In order to achieve larger living, dining and bedrooms in our homes, we may sometimes sacrifice the square footage in our bathrooms, leaving us with tiny spaces that can feel claustrophobic. Luckily for us, there are some easy ways that can help make your small bathroom appear twice as large.

Stick to a white, or pastel, colour scheme As bathrooms are traditionally found further into the apartment – meaning that there is a low percentage of natural light flowing through – cladding the four walls in a shade of white will help to brighten up and visually expand the space. Not a fan of full-white spaces? Pastel colours work too. If you do need a more distinct colour contrast within your bathroom, consider turning specific furnishings within the space into a stand-out feature, like a dark-coloured cabinet below the sink or a uniquely designed light feature.

Go big on mirrors Because they have the ability to reflect light, mirrors are a great way to help a small bathroom appear larger. Whether you choose to install a large mirror with a beautiful trim behind the sink, or to cover the entire length of the wall with a customised piece, your eyes will be tricked into thinking that the bathroom’s ceilings look higher, in turn expanding the square footage as well.

Recess cabinetry into the walls Whether above the sink as a medicine cabinet or within the shower area as a caddy, protruding fixtures – no matter how thin – can eat up precious space within a small bathroom. As such, wherever possible, knock out an open niche into a non-load bearing wall. This will not only take advantage of empty wall cavity space to use as storage, but it can also create the illusion of a larger space as the visual depth of the walls make them look further away than they actually are.

Opt for floating bathroom furnishings As square footage is scarce in a small bathroom, a great way to open up the space is to install wall-hung – or “floating” – furnishings. While the area beneath might be too small to be utilised, being able to see the floor tiles underneath these fixtures instead of the end of a bulky toilet or a vanity can help to create the illusion of space.

Use glass partitions to separate zones Rather than using a shower curtain to separate the dry and wet zones in a bathroom, install a glass panel or a glass door instead. Doing so would create a clear line of sight to the innermost wall of your bathroom, making it look more spacious rather than a compartmentalised area. For those who prefer more privacy, using a frosted or tinted glass panel would work in your favour too.

Don’t swing, slide For small bathrooms, the last thing you would want to do is to install a swinging door that would cut into your floor space. As such, installing a pocket door at the entrance of your bathroom will help you gain that much more visual space. Inside the bathroom, sliding doors also work great for medicine cabinets as it would give you easy access to your toiletries and other accessories without having to sacrifice floor or elbow space.