How to Make a Small Bathroom Feel Larger

A small bathroom can feel claustrophobic and cramped, but with the right design choices it can feel airy, clean, and even spa-like. The secret is not adding more to the space but rather removing visual barriers and using light strategically to create the illusion of more room.

Large Format Tiles Create Space

Counter-intuitively, larger tiles make a small bathroom feel bigger, not smaller. This is because large tiles mean fewer grout lines, and grout lines are visual interruptions that make a space feel chopped up. Large format tiles — 12x24 or larger — on both the floor and walls create a continuous surface that reads as more expansive.

A Frameless Glass Shower

If your small bathroom has a separate shower, removing the shower enclosure and replacing it with a frameless glass panel or door is one of the most effective ways to make the room feel larger. A solid shower door or curtain blocks the sightline into the shower, making the bathroom feel truncated. Glass allows the eye to travel the full length of the room.

Mount the Vanity Off the Floor

A wall-mounted, floating vanity shows the floor beneath it, which creates visual depth and makes the bathroom feel more spacious than a floor-standing vanity that blocks that floor space from view. It also makes the floor easier to clean, which helps maintain the feeling of a clean, airy space.