Solutions for small bathrooms - great ideas for designing

• Exchange of sanitary objects
  • bathtub
  • shower
  • sink
• Install "room divider"
• Correct tile selection
• Set light accents
• Attach mirror
• Create storage space
  • Use wall installations
  • Install cabinets and shelves
  • Use room height
• Cost of a bath renovation

Anyone planning a house construction today will give the future bathroom the space it needs. By now, the bathroom has evolved from a mere "wet cell" to a feel-good location. In earlier years, however, it was different, and many owners mostly older houses know the problem - the existing bathroom is too small, the sanitary objects are placed unfavorably, tiles and fittings no longer up to date. So you have to think about how to change this unsatisfactory state.

Those who have the spatial conditions (and financial means) at their disposal should consider moving the bathroom completely into another - larger - room, which, of course, entails enormous expense.

Unfortunately, many homeowners do not have this alternative available; they have to make the best of the existing space. Here are some tricks that can not increase the surface area, but can positively change the layout and visual impression. Often the changing of the bathroom door brings a gain in space - if you, if possible, instead of inside strikes or attach a sliding door. If you have the appropriate technical skills, you can of course start such a transformation yourself. But be aware that this is not something that can be done in one day and the bathroom can not be used during the transformation. Above all, one should be careful not to want to accommodate too much. Especially small bathrooms are even smaller due to the overload of sanitary objects, cupboards, shelves, etc. Here is: less is often more!

Tip: not all towels must necessarily be accommodated in the bathroom; A small cupboard in the hallway or the bedroom cupboard may be used for storage.

So if you are planning a complete bathroom remodeling or redesign, you should consider the following points:

Exchange of sanitary objects

bathtub

If you only have a small bathroom, you have to make sure that the installed sanitary objects match the size. A standard bath with the dimensions of 1.75 x 0.75 m is out of place here, in addition, the water consumption in a full bath is enormously high. Space-saving tubs, which taper towards the foot, save not only space, but also water just like a corner bath, which also offers a large storage space.

shower

Square showers are already available from a floor area of ​​70 × 70 cm and true space-saving miracles are also 5-corner showers, which can often be installed behind the door due to their shape. Corner shower trays offer more floor space, but have the disadvantage that the required round doors are significantly more expensive.

No shower or bath:

For many people, a full bath is the non-plus ultra - others hate to lie in their own "dirty water". These likes and dislikes should be considered if only a small bathroom is available. Why not remove the bathtub if it is not used anyway ">

And if you do not want to give up your beloved bathtub, you can also use it for showering by attaching a sliding shower enclosure on the edge of the bath or a shower curtain, dispense with the installation of a separate shower and thus gain additional space.

sink

Another point concerns the sink: must it necessarily have a width of 60 - 80 cm? Or would not two smaller, round washbasins with a diameter of 40 cm each be more practical? Especially since they do not take much more space from the base, but at the same time can be used by two people and - if they are embedded in a vanity - thereby create additional storage space.

Install "room divider"

Another way to get more space in the small bathroom is the installation of "room dividers". This means semi - or floor - to - ceiling walls in dry construction, which can accommodate the necessary pipes inside and can be used from both sides, eg as a shower enclosure on one side, and support for WC or corner sinks on the other side. Especially in long bathrooms, where the washbasin, shower and toilet are mounted side by side on one side, such walls, which are perpendicular to the side wall, can soften the hose-like impression.

Even roof slopes can be used so well; with the help of a partition, a shower can be divided - the other side also serves as an area for attaching eg a sink or the toilet.

Correct tile selection

Great tiles for small bathrooms! Few joints make the room seem bigger. An alternative to this are smaller tiles and the necessary joints in a contrasting color, but which should match the rest of the ambience (eg sanitary objects in light gray, matching white - gray marbled tiles, red joints and red towels!) Because even in this way can be small Showcase bathrooms very well.

Another option is to provide the walls with waterproof plaster. Here you get out without joints and get a smooth, quiet surface.

