When you are looking for advice on designing a small bathroom, there are a few things that are generally accepted rules for making the room look larger. While some of them may be things you would expect, it helps to understand that these general design and decorating principles apply to any small space, whether it is an attic playroom or a small bathroom.

One of the simplest things to do when designing a small bathroom is to ensure that light colours are used on all surfaces; so you might want to consider grays, light pastels or even just bright white. If you want to wallpaper the walls, you need to keep prints and patterns small and simple. Just keep in mind that bold colors go a long way in a small space and the same is true when you are looking for the best advice on designing a small bathroom. Bold colored accessories like soap dishes or toothbrush holders are fine, just be sure that you don't add too much clutter because the space will look smaller.

It is possible to keep you're the room very practical and functional without sacrificing great appeal. Anything that doesn't make the room look light and airy should be avoided, and this can include a vanity and sink combination. Pedestal sinks give you an extra 10% more floor space, but this also means you might need to store linens elsewhere; like in a hall closet, for example. While it is important to use lighter colors or those that are more neutral for the majority of the room, accessories like decorative mirrors can add character to your small bathroom and the reflections of the lighter parts of the room will make the room appear bigger.

When you need advice on designing a small bathroom, you might consider the room will look the largest with a neutral palette as a background, few decorative touches to avoid a cluttered and cramped look and make sure everything in the bathroom is functional in some way. If you have a window, consider shelving to display decorative accessories, or consider stained glass or leaded glass to give the window focal appeal; this splash of color that offsets a predominately neutral background and can serve as artwork. Glass shower doors can make a bathroom look much larger than a more confining shower curtain.

Another thing to consider is installing a skylight to make the room look larger and allow natural light into the room. If you install a large decorative mirror, you might consider overhead recessed lighting to save space instead of larger over-sink lighting fixtures. The main design idea of a small bathroom should be to keep floor space clear and make the room appear bigger through the use of glass shower doors, decorative mirrors and recessed or natural lighting that draws your eyes to a more expansive view of some kind.

You don't need a lot of expert advice when it comes to designing a small bathroom. Just keep in mind you want the room to look larger through the use of neutral backgrounds, expansive focal points that draw your eyes as far as possible from the center of the room and be sure to consider the use of pedestal sinks, reflective mirrors, skylights and recessed lighting to save space, yet add an optical illusion of more space.