How to Make a Small Bathroom Feel Bigger, According to Joanna Gaines

With a bit of de-cluttering and organization, your tiny bathroom has the potential to look super spacious.

As Chip and Joanna Gaines grace our TV screens and work their DIY magic, some projects may seem a bit far out of reach. But some projects are surprisingly simple and are completely doable without the power couple standing over your shoulder, especially while being stuck inside. In an older episode of HGTVs Fixer Upper, Joanna Gaines shows viewers how to make a small bathroom space feel much, much bigger. Her tips are easy to do with pretty impressive results.

Here’s what Joanna did to the bathroom on this particular episode. And check out more easy quarantine home projects you’ll wish you’d done sooner and ways to maximize your space with these bathroom storage ideas.

Use lighter materials

In the video, Joanna explains that she uses lighter colored flooring, countertops, cabinets, and paint color on the wall. The tiles and cabinets are white, the countertop is a lighter marble, and the wall is light green.

“It’s really important to make this space feel really light and airy because it’s only 45 square feet,” said Joanna.

She also likes to play with the different colors to give the tiles contrast. Instead of using a white grout for the tiles, she used a natural grey grout. However, the amount of white she chose for the bathroom gives more light and makes the bathroom feel lighter and bigger. The grey grout gives it a nice balance. While you’re painting, give your other spaces an upgrade too, but make sure you don’t use one of these paint colors in your bedroom.

Give the shower curtain some texture

Joanna uses a ruffled white shower curtain for this bathroom, which she points out how this will make a statement in such a small space. However, choosing lighter colors still makes the space feel bigger.

Add extra lighting

One of the things that Joanna encourages people to do is make room in the budget for extra lighting. In the bathroom she designed, Joanna uses a vanity as well as an antique chandelier to give the space plenty of light. And what does light do? “Light makes things feel bigger so that’s the trick,” said Joanna. Learn what effortless tasks clutter-free people do every day.

Add a vanity mirror

Along with the ruffled shower curtain, Joanna says a vanity mirror can make a huge statement in such a small space. In the bathroom she worked on, she repainted an antique mirror she found, leaving some of the wood unpainted to give it the distressed look.

Try a vessel sink

Since the countertop is smaller, Joanna decided to use a raised vessel sink to make the bathroom feel larger. She says this helps to give the sink and counter the illusion that it’s bigger than it actually is.

Maximize your space

Joanna points out that working with a smaller vanity means not being able to fit all of your bathroom items within one space. She says the trick is to try and maximize your space by containing things in a creative way. One of the ways she did this is by hanging a small basket above the toilet. This basket holds extra hand towels, jars that have Q-tips and cotton balls, and a small floral decoration. On the floor opposite the toilet, there’s a small white wire basket to hold the extra toilet paper. Steal these tips from personal organizers for more decluttering know-how.

Keep the counters clear

This goes with her last point about maximizing space, but keeping the counters clear and the bathroom tidy will help to give that bigger illusion you’re going for. Smaller objects could be placed in jars, which can go in hanging baskets, and hand towels could be hung by a ring holder or a bathroom towel bar next to the vanity. Still feeling cramped? Next, keep yourself organized and get rid of these 10 things in your bathroom right now.

The Family Handyman
Originally Published on The Family Handyman