What you should avoid in a small bath in any case are "bright" colors of the wall tiles, as they seem very restless. Quiet basic colors - white or bright pastel colors - make the room appear larger. The same effect can be achieved by choosing darker tiles for the floor - they open the room upwards.

You can then bring "color to the bathroom" with the right choice of accessories, with colored towels, colorful baskets, plants, etc. However, the rule also applies here: a maximum of 2 - 3 different, matched to tiles and sanitary objects colors, choose - beyond the quiet, wide impression would be destroyed again.

And who has the opportunity to do so: a bigger picture placed over the bath attracts the view of the entrant and distracts from the small footprint!

Set light accents

It does not always have to be a conventional ceiling lamp! Indirect lighting, often in combination with different spotlights aimed at selected points, can make a small room look significantly larger. Nevertheless, you should make sure that, above all, "strategically important points", such as a make-up mirror sufficient, and above all glare-free, illuminated.

Of course, it's important WHAT you want to do in your bath. Should it "only" serve for body cleansing or do you want to design your bathtub as a wellness oasis "> attach mirrors

Mirror or mirror cabinets, placed in the right place, make smaller bathrooms look bigger. (Mirror cabinets also offer the advantage of additional storage space). Under no circumstances should you attach a mirror to the front ends in a long, narrow bath. The room would be even longer and narrower! Here, a place should be chosen that is, for example, a window opposite and thus brings through the incident and reflecting light in addition, width and brightness in the bathroom.

Create storage space

Use wall installations

Especially in small bathrooms, it is often difficult to create the necessary storage space. Pretext installations can help here, because they not only make the necessary installations disappear - it can also create niches that can be used to accommodate towels and Co.; In addition, the upper end serves as a storage area.

Install cabinets and shelves

Basin cabinets can fill in the otherwise unused space. Behind their doors you can, for example, toiletries and the like. Accommodate, you want to hide from prying eyes. At this point you could also work with small, rectangular baskets made of natural materials, which receive the necessary utensils, thus ensuring order and loosening the sterile tile surface. High, narrow shelves (possibly with glass shelves) or cabinets, if possible wall-mounted, offer plenty of storage space, without being overly intrusive. And a door wardrobe serves as a suspension for bathrobe and Co.! A shelf above the toilet, pyramid-shaped toilet paper on top not only looks funny - it also helps to make sensible use of the otherwise lost space. And roll containers, actually intended as office furniture, provide space for many small parts and can be moved if necessary.

Use room height

Especially in old buildings is often the base of the bathroom quite small, but through high rooms is still "air up". So why not use them sensibly "> Costs for a bath renovation

The cost depends primarily on the extent of the renovation, the size of the bathroom and the desired equipment. Here, a price comparison is worthwhile, because often DIY stores offer high-quality sanitary products of well-known manufacturers at special prices, for example when a series expires. Special requests such as whirlpool functions in bathtubs, light changers, etc., of course, cost more accordingly.

Another big cost factor is the choice of tiles - here the price range starts at around 10 Euro / m² for white tiles of 15 × 15 cm; On the other hand, there are almost no limits to the price.

If, due to the spatial situation, custom-made products are required for the bathroom equipment, eg custom-made shower walls on sloping ceilings, higher costs must also be expected.

You can save money by own contribution. If you have awarded the contract of a bath renovation to a specialist company, it is worthwhile to do the necessary preparatory work yourself. This includes the removal of the old sanitary objects and the tiles, primers, etc. Who is skilled in craftsmanship, who can also take necessary tile and painting work or make the desired cabinets and shelves and thereby give his bathroom a personal touch.

Tips for quick readers:

• gain more space through space-saving sanitary objects
• No shower / bath
• through "room divider" give the room a different structure
• select suitable tiles (color and format)
• optically magnify the room with light accents - find optimal lighting
• with the right use of mirrors to give the bathroom "width"
• create enough storage space with cupboards and shelves
• costs incurred