Welcome to the first in a new series of columns by Lucy Kalice, as she joins Ideal Home's Open House to show how she renovates and looks after her home so it's always looks the best it can be.
Well hello! Fancy seeing you here – I’m delighted you’ve clicked on this article, which by the way is the first of many that I’m going to be writing to share with you all my very genius home hacks (if I do say so myself). So get ready to soak it all in because we’re just getting started and these hacks are off the wall - quite literally as you’ll see at hack number five…
If you’re reading this right now I’m guessing it's because you too have found yourself in a position where your bathroom is giving cramped and cluttered rather than sleek and spacious.
Trust me, I get it! My bathroom measures 1.8m by 1.8m so there’s not a lot of room for activities.
We’ve recently done a full bathroom renovation and all I can say is wow. The countless hours spent researching how to make my bathroom appear bigger have paid off because it really does look 10 times bigger (and I no longer have the ick.)
So now I fear it’s only right I save you the hours of research and shower you with the best tips and tricks to make your bathrooms feel bigger too. So lets get into it.
1. Sliding door
Whether its a pocket door or a barn style door, a sliding door is a game changer. Let me just say that again, a GAME CHANGER!
A pocket door is where the door slides into two walls so its hidden when its open. A barn door is a door on a rail which is visible on the outside of the room. Both options save space as the door doesn’t open into the bathroom.
We opted for a barn door and honestly I’d recommend it to anyone. Not only does it look chic whilst saving space, but it adds character to the house!
2. Not having a bath
I know there’s going to be some of you screaming at me through the screen saying you can’t possibly part with your baths and look, I hear you. But listen, opting for a shower over a bath can save a lot of space, especially if you go for a corner shower.
The glass screen being from floor to ceiling also gives the illusion the room is bigger, so it’s definitely something to think about. I have always been and always will be a shower girl but we stuck with our bath, so I am really envious of all you lucky people with showers.
3. Smaller bath and toilet
Two phrases I’d never heard before doing a home renovation- – thin rimmed bath and short protrusion toilet. Now maybe I live under a rock and you know what they are, but if you don’t, let me explain…
A thin rimmed bath is a bath with a thin rim (shock). But what it means is if you can't give up the bath like I suggested above then perhaps you can get a narrower bath with the same bathing space as a normal bath but with a thinner rim. Genius if you ask me.
And a short protrusion toilet is a toilet that doesn’t stick out so far. We opted for both of these in our bathroom renovation and it’s given us more floor space.
4. Big, shiny tiles
Fun fact: small tiles will make a room feel smaller and big tiles, you guessed it, make a room feel bigger. So yes size does matter and in this instance, bigger will always be better.
We chose shiny big tiles instead of matte, as shiny tiles reflect the light so will make the room feel more spacious. Tiling all the way from floor to ceiling gives off a seamless look which again makes the room feel more open – another little trick you can do!
5. Wall hanging fixtures
See I told you there would be a wall-hanging hack and here we are. Wall-hanging sinks and toilets are the final answer to that spacious bathroom you’re looking for. Having more of the floor visible gives the illusion of more space. Trust me, it works.
We got a wall-hanging sink and I’m not sure i’ll ever look back. The bathroom looks so light and lifted. It is the perfect addition to any bathroom.
So now you have all the tips and tricks you need to make your bathroom feel way more spacious, which ones are you choosing?
