Many people love to spend hours relaxing in the tub, I'm one of them. It's an leisurely escape, right in your own home. In the past few years I've had a few people ask for my advice in decorating their bathrooms and the #1 complaint I've heard is that theirs is just too small. My argument to that is; I enjoy small cozy bathrooms rather than the enormous Mediterranean style bathrooms of todays new up-scale homes. I came up with some techniques and bathroom ideas for giving a small bathroom a simple make-over which results in making it feel much more spacious.

Here are my favorite tips (in order of the effectiveness I experienced.)

* Lighting - Quite honestly, lighting can make a huge difference. The brighter a room is, the larger it feels. For small bathrooms I highly suggest using recessed halogen lights for the tub and shower areas. For the vanity I suggest using the standard strip style task lighting (as you don't want shadows from recessed lighting there.)
* Color Schemes - This is another really important technique. The brighter and lighter your colors, the larger your bathroom will feel (ie. light blues or yellows.) Also to try keep your flooring lighter, dark woods and such really do make a small bathroom feel smaller.
* Mirrors - This is quite a common technique that is even used by restaurants to create a larger atmosphere. If you have any space for an extra mirror or two definitely add one (behind the door is usually a good spot.) You would be surprised what a few simple mirrors can do.

There are plenty of other methods, some more involved than others, to make your bathroom feel more spacious. I've only listed the quick and simple techniques but if you're looking for a more involved plan, you may want to consider remodeling your bathroom. You can change out fixtures and possibly go with a different style of sink, tub, or shower. These days there are so many products at local hardware stores it's actually hard to choose.