers with 32 inches of space too. Though shapes of the showers may
differ but there must be at least 30 inches of interior circular
diameter and 1024 square inches of finished interior space in a shower.
Limited bathroom space can be renovated to give an illusion of space by
using some designing optical illusion tricks.
You can add height to our bath space by adding vertical lines to its
walls. Paint the walls in vertical stripes, put wallpaper with similar
patterns, put tiles extending to the ceiling or you may also line the
edge of the ceiling with a border or just a cornice to make the ceiling
look higher. For tiled walls, you can just use different colored or
patterned tile on top of the walls to draw eyes upwards. Add width,
length and depth to a small bathroom using mirrors and lights correctly.
However, too many mirrors can just spoil the effect. Use one mirror
positioned strategically to reflect light throughout the room. In small
bathrooms, clear shower screens add space and light unlike the opaque
ones while a frameless shower screen looks better as it does not cause
visual barriers in the bath space. Make the best possible use of the
natural light by incorporating windows or skylight in the bathroom.
Illuminate all the corners and perimeter of the bathroom to make it look
larger and install shelves high on the walls and near the ceiling and
put lights under.
Keep the color scheme of the bathroom simple as too many colors or
patterns will make your bath space look smaller and more cluttered. It
is best to use light colors, pastel shades, neutrals or white color for
the bathroom walls, floors and Decor to make the small space look
larger. Rectified porcelain tiles with identical shapes and narrower
grout lines and larger tiles give the illusion of more space and
similarly tiled floors that attract attention add to the feeling of
space in the bath. Floating cabinets, exposed shelves, recessed cabinets
and a pedestal or wall mounted sinks and basins add space while vanity
unity should never be used in small bathrooms as it takes much valuable
floor space. Basins with a bench can solve your storage needs and avoid
clutter in limited bath space.
In small baths, place windows near the ceiling and place the toilet in
an alcove. Use the wall space above the toilet to install shelves. Small
and deep bathtubs may be used for small bathrooms. Use sliding doors
instead of normal hinged doors for more space while the sliding doors
that hide in an in-wall cavity look clean and high-tech. Hinged doors
take space when you are closing and opening a door but if you must use
one, hand the towel racks on their back instead of the walls. While
these tips can help you to make your small bathroom larger, you need to
accept the fact that bathroom with limited bath space will always remain
so, no matter how you decorate it. It may look sophisticated, sparkling,
cozy, intimate and less claustrophobic but decoration can not add area
to your bath space. So, use these limited bath space ideas to make best
possible use of the space available to you.
