Bathroom

Simple Bathroom Decor Ideas To Transform and Style Your Space

It doesn’t take much to transform a bathroom space. You don’t need a huge budget or fancy interior design skills. A few simple ideas, focusing on the main areas in the bathroom, is all it takes to create a well designed space. Check out these simple bathroom decor ideas anyone can use in their own home.

Simple Decor Ideas and Accessories

Here are some simple and inexpensive decor ideas:

Get rid of any cheap looking branded plastic bottles you have around the sink. Hand soap, lotions, and other liquids can be pored into glass bottles, such as vintage ones (Home Decor Ideas: Using Vintage Glass Bottles). Now you have good looking bottles decorating your bathroom.
Etsy has a bunch of hand crafted tooth brush holders that look great. You could also go for a wooden tray or bowl to group together clutter (contact lenses, creams, razors) creating a cleaner space.
Bringing flowers or greenery into the bathroom adds color and makes the space feel fresh.
For a kids bathroom, you can get wall decals of animals, letters and numbers (Kids Bathroom Decor and Design Ideas)

The Big Pieces

The shower curtain is a big piece in the bathroom, and the style you choose for it can impact the look and feel of the room. Ruffled curtains will create a shabby chic look, while a hookless shower curtain can create a modern look. While using a colored shower curtain will add to the color scheme of the bathroom. For more ideas and a mood board have a look here: Bathroom Shower Curtain Ideas: From Space Saving to Decorative Extras.

On the Walls, Floors and Ceilings

For the Walls

On the walls you’ve got paint colors and textured looks to choose from:

You can easily update or restyle the bathroom by changing or reframing the mirror. For more wall decor ideas have a look at my mood board here: Style Guide: Bathroom Wall Decor Ideas.

Above I talked about how shower curtains take up a lot of visual space, and can help style the room. So can the curtains covering the windows. They take up a lot of the wall space and are a feature in the bathroom. There are all sorts of curtain designs you could go for, but there are also a range of blinds (bamboo ones look good), tie back ideas, and curtain rods – that all play a part in styling your bathroom. For ideas and a mood board have a look here: Light and Privacy: Ideas for Bathroom Window Treatments.

On the Floor

The material and design you use for your flooring will also play a major role in the style and feel of your bathroom. You’ve got the classic choices of tiles and hard wood floors. But you can also get decorative vinyl and laminate flooring – ones that mimic hardwood flooring and stone. My mood board here goes over all kinds of flooring designs and materials: Bathroom Flooring Ideas, Designs, and Materials Options.

Adding floor mats can also add to the decor in your bathroom. A colorful mat can add a dynamic pop in the bathroom. While a wooden bath mat creates a more spa like feeling.

Ceiling

Yes you can even style your ceiling if you wanted to. If you want to create a shabby chic styled bathroom, you could hang a canopy over the bath tub. You could also use textured Anagypta wallpaper to add some style to the ceiling. For more ideas and a mood board have a look here: Bathroom Ceiling Ideas: From Cove to Tiled Designs.

Setting the Mood

There are a few decor pieces that can help create a spa like mood in your bathroom. Spa lighting is one idea. These are waterproof lights that you can stick to the side of your bathtub or just have floating around in the water. Now you can turn off your ceiling lights and relax in a soft glow of lights.

Candles are also great for relaxing in the bathroom. If you are worried about the fire hazard, use floating candles in a bowl. Or go with battery powered candles. Aromatherpy candles or an oil burner is a little luxury item to add to your bathroom.

image credits: mood board / black and gold

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March 1, 2016 in Bathroom

The Upgrade: Top 8 Bathroom Remodeling Ideas and Design Tips

There is a lot that goes on in the bathroom. And I’m talking design wise. Just for the floor alone you have so many options. Then comes the walls, the vanity, and the shower area. So I’ve gone over the top bathroom remodeling ideas below to help you focus down on the most important areas to upgrade and remodel – sort of like a checklist. The only thing I haven’t talked about below is the toilet – that’s just a matter of choosing a new one if you need it.

1. Adjusting the Layout and Size

If you are planning a major remodeling of your bathroom, this would be the time to create the ideal layout. Not all bathrooms have been designed to make the most of the space. Some bathrooms have the toilet and the sink in awkward places. You want to try and create a open pathway into and through the bathroom just like in picture (1), without any obstacles. If you have extra space around the bathroom, this could mean you can expand the room.

