Redecorating rooms in your home can bring a lot of excitement, but it also requires time and effort. The long-term enjoyment and satisfaction you get from a newly redesigned bathroom, for example, is worth the short amount of time you spend completing the work.

When decorating a small bathroom or any small room, you need to make the most of every bit of available space. From practical spaces to letting your design imagination shine through, you could take your new bathroom in many different directions. Let’s take a look at some great design ideas for small bathrooms.

Go Bold with Wallpaper

Wallpaper can be a dated idea, but many of today’s modern designs look nothing like those blocky, geometric designs from days gone by. Bold prints and striking patterns can really shine in a small bathroom. Choose an accent wall and decorate it with bright colors or a punchy pattern, or go dramatic and wallpaper the entire bathroom in a textured print.

Keep Counter Lines Clean

Wallpaper is a dated idea, but the designs of today’s modern prints and patterns tend to look nothing like the blocky geometric designs that dominated decades past. Bold prints and striking patterns can really shine in a small bathroom. Choose an accent wall and decorate it with bright colors or a punchy pattern or go dramatic and wallpaper the entire bathroom in a textured print.

Add a Design Element to the Ceiling

If decorating the walls isn’t your style or you don’t have a lot of open wall space, consider adding an eye-catching design element to the ceiling instead. According to Elle Decor, drawing visitors’ eyes up to the ceiling helps create the illusion that your overall bathroom space is much larger than it actually is.

Think Outside the Shower Stall

In a small bathroom, traditional shower and bathtubs take up a lot of valuable space. If you have the budget for a full replacement, consider turning your standard bathroom into an open-concept European-style bathroom with a drain on one end of the room partially separated by a transparent sheet of laminated glass.

Try Hanging a Towel Bar

If you have the budget for a full bathroom replacement, consider converting your standard bathroom into an open-concept European-style bathroom with a drain on one end of the room partially separated by a transparent sheet of laminated glass.

Bring Some Natural Light In

One of the most important factors in a small space is light. Dark, dimly lit rooms that seem smaller than they actually are can create feelings of claustrophobia, which may make you want to avoid staying there. If your bathroom has a window, install decorative blinds or a window shade in a color and material that lets some natural light in even when the blinds are closed or the shade is pulled down.

Spring for an Oval Mirror

Hallways and rooms in funhouses often feature oval mirrors, which create an optical illusion of height. Oval mirrors reflect both artificial and natural light to make rooms much brighter. Place an oval mirror over the sink or an open wall to add brightness and create the illusion of extra height in your small bathroom.

Use Ledges or Shelves for Storage

When remodeling a small bathroom, consider hanging shelves in the shower enclosure or above the sink. Ledges and shelves are great for storing shower and hair products that you don’t want cluttering your counters.

Choose Flexible Storage Options

Although you may want to minimize clutter in a small bathroom, it’s inevitable that some items will need to be stored there. Storage options are determined by your style choices throughout the room. If you opt for a pedestal sink, you might be able to slide a basket with fresh towels underneath it. If your shower doesn’t have shelves, look for a hanging shower caddy to drape over the shower head to hold your supplies. If you hang a shelf near your sink, pick up some cute containers to place on it to hold your toothbrush, toothpaste and other essentials.