7 Things That Are Making Your Bathroom Feel Infinitely Smaller — Most of Which Are Easy Design Mistakes to Avoid
If using your bathroom feels like a squash and a squeeze, do check it’s not self-inflicted — here's what to ditch
Spatially, bathrooms are notoriously tricky to work with. Even a generous footprint can start to feel claustrophobic once fixtures, toiletries, and finishes crowd in, while already small spaces can shrink faster than a wool sweater on a hot wash. Luckily, many of the things that make a bathroom feel stifling or visually chopped up are surprisingly easy to fix — if you can identify the space-cramping culprits, that is.
Creating a sense of space isn’t necessarily about stripping everything back. It’s about achieving flow, clarity, and calm by using layout, lighting, materials, and sightlines more intelligently. With so many clever small bathroom ideas now embracing sculptural forms, richer finishes, and softer zoning, enjoying comfort in compact conditions is totally doable.
Most space-stealing mistakes fall into a handful of familiar categories, including bulky furniture, broken sightlines, poor lighting, and overly complicated material palettes. Stuff them up, and even the best-designed bathroom can feel smaller than it should. Ahead, we’ve shared seven things that are making your bathroom feel smaller and asked the experts how to fix them.
1. A Chaotic Palette
Too many materials competing for attention can make a bathroom feel shoe-box teeny. Even when the footprint isn’t pokey, a busy palette quickly shrinks the space visually, pulling the eye in too many directions at once. Even beautiful materials can end up working against each other when they clash.
The most successful schemes tend to be anchored by a single, unifying idea. “We look to incorporate what we’d describe as a ‘hero element’ in the scheme, something that ties it together in terms of color and tone,” explains John Law, creative director of interiors at Woodhouse & Law. “This could be a fabric, painting, rug, or, as in this case, a beautiful wallpaper by Divine Savages.”
That central element sets the mood for everything else. “The tones in the wallpaper provide the springboard for other material and color choices, helping to ensure that even with a mixture of patterns and materials in the space, the room still feels cohesive and isn’t jarring visually,” John adds.
Restraint doesn’t have to mean being boring. “Avoid opting for safe, neutral choices; lean instead into the character of the room and be bold,” says John. For spatially-challenged bathroom layouts, embracing a warm, rich color combinations enhances the sense of intimacy.
“Consider the quality of light too; in a north-facing room, for example, embrace warmer, jewel tones, they will really lift the space," John adds. "I’d much rather spend time in a space that’s small but gorgeous than a non-event.”
Woodhouse and Law are a full-service interior and garden design company, working from their showroom and studio in the UNESCO World Heritage City of Bath. Founded in 2009 by Nick Woodhouse and John Law, they take pride in developing stylish, individual and creative schemes across the residential and commercial sectors.
2. Storage Overwhelm
Bulky storage that interrupts the flow will make any bathroom feel pint-sized. Oversized vanities, freestanding units that jut into circulation space, or overhead cupboards hovering above the basin will all break sightlines and create a sense of stifling enclosure.
“When a bathroom is tight on space, storage has to work hard without dominating,” says Andrew Griffiths, founder of A New Day. “Well-planned cabinetry, recessed niches, and under-basin storage allow everything practical to be close at hand, while keeping sightlines clean and uninterrupted.”
Size and scale matter. “For me, lightness comes from proportion and detailing,” adds Andrew. “Floating vanities, open bases, or finely detailed fronts all help reduce visual weight, especially in compact bathrooms. And be careful with depth, a vanity doesn’t need to be oversized to be functional. We often introduce shadow gaps or negative space beneath to let light move around the room.”
Being clever with the finishes for your small bathroom storage is another top tip. “Using materials that echo the surrounding finishes — whether that’s timber, stone, or tile — helps storage recede visually, so it reads as part of the room rather than something imposed on it,” Andrew explains.
Trained at KLC School of Design, Andrew Griffiths is founder of London-based interior design studio, A New Day. The practice is known for creating thoughtful spaces that improve how you live and put a smile on your face. Andrew oversees residential projects across London and the UK.
3. Bad Lighting
Poor bathroom lighting that flattens the room (usually thanks to a sad central light source) is an all-too-common design crime in small bathrooms.
“Lighting is one of the most powerful tools in a compact bathroom,” says Andrew Griffiths. “You should always think in layers; ambient lighting to give overall softness, task lighting where precision is needed, and accent lighting to add depth.”
And positioning matters as much as type. “Wall lights at eye level are particularly effective, as they prevent light from flattening the space and help highlight textures like tile, plaster, or timber,” he adds.
Materiality plays a role, too. “Affordable bathroom-rated lighting options are getting so much better, so choose pieces with texture and warmth in their materiality rather than the clinical bathroom fittings of old,” says Andrew. This shift helps the room feel considered and inviting rather than purely functional.
The jolly news is that layered, subtle lighting can completely change spatial perception. “Back-lit mirrors, concealed LED strips (try these from Amazon) beneath vanities or along shelves, and gentle uplighting can all create the illusion of more space by drawing the eye outward rather than inward,” says Andrew. “Warmer, diffused light softens edges and reduces contrast, making even the smallest bathroom feel calmer and more expansive.”