2. Looking Like a Million Dollars

The whole vanity area can be upgraded during the renovations. You’ve got the option of a good looking high cost stone countertop or a more inexpensive tile one. When it comes to the sink – a pedestal sink will keep the bathroom feeling spacious, but they are more suited for traditional styled bathrooms and you will lose storage space underneath them. Built in cabinets with a sink is a modern way of going about it, and you get storage space. Go with floating cabinets, as the gap between the floor makes the bathroom feel spacious.

The vanity is one of the key areas when it comes to lighting in the bathroom. Having a well lit vanity makes grooming a lot easier. Bad lighting will cast shadows on the face, making it harder to see what you are doing. The ideal way of lighting a vanity mirror is to have one wall light on each side, and then a horizontal sconce attached to the wall right above the mirror. This will create even lighting over the face.

For ideas on how to design a vanity backsplash, have a look at my mood board blog post here: Vanity Design: Bathroom Backsplash Ideas.

3. Showering in a Rainforest

You’ve got all sorts of design options for a shower remodel: from going with the standard shower head to body sprays, multiple shower heads, or a rain shower head.

The way you tile the space will really impact how it looks and feels. For renovation ideas and pictures have a look at my mood board here: A Mood Board for Tile Shower Designs and Ideas.

Other remodeling ideas for the shower area include adding dedicated lighting (Bathroom Shower Lighting Ideas). While frameless glass dividers will help make the entire bathroom feel more spacious and open just like the bathrooms in images (2) and (3).

4. Fitting it All In

A great way to maximize the storage space in a bathroom is to have built ins. Not only do built ins make the whole bathroom look uniform, they can be built all the way up to the ceiling, or over the toilet. They can also be fitted around tricky sink plumbing.

Other creative storage ideas include using a double curtain rod – one for the shower curtain the other for your towels, or hang hooks on the back of the bathroom door. For more storage ideas have a look at my mood board post here: Smart and Decorative Bathroom Storage Ideas.

5. A Shining Light

It doesn’t matter what sort of great upgrades you do or how the before and after looks, none of your hard work remodeling the bathroom will look good if you don’t have great lighting in the room.

Above I talked about the two key areas to light up – the vanity and inside the shower. Other than that, the only other lighting you’ll really need is general bathroom lighting that brightly lights up the whole space. Modern bathrooms will have an array of recessed lights. These are lights that are tucked into the ceiling, creating a minimalist and sleek design in the room.

You can go a step further and add in some accent lighting to create a more relaxing space. These accent lights can be lights that highlight a stone wall or a vase of plants, or it could be lights that create a soft glow for when you are taking a bath. For more bathroom lighting ideas, have a look at my mood board here: Bathroom Lighting Ideas: A Well Designed Space.

Don’t forget about the windows. Would you like to have a lot of natural lighting coming in during the day? Are your windows big enough, or do want to put in bigger ones? I have a mood board of ideas on how you can add privacy to your windows (stained glass, shutters, etc.): Light and Privacy: Ideas for Bathroom Window Treatments.

6. Tiles Galore

Probably the biggest design element that needs to be figured out when redoing a bathroom, is how are you going to do the walls and floors. The classic and go to choice for a bathroom upgrade is going to be tile.

Large tiles feel and look more luxurious and modern, but are not cheap. They require less grout, creating a more minimalist design in the bathroom. Have a look at a lot of great bathroom photos to figure out and estimate how much of the bathroom you want tiled, how simple do you want it or do you want to mix up the designs of the tile, and if you want to use insets.

For more ideas on different flooring options, have a look at my post here: Bathroom Flooring Ideas Guide: Designs and Material Options.

And don’t forget you’ve also got paint and wainscoting design options when it comes to the walls: Bathroom Color Ideas: Palette and Paint Schemes.

7. Warm Happy Feet

Upgraded bathrooms will usually have tile flooring. The only down side to this is that it will be cold under your feet in the winter. So for a house in a cold climate, underfloor radiant heating would be another great upgrade for a bathroom remodel.

8. Other Luxuries

Other luxurious bathroom remodeling ideas include: fitting a skylight to bring in a lot of natural light during the day, or how about adding a towel heater.

