How to Deal with a Microscopic Bathroom

In my very first apartment, it was literally impossible to sit on the toilet without hitting my knees against the opposing wall. When it comes to bathrooms, size does matter. Ten years and seven apartments later, I’ve graduated to a bathroom that offers (a few) additional square feet where it counts, and I’ve learned a lot along the way. Here’s what a decade of dealing with tiny bathrooms has taught me:

If your tiny bathroom has only one window, a strategically placed accent mirror can help reflect the natural light it lets in. Even without a direct beam of morning sunlight, mirrors will still reflect ambient light and open up a tiny space.

Small spaces don’t have to be boring spaces, and bathroom decor doesn’t have to be limited to fuzzy pink toilet seat covers. Think more along the lines of bedroom or living room decor. Rugs made from water-resistant materials such as jute, sisal or bamboo work surprisingly well in bathrooms. Pretty trays to hold toiletries can become accent pieces. And, tiny bathrooms are the perfect spaces in which to display a collection of small-scale wall art that would look disproportionate in a larger room.

You can never have enough hooks for towels, clothes, or anything else that might otherwise take up precious counter space. Invest in a set of shelves with built-in hooks or find a wall-mounted coat rack (like the one above from HomeSense) to gain space without sacrificing style.

Buy pretty bottles and dispensers so you can display your toiletries instead of just storing them. Pretty pump dispensers are perfect for lotions, hand wash, and body wash while glass or plastic lidded jars are the way to go for cotton balls, bath salts and the like.

Ready to upgrade your tiny bathroom? HomeSense has endless possibilities to transform your space, all perfectly priced.