4. Interrupted Views
Fixtures that block sightlines can quickly shrink a bathroom, particularly in compact layouts. When your gaze is forced to stop abruptly, the room reads as shorter, narrower, and more enclosed than it really is.
“It’s important to consider planes when designing bathrooms,” agrees John Law. “There’s a lot going in in terms of tile formations, grout lines, etc., so the correct heights to each element within the space is more important than ever.” Getting those relationships right matters. “For example, the height of tile finishes relative to the door frames, windowsills, and architraves, as well as the direction of tile formations, too,” explains John. “By ensuring the elevations look balanced, it helps ensure the space feels calm.”
Materials that allow the eye to travel uninterrupted are especially effective, particularly when dealing with the shower, which is generally the biggest obstruction in a bathroom. “Glass is a brilliant material for shower screens as it is clear and avoids obstructing views through to feature design elements or a view,” says John Law.
“Here, we deliberately opted for a glass frame to the shower to help ensure the Georgian house's architectural features had their moment," he explains of the space pictured above. "A shower niche created in a recess or corner, furthest away from the window, is another good way to keep those sightlines clear.”
5. Layouts That Fight the Architecture
Bathrooms feel most spacious when the layout responds to the bones of the building. When it doesn’t, and fixtures are forced into ill-fitting positions, the result is often a room that feels constrained. “The architecture of space is really important,” agrees John Law. “If the room has incredible features, it makes sense to allow these to sing rather than overwhelm them with complex pattern or texture.”
Here, Woodhouse & Law chose a painterly, watercolor design from its own collection of fabrics as a contrast to the linear leading on the mullion windows. “The neutral ground of the fabric complements the Bath stone, whilst the blush and grays quietly add interest without competing,” explains John.
Clever responses to architecture can also enhance the sense of scale. “Be creative — in this scheme, the windowsill was very deep, so we added an upholstered cushion to create a window seat, giving the illusion of more depth and softening the space too,” says John. Even small moves like this can shift how a bathroom is experienced day to day.
When layouts are simplified and aligned, perhaps by running fixtures along one wall to free up circulation, obstacles are reduced, and flow improves. A layout that works with the architecture creates movement and connection, while one that fights it almost always results in a bathroom that feels awkward.
6. The Clutter Creep
A bathroom chock full of clutter doesn’t just look busy, it feels busy, too, and that sense of visual noise can quickly shrink the space.
Strict minimalism would be nice, but that’s not reality, especially if you also do your hair and make-up in the bathroom. Instead, aim for 'contained abundance' when organizing a bathroom. Group everyday items into intentional clusters using trays or decant products into coordinated bottles if you have the energy for that level of organization.
“When we have tall cabinets, we add outlets inside of them so that hairdryers, electric razors, and electric toothbrushes all have a home…and it isn’t the countertop,” says interior designer Linda Eyles. “We also recommend using hooks (of which Anthropologie has a great range) — put a couple on the back of the door for bathrobes and do rows of them on the wall for towels. It is much more efficient than using towel bars.”
Clutter isn’t only about objects you can touch. Over-pimping the decor can be just as space-shrinking. “We suggest using only a limited number of bath accessories to keep countertops uncluttered: a pump soap dispenser, a candle, and a little vase of flowers is the most you need on show,” says Linda.
Linda Eyles is a Houston-based interior designer known for polished, personal spaces that blend global influence, curated detail, and liveable luxury.
7. Poor Mirror Choices
The wrong size or poor position choice can nix a bathroom’s sense of space in seconds. When mirrors are too small, hung too high, or swamped by heavy frames, they read as decorative nonsense rather than the space-boosting tools they are. Multiple small mirrors can be just as unhelpful, especially when shapes or finishes compete, breaking up the wall and adding visual clutter instead of cohesion.
A mirror works hardest when it’s treated as part of the architecture. Oversized designs, wall-to-wall installations, or mirrors positioned to reflect daylight can visually stretch a compact bathroom.
“Mirrors can bounce light around a room, so hanging them opposite a window not only makes the room feel larger, but it also doubles your view,” explains interior designer Linda Eyles. “Make sure that most of your light source is between you and the mirror, either on the same wall as the mirror or in the ceiling between the mirror and the user. This ensures the mirror is capturing the light and pushing it into the room to create brightness and openness.”
Hanging it too high is a common bathroom mirror mistake that makes the space feel smaller. “Aim to hang the mirror so that the bottom is only 10-12cm above the faucet or splash,” says Linda. “And don’t go too small. To make the bathroom feel larger, more glass is ideal, so use a simple frame that doesn't take a lot of space or try a frame made of mirror for added sparkle and reflection.”
FAQs
How Can You Stop a Small Bathroom Feeling Small?
A good trick to make layouts work harder is to prioritize a clear line of entry. When you walk into the room, the first thing you should see is the most beautiful, be that the vanity, a freestanding bath, or wall of textured tile. Functional elements like the WC or storage should sit in secondary zones or niches.
This instantly elevates the room and makes it appear larger because the first view is the most impactful. Beyond that, keep circulation space clear, avoid blocking natural light, and let fixtures align with, rather than compete with, the room’s architectural proportions.
Finally, don’t be greedy. If a separate bath and shower leaves barely enough room to swing a cat, go for an over-bath shower or ditch the bath altogether. Your shins (and cat) will thank you.
