10 Bathroom Design Ideas
1 Let Paint Make a Difference
Painting is the quickest and most economical solution to refresh your bathroom décor. Although all white is a traditional favourite, you can take a cue from nature's palette with subtle shades like eau-de-nil (a light green-grey that literally takes its name from the Nile), ice or a pale robin's-egg blue.
Tap your creativity too: A single wide stripe of paint can serve as a backsplash or imply wainscoting; while wide stripes everywhere can add serious, but timeless, punch. With this simple upgrade, your bathroom design will go to the next level.
2 Add Personality with Wallpaper
Wallpaper in a steamy room, like a bathroom, can give pause. But, for extra adhesion, prep walls first with glue and then apply a pre-pasted wallpaper version. Wallpaper adds personality and style to a room and can refresh a bathroom of any size in a quick and easy way.
Contemporary spaces look sleek in geometric prints, while fun decals require less of a commitment. Eclectic bathrooms can pull off the luxe look of dramatic damasks or bold florals, while natural fibre papers in a powder room look rich and sophisticated, especially within elegant, monochromatic palettes.
3 Consider a New Bathroom Vanity
For big impact, change the bathroom's centrepiece with a ready-made vanity. There are so many options, whether you favour a casual, beach-house beadboard version, or sleek boutique-hotel model in a dark stain with a vessel sink.
If you have a small bathroom, consider a single-sink, frameless vanity to save space. If your bathroom is larger, you can opt for more counter space or even a two-sink vanity. Either way, let the new vanity reflect your style while refreshing your bathroom.
4 Set the Tone of Your Bathroom Décor With Lighting
The simple switch-up of sconces or an overhead light fixture can do wonders to freshen up a bathroom. Bar lights keep the overall mood sleek and uncluttered but don't be afraid to inject drama.
Even the simplest white bathroom - white walls, white subway tile and white vanity - becomes suddenly transcendent with elaborate sconces or a bold, crystal-dripping chandelier. Just remember, put everything on dimmer switches so the room can easily move from clean and functional to romantic refuge.
5 Replace Bathroom Fixtures
Don't underestimate the power of bathroom fixtures such as towel bars and hooks to spruce up a bath. For continuity, make sure the finishes are the same. Traditional bathrooms shine with crystal or chrome knobs, and modern spaces suit brushed nickel finishes.
6 Use Tiles in a Smart and Stylish Way
Designers adore the European chic of glass mosaic tiles to add personality to a bathroom, You should try them on a backsplash in addition to the shower.
If you have a small bathroom, you should know that tile floors can make it seem bigger by using large and oversized tiles. Natural stones such as slate, tumbled marble or Travertine are high-style, non-slip options.
7 Add Window Treatments for Privacy and Texture
Crucial for privacy, window treatments also help establish the tone of your bathroom décor, adding a shot of colour, texture or both. Try bamboo matchstick blinds for an earthy, eclectic touch, or opt for cotton tab panels or etched glass film for a spa-like feel.
8 Make Your Bathroom Sparkle with Mirrors
A beautiful new mirror can make your bath sparkle like a spa. Some of today's freshest ones include pivoting models and polished frames. Emphasize a streamlined, contemporary aesthetic with a mirror framed in silver or nickel, or go baroque and feminine with burnished or bright gold. For designer oomph, refit a simple mirror with an ornate picture frame painted in a striking hue. And if storage is minimal, a mirror-fronted medicine cabinet is an easy and affordable fix.
9 Add Storage for Style and Functionality
Clutter control is key when it comes to creating a calming space and your bathroom décor can achieve it by including storage pieces. Freestanding wall and floor units and baskets provide essential places for your bathroom supplies, but if you're working with open storage, displaying multiples of one item, like rolled white towels or bars of unwrapped soap, is a designer trick to keep bathroom shelves looking chic.
10 Coordinate Décor with Accessories
The items lining your sink shouldn't be a mishmash. Pick tumblers and wastebaskets that match; white ceramic or chrome finishes are always appropriate. New towels tie a colour scheme together and look fresh. Plants and flowers are always a lovely touch, too, and thrive in the humidity of a shower-frequented room. When it comes to your shower curtain, think of it as as a big, blank canvas and make a statement. Go bold with serious graphics, add pop of colour to a white space or put a playful print in a children's bathroom.
Even if you don't have the budget or inclination to address all 10 of these top bathroom décor and renovation ideas, don't despair. Tackling even one or two can quickly make a difference. So go ahead. Schedule off a day — or even a few hours — and take your bathroom from bland and basic to refreshed and beautiful. If you plan your reno around one stunning main focal point, you’ll be able to get away with lower-cost items elsewhere. If you make the mosaic tile on the shower floor the jewel in the crown, for example, use more economical tile on the shower walls. Similarly, if the sink is the showstopper, then choose a lower-cost countertop. For instant wow without construction, replace a basic mirror with a more dramatic, elaborately framed one.