How to Make Your Windowless Bathroom Appear Bigger (And Less Stinky)

By Ashley Paskill on December 4, 2019

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Windows have a way to make any room seem brighter, even if the lighting is not the best. This is especially true in bathrooms. However, many bathrooms do not have windows. This can leave them feeling boxed-in and tight, especially since you are a student and cannot afford the biggest bathroom. Also, this can make it difficult to air out if things get a bit stinky. Luckily, there are some easy fixes that can solve one or both problems.

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Hang up a mirror

Mirrors can really help make any room appear bigger because of the reflection. The reflection gives the illusion that the bathroom is bigger than it really is. Find a big mirror, ideally one with storage space, and hang it over your mirror. If you want to add some flair and personality to it, find a mirror with a cool frame or that is a cool shape. A floating vanity is another great option, especially in small bathrooms. You can also add crystals or paint to the frame yourself if you want to personalize the mirror. To help alleviate bathroom odors, put up a suction cup with a hook to hang an air refresher.

Utilize storage space

Nothing makes a small room seem even smaller than it being messy. To help decrease clutter and organize, consider buying some kind of storage for your bathroom. As mentioned before, you can buy a mirror with storage behind it to hold things like medicine, your toothbrush and toothpaste, and more. There may be some space under the sink to add some more storage units. Hang up shelves throughout the bathroom and use containers to hold personal care items. If you have a roommate, make sure you can differentiate which items belong to whom. To help save even more room, if you wear makeup, you can get a magnetic board for your wall and use magnets to hang your makeup and brushes.

To help with various bathroom smells, take advantage of the space that you may have on the back of your toilet to put air refreshers, potpourri, and other great-smelling things. Have a specific area for room sprays that help the bathroom smell good so you know where to look.

Deck the walls

The color you choose for your bathroom can make or break it and can have a huge impact on how it feels. If your landlord allows you to paint the walls, choose light, neutral colors for your walls. This may seem boring, but you can add pops of color with other bathroom items. Also, wallpaper is making a comeback. They do have removable wallpaper, which is perfect if you are renting your apartment and are unable to paint your walls. Removable wallpaper comes off without damaging the walls.

On the floor

Like your walls, having a light-colored floor in your bathroom will help it appear to be more spacious. This can be done by changing the coloring of the tiles or the material used. If you are not allowed to change the floors, buy a light rug that spans the length of the room. There are even rugs that a made specifically to fit around your toilet, and they often come in sets with a regular rectangle rug. If you opt for a rug, find one that fits the color scheme of the rest of your bathroom.

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Let there be light

Lighting is crucial for making your bathroom feel bigger as well as for doing things like shaving and applying your makeup. It is ideal to have multiple light fixtures, but if this is not possible, use a light fixture that has the ability to hold multiple lightbulbs that can point in different directions. To help with odor, buy a light fixture that also has a fan included. This can be turned on when the light is turned on or it can have a separate switch to turn it on as needed. The fan will help decrease odor as well as get rid of steam that occurs while you take a warm shower.

Cut it back

While accessories are designed to help cut back on clutter and to add more space to make the room bigger, if the item sticks out into the bathroom, it actually has the opposite effect. To change this, make sure that there is nothing sticking out further than it needs to. To fix this problem, try a different method of holding the item or buy a smaller accessory.

You should also get rid of other visual obstructions such as frosted-glass shower doors. Switch to a clear door, or get a shower curtain that can be pushed to the side when it is not being used. This will add depth since you will be able to see the depth of your bath or shower.

As a student, you likely have to deal with having a small bathroom, even if you are renting an apartment. This can leave you feeling tight and can have your bathroom smelling bad. Thankfully, there are easy fixes to help take care of both issues so that your bathroom is appealing to you and any guests you have.

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