HOME IMPROVEMENT : Little Ways to Make Big Changes in Small Bath

Although the current trend in home building favors large and lavish bathrooms, many people live in homes containing at least one small bathroom.

Making a small bathroom convenient and attractive may seem like an impossible mission, but space-enhancing options do exist. Some are simple, some are ambitious, but all are possible:

* Freeing floor space. Even a novice do-it-yourselfer can gain usable space by eliminating nonessential doors. Opened doors encroach on space. Unless it’s needed for privacy, take off the door on a bathroom adjoining a bedroom. Or remove a linen-closet door to expand the room and put towels at your fingertips. Trim the opening for a finished look.

Also, replacing swing doors with pocket or bifold doors will net savings in floor and wall space. Glass bifolds for showers offer a bonus: They fold to the inside and keep drips off the floor.

An aisle 21 to 30 inches wide is recommended between the front of a sink and the wall or fixture opposite it. If a standard 21-inch-deep vanity is too large in your bathroom, check out smaller stock units or have a new one custom- made.

Finally, analyze your needs and the size of your bathroom to determine the most space-efficient bathing facility. Showers occupy less space than tubs; combination tub-shower units occupy less space than separate facilities. If a smaller unit will fill the bill for you, install it and put the saved space to use for storage.

* Maximizing vertical space. A small bath will make you climb the walls--for storage, that is. Popular locations for storage units are above vanities and stools, but don’t overlook areas under benches, over showers and tubs and in niches.

Cabinets and shelves can be surface-mounted or recessed between studs. Do-it-yourselfers can choose from many easy-to-hang models in a variety of sizes and styles. However, custom cabinetry affords optimal use of space. Vanity-to-ceiling and floor-to-ceiling built-ins that combine open shelves and enclosed cabinets are decorative as well as utilitarian. In addition, custom cabinetry can take advantage of the unique nooks and angles in a room.

Although 30 to 32 inches is the standard height for sinks, most adults are more comfortable when a basin is elevated to 34 to 38 inches high. The additional height allows for more storage, an extra shelf in the area below the basin and additional drawers on the sides.

* Expand reality. Use decorating tricks to make your small bathroom appear larger. First, use no more than two dominant horizontal lines. Extending the countertop over the back of the stool, for instance, establishes one fluid line. Aligning the tops of doors, mirrors and tub-shower enclosures establishes the second line.

Next, eliminate unnecessary bulk by doing away with carved moldings and ornate frames on mirrors and art. Keep window treatments simple, both to avoid a cluttered look and to bring in light.

Choose a monochromatic scheme based on a light, cool color such as white, blue, green or silver. Such colors suggest openness and serenity.

Be generous with lighting. A well-lighted vanity is a must, but bathing and dressing areas require good lighting to dispel space-shrinking shadows. Create an illusion of height by focusing low-wattage indirect lighting on the ceiling.

Use mirrors so that walls become reflective surfaces rather than visual barriers. Glass shower doors and enclosures extend the line of sight to the outer limits of the room.