7 Lighting Tricks That Can Make Even a Small Bathroom Seem Bigger — Now Isn't That a Bright Idea

Small space dwellers know that living in a home with a pint-sized bathroom isn’t exactly thrilling. There’s often limited storage space for everyday toiletries, let alone extra hair and beauty supplies, and it can be all too easy to accidentally drop a mascara tube or lip gloss into the toilet. Especially when your lighting sucks.

That said, even if making major changes to your bathroom isn’t in the cards, you can at least make your space look more sizable by implementing a few clever lighting tricks. That’s right: reworking your bathroom lighting ideas can work wonders to make a small bathroom seem bigger.

Below, professional interior designers share seven of their tried and true methods for harnessing the power of light to create the illusion of extra square footage in small bathrooms. Here's what you need to do.

1. Layer Your Lighting

A layered lighting scheme is a must-have in a small bathroom, designers say. Pair brighter overhead lighting with softer wall lights and sconces, suggests Marya Karlton, the founder of Karlton Kelly.

Katie Hilburn, the founder of Katie Hilburn Interiors, says she's also been incorporating a lot of channel lighting to backlight mirrors in her projects lately. “This gives you the perfect environment to apply makeup or get ready!” she says.

Cove lighting is useful in small bathrooms, too, says Laura Kern Hennessey, the founder of Laura Kern Interior Design. “When used in addition to overhead task lighting and side lighting near the vanity or mirror, it creates a sense of extension in the space, as well as different indirect lighting options that can create brighter or more mellow lighting,” she explains.

2. Use a Glass Shower Door

Let’s face it: not all shower setups are created equal. When designing a small bathroom from scratch, aim to incorporate a glass shower door rather than a traditional curtain or wall to help light better move through the space, and in turn, make it feel bigger, Marya says. This will result in a more sleek, modern-looking space, too.

3. Install a Skylight

If you’re renovating a small bathroom and have the opportunity to add a skylight to the space, go for it, Karlton instructs. A skylight is excellent in the bathroom given that you don’t need to worry about neighbors peeping in through this type of window and can still enjoy the benefits of natural light streaming into your space.

It's also commonly accepted that a brighter bathroom feels bigger, so it's absolutely worth looking into all the ways you can increase the natural light in your small bathroom.

4. Try a Saber Bar Light

Sarah McCarty, the founder of Sarah McCarty Interiors, always likes to place a saber bar light above the bathroom vanity to make a space appear larger.

“The horizontal orientation of the light bar visually expands to space, making the room feel wider than it actually is,” she says. “Additionally, its sleek, minimalist design doesn't clutter the space and allows the eye to focus on the larger elements.”

5. Try a Backlit Vanity Design

For another lighting trick that will make a small bathroom seem bigger, try selecting a vanity that does more than just provide valuable storage. In this bathroom, Rachael Grochowski, the founder and principal architect of RHG Architecture + Design, opted for a glowing stone vanity that adds an extra dose of brightness to the mix. The piece serves as an instant focal point and will complement a range of decor styles, too, and is sure to make your space stand out from the rest with its eye-catching nature.

6. Be Mindful About Mirror Placement

Everyone needs a trusty bathroom mirror, better yet one that is full body length, making it easy to double check an outfit before heading out the door for work or date night. This on its own is a compelling reason for buying a full-length mirror, but that’s not all — the benefits of going with a sizable option continue!

“Running a full-length mirror behind the sink and backlighting the perimeter adds a touch of glamor and reflects light throughout the room, making it appear larger and more inviting,” explains Laura Umansky, the founder of Laura U Design Collective.

As a bonus, a full-length mirror with backlighting (like this one from Walmart) will make you feel extra confident as you check yourself out in the morning, ensuring you’re ready to take on the day ahead.

7. Install LED Lighting High Up

Don’t just settle for one hanging fixture and call it a day. Adding LED lighting ($21.99 at Wayfair) to the ceiling of your bathroom can have a profound effect on how the space appears, Laura explains. Doing so, she says, will “draw the eye upward, creating a sense of height and airiness in a tight space.”

And you can get creative with LED lighting, adding it under nooks and shelves, behind picture frames or mirrors, to help bounce light around the space, and enhance the overall sense of how big the space is.