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How to Make a Small Bathroom Feel Bigger in Vernon Hills, IL
- Jun 30
- 6 min read
Small bathrooms have a funny way of getting under your skin.
Not all at once.
Little by little.
At first, it is just a minor annoyance. The counter feels crowded. There never seems to be enough room for the things you use every day. You find yourself turning sideways to get around someone when two people are trying to get ready at the same time.
Then one morning you are rushing to get out the door, bump into the vanity again, and
think to yourself:
"There has to be a better way."
That moment happens more often than you might think.
A lot of homeowners in Vernon Hills assume the problem is size. They think the bathroom is simply too small to ever feel comfortable.
But after years of remodeling bathrooms, one thing becomes clear very quickly.
Many bathrooms that feel small are not actually that small.
They are just not using the space very well.
The layout may be working against you. The storage may not make sense. The lighting may be making the room feel darker and tighter than it really is.
The good news is that a smart remodel can completely change how a bathroom feels without adding a single square foot.
If you would like to see examples of completed remodeling projects, you can browse the gallery here
And if you are considering a bathroom remodel of your own, you can contact Brezden Remodeling here
Most homeowners focus on the wrong thing first
One of the first conversations we have with homeowners usually sounds something like this:
"We need a bigger bathroom."
Sometimes that is true.
But often, after walking through the space, the real issue becomes obvious.
The bathroom is not too small.
The bathroom is inefficient.
The vanity takes up more room than necessary.
The storage is scattered.
The shower feels closed off.
The lighting is poor.
The room is working harder than it needs to.
Think about your kitchen for a second.
A well designed kitchen feels bigger than a poorly designed kitchen of the same size.
Bathrooms work exactly the same way.
The goal is not always more space.
The goal is better use of the space you already have.
Start with what frustrates you every day
Before looking at tile samples or scrolling through bathroom inspiration online, spend a few days paying attention to how you actually use the room.
Where do things pile up?
What feels awkward?
What slows you down?
Most homeowners already know the answers.
They just have not stopped to think about them.
Maybe there is nowhere to put a towel when you step out of the shower.
Maybe the medicine cabinet is too small.
Maybe everyone leaves items on the counter because the drawers are impossible to organize.
Those frustrations are not small details.
They are often the exact things a remodel should solve.
The shower is usually the biggest opportunity
When homeowners think about making a bathroom feel larger, they often focus on storage first.
But in many cases, the shower is where the biggest transformation happens.
We see this all the time.
A bathroom has an old tub that takes up a large amount of visual space.
Nobody really uses it.
It has become something that exists because it has always been there.
Meanwhile, everyone in the house takes showers.
Replacing that bulky tub with a properly designed walk in shower often changes the entire room.
The space feels more open.
Light moves through the room better.
The bathroom becomes easier to navigate.
The room starts feeling intentional instead of cramped.
Homeowners are often surprised by how dramatic the difference feels.
Not because the room got bigger.
Because the room stopped feeling crowded.
Why glass makes such a big difference
This is one of those changes that sounds small until you see it in person.
A shower curtain creates a visual barrier.
Even a nice curtain still blocks part of the room.
Your eye stops there.
A glass enclosure allows you to see the entire space at once.
The floor continues visually.
The tile becomes part of the room instead of something hidden behind a curtain.
The result feels cleaner and more open.
It is one of the reasons walk in showers remain one of the most popular upgrades in smaller bathrooms.
Lighting can completely change the room
Poor lighting is one of the biggest reasons bathrooms feel smaller than they actually are.
A lot of older bathrooms rely on a single ceiling fixture and maybe a basic vanity light.
The result is shadows.
Dark corners.
Uneven lighting.
The room feels closed in even when it is not.
A well planned lighting design changes that immediately.
Instead of one light doing all the work, multiple layers work together.
Vanity lighting helps with daily routines.
Overhead lighting brightens the room evenly.
Shower lighting eliminates dark areas.
The bathroom feels brighter, cleaner, and more inviting.
Many homeowners are shocked by how much larger the room feels after a lighting upgrade alone.
Storage should make life easier
Storage is one of those things homeowners think about every day but rarely talk about.
Until there is not enough of it.
Then it becomes impossible to ignore.
The problem is that many bathrooms have storage in the wrong places.
Tiny cabinets.
Awkward shelves.
Deep spaces where things disappear forever.
Good storage is not about having more places to put things.
It is about having smarter places.
Built in niches.
Better vanity drawers.
Recessed medicine cabinets.
Thoughtful organization.
The best storage solutions are often the ones you barely notice because they work so naturally.
Bigger mirrors still work for a reason
There is a reason designers have used mirrors to open up spaces for decades.
Because they work.
A larger mirror reflects light.
It creates depth.
It expands sightlines.
And it makes the room feel more spacious without changing the layout at all.
Sometimes a simple mirror upgrade creates a surprisingly dramatic difference.
One mistake homeowners make all the time
Bigger is not always better.
That applies to vanities too.
Many homeowners automatically choose the largest vanity that will physically fit.
The thinking makes sense.
More storage must be better, right?
Not always.
A vanity that dominates the room can make movement awkward and make the
bathroom feel smaller.
Sometimes a slightly smaller vanity with smarter storage creates a much better experience.
The room feels more balanced.
There is more space to move.
Everything works together better.
Keep the design simple
One thing that makes small bathrooms feel crowded is visual noise.
Too many colors.
Too many patterns.
Too many competing materials.
The room starts feeling busy.
And busy spaces almost always feel smaller.
That does not mean everything has to be white.
It simply means choosing finishes that work together instead of competing for attention.
Some of the best bathroom designs feel calm the moment you walk in.
That sense of calm often comes from simplicity.
The nicest bathrooms are not always the biggest
This surprises a lot of people.
Some of the most beautiful bathrooms we have seen were not particularly large.
What made them special was how well they functioned.
The storage made sense.
The lighting felt comfortable.
The shower was enjoyable to use.
The layout flowed naturally.
Nothing felt forced.
Nothing felt crowded.
The room simply worked.
That is what most homeowners are really looking for.
Not necessarily a bigger bathroom.
Just a bathroom that feels better.
Think about your future self
One of the best questions to ask during a remodel is this:
"What will make my daily routine easier five years from now?"
A lot of remodeling decisions become clearer when you think this way.
Better storage.
A larger shower.
Improved lighting.
More durable materials.
These are the upgrades that continue paying off long after the project is finished.
Real comfort comes from good design
Homeowners often start a remodel thinking about appearances.
New tile.
New fixtures.
New colors.
Those things matter.
But what they usually appreciate most afterward is comfort.
The bathroom feels easier to use.
It feels more organized.
It feels brighter.
It feels less stressful.
That is the real goal.
Before making decisions, look at real projects
One of the easiest ways to understand what is possible is to see completed projects.
You may notice storage ideas you never considered.
Layouts that work better than your current setup.
Shower designs that make the room feel larger.
Ready to Make Your Bathroom Feel Bigger?
A small bathroom does not have to feel cramped.
With the right layout, better lighting, smarter storage, and thoughtful design choices,
the same room can feel dramatically different.
The best remodels are not about squeezing more into the space.
They are about making the space work better.
If you are thinking about remodeling your bathroom in Vernon Hills, the next step is a
conversation about what is frustrating you now and how the room could work better for your everyday life.
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