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Your bathroom may be small, but it can live large--even with no additional square footage. New space-saving products, as well as some clever design techniques, will influence your perception of space. You will experience your bathroom as more spacious than it actually is. In addition, your tiny bathroom can have the stylish look of a much larger spa-like bathroom.
1. Add depth with color. Choose light, cool neutrals and pastels. These color tones recede from the eye, optically enlarging the space. Dark shades advance towards the eye, shrinking the space visually. Avoid elaborate patterns, since they can overpower a small room.
2. Increase visual height. Using the same material and color for floor and wall tiles helps move the eye up the wall, rather than stopping at the bottom edge of the room. Installing tile in a vertical pattern or painting vertical stripes on the wall can give the feeling of a taller room. Paint the ceiling the same color as the walls to create the illusion of a taller bathroom.
3. Scale down the vanity. Install a smaller furniture-style vanity, a floating vanity, or a pedestal sink to optimize the space. For additional storage, choose a vanity with drawers or mount a mirrored cabinet above. If the corners of the vanity get in the way, select a style with rounded edges.
4. Minimize the shower door. Select a frameless glass shower door or shower screen to enhance your view, making the room feel larger. A shower screen, sliding shower door or rolling door have the advantage of requiring no clearance in the room.
5. Expand the shower enclosure. If you use a shower curtain, switch from a straight rod to a curved one. It can add up to seven inches of elbow room while you are showering.  6. Reduce clutter with niches. Clutter makes a bathroom appear smaller and hinders the smooth functioning of the space. Wall niches reduce clutter by keeping towels, soaps, and bottles out of the way, while taking up no extra space in the room.
7. Upgrade the toilet. New compact models take up less room and are more efficient than older toilets. Some compacts offer the comfort of elongated seats. Another option is a wall-mounted toilet that saves space since the tank is mounted inside the wall.
8. Illuminate the room. A well-lit bathroom will appear larger than a darkened room. If possible, capture natural light during the day by installing windows, skylights or tubular skylights. Layer the artificial lighting in the room, using a combination of ambient, task and accent lighting, to brighten up dark corners.
9. Reflect with mirrors. Install generously-sized mirrors because of their light-enhancing and reflective qualities that visually open up a small bathroom.
10. Create a focal point. Include one especially eye-catching item, whether it is a stunning light fixture or an exquisite vanity. This area of interest will draw attention away from the size of your bathroom. | 
