Enlarge a Small Bathroom by Proper Mirror Placement

Reader's question:

"My bathroom is very small. Can you give me a tip to make it look more spacious"

Our answer:

Apartment bathrooms tend to be on the small side. So how can you make a small bathroom appear large and spatious? The easy response is to apply light colors on walls, to use clever lighting and, most important, to add a large mirror. These solutions are pretty good but the professionals’ best-kept secret is none of these. Here it is:

The secret of professional designers does not lie in the size of the mirror but in its placement.

A designer will have a mirror cover an entire wall, from floor to ceiling, end to end. If there is a washbasin, then the mirror should start from the top of the vanity and end at the ceiling. No frame is added around the mirror and this heightens the illusion of continuity of the space behind and in front of the mirror.

If your bathroom is small or long and narrow, and provided the layout allows it, try to copy this secret as shown in the images below.

modern bathroom design by san francisco architect John Lum Architecture, Inc. AIA

The washbasins and toilet are on the left side of the bathroom. A frameless mirror starts from the top of the cabinet. In addition, hanging lights are placed closed to the mirror so that the reflected light adds depth.

contemporary bathroom design by san diego interior designer HERMOGENO DESIGNS

In this case, the mirror starts a little above the cabinet, after a row of ceramic tiles. The illusion is quite impressive although the placement of lights directly on top of the mirror is not very effective. The ideal solution would involve placing the lights (pendant lights or spotlights) a few centimeters further away from the mirror.

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