Anyone with a small bathroom has probably wondered how they can make their space look bigger. Fortunately, there are many ways to achieve a sense of space Without skimping on style Or break down the walls. A simple yet highly effective trick employed by HGTV star Joanna Gaines is using bathroom lighting to make a small space feel larger while maintaining existing square footage.
In A Video tour “Of one particularly small bathroom he remodeled,” Gaines says, “it was really important to make the space light and airy because it’s only 45 square feet. The biggest thing I find in small spaces is not having enough lighting. I always encourage people, if you have some space in the budget, to add additional lighting.” Gaines achieves this by increasing the amount of general lighting in the space.
General lighting is intended to provide clear illumination in a space, which spreads light evenly over all surfaces. In this small bathroom, Gaines installed a ceiling chandelier for most of the general lighting and added double sconces above the vanity for extra brightness. However, light is not the only thing that helps to make a space look bigger. They need to stay away from other colors and textures in the space to make the bathroom actually feel much larger than 45 square feet.
Pair lighting with paint and texture for a larger-feeling bathroom
While light minimizes shadows and dark corners, you need to combine it with the right colors and textures. Gaines simple color trick Maximizes the spatial illusion of the bathroom. The walls are painted in light colors, while the floor and shower are covered in white tiles with light-colored grout.
The reason these choices are so important is because light needs to be reflected to create the illusion of space. With paint, for example, you need one with a high light reflectance value (LRV) to achieve that sense of space. Texture also plays a role here. For Gaines, it enters the bathroom through a specially chosen shower curtain that is not only tall but also wavy, drawing the eye upwards. This sense of height adds vertical interest that pairs perfectly with the chandelier, which throws light from the ceiling.
Gaines Another way to combine light and color is with a bathroom mirror. Mirrors naturally increase the reflective and spatial value of light, but gains also ensure that color reacts accordingly, Video tour: “I ended up painting it white because I wanted it to be light, but it has a lot of character and detail that makes it really pop.” The vanity and sink are lighter colors and so is the hardware Update the bathroom By pairing with the room’s color palette while maintaining definition.