Design Tips: Making a Bathroom Feel Larger

Here are some quick tips on making a bathroom space feel a lot larger:

Use light colored materials (such as white/off white/tan/light grey paint colors, floor tiles, and cabinets) – just like in picture (4)
Glossy surfaces, such as using a glossy finish on your cabinets, help reflect light around the bathroom making a tiny space feel larger
Tile insets can be used to create horizontal lines in the bathroom. This makes the bathroom feel wider than it is, as it draws your eyes around the space. The same can be done vertically to make the room feel taller
Having a large mirror, or a few mirrors in the bathroom, adds depth to the space and reflects light
In the shower section above, I talked about using glass dividers. This prevents creating visual barriers in the bathroom
Make sure you light up the whole space with enough ceiling lights, to keep the space feeling bright and spacious

If you want more bathroom remodel ideas for a small space, have a look at my mood board here: Small Bathroom Ideas and Designs.

What is it Going to Cost?

The average bathroom remodel budget will be around: $2,000 – $6,000 for services and materials, much lower if you go DIY. It gets more expensive if you: are expanding the space, changing the layout as you’ll need to redo the plumbing, plan on redoing windows, want to move the lights, or are planning on using high end materials. The more tiling you want to do, the more expensive it gets because it takes a lot of time to lay down each tile, and you’ll want it done by contractors who will do it with care since it is a major design element in the room (whether it is for the walls or the floor). So the costs of a bathroom renovation can go up towards $15,000 and above for these extra upgrades.

image credits: 1/2/3/4

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July 31, 2014 in Bathroom, Construction

Vintage Bathroom Decor Ideas

You are only going to need to style a few areas in your bathroom to get that vintage look. Focus on the main features, like the vanity or storage items. Here are some vintage bathroom decor ideas to help you transform your space.

The Vanity

The vanity is going to be an important area when it comes to styling your vintage bathroom. It is usually the first thing peoples’ eyes are drawn to when entering a bathroom. Some ways to style a vintage bathroom vanity include:

The backsplash can be made up of subway tiles or black and white tiles
For the mirror, use a white chipped painted wooden one, rustic raw wooden one, or go with mirrors that have a more antique shape to it just like the ones in picture (2)
Use porcelain pedestal sinks (3) (not ideal if you are tight on space as the bottom area is wasted – a cabinet could be here instead)
Use faucets with porcelain handles, or brass hardware

Window Treatments

Lace curtains will add privacy while letting in a nice soft glow during the day. Other vintage ideas for your windows include using decorative frosted or even stained glass windows to add privacy. Have a look at my bathroom window treatment post to see pictures.

There are also decorative shutters just like the ones in picture (4).

For the curtain railing, you could use iron bars and wall mounts, or rustic wooden ones. A cool DIY project is to use vintage door knobs as tie backs (DIY Vintage Decor Ideas).

Decor Accessories and Storage

Glass Bottles: Vintage style glass bottles can be used to replace any generic plastic bottles you have around the sink (5). Your hand soaps and lotions can all be poured into different glass bottles – adding style around your sink.

Decorative Storage: Other decorative storage containers that can be used in the bathroom include galvanised buckets, wicker or wire baskets, enamel jars, or copper containers.

Hanging Things Up: A rustic ladder can be leaned up against the wall, or a rustic wooden step ladder can be used as a towel hanger/rack.

On the Ceiling: To add a little style to your ceiling, add some vintage style crown modelling – seen in picture (6).

Art and Wall Decor: Metal letters, vintage style maps, botanical prints, and subway signs are some ideas for wall decor pieces.

Vintage Style Tiling

On The Walls and Floor Tile Designs: Some ideas for how to tile a vintage bathroom include: using subway tiles, mixing and matching tiles just like in picture (7), black and white tiling, or small hexagon tiles will look good. For pictures and more ideas for vintage flooring designs have a look at my post here.

An alternative to tiling the walls is to use vintage wallpaper. A great vintage style would be Anaglypta wallpaper, seen in picture (8).

Lighting for a Vintage Bathroom

Barn style light fixtures, with their flat pancake shapes and enamel finishes will look great in a vintage bathroom. Or another design style would be a more antique look, like using brass light fixtures or a french chandelier. My post here has photos and ideas when it comes to vintage lighting.

image credits: 1/2/3/4/6/7/8

For more bathroom inspiration have a look at my shabby chic bathroom mood board or vintage laundry room mood board.

June 18, 2014 in Bathroom, Design Styles

Light and Privacy: Ideas for Bathroom Window Treatments

In the bathroom, you want to have as much natural light bathing the space during the day. But at the same time you don’t want to feel as if you are on display. Here are some bathroom window treatments that create the right balance of light and privacy.

Window Placement

If you put the windows up high (above head height), you’ll be able to keep them open and not worry about privacy. Go with a long window high up just like in picture (1). Or go with a small rectangle sized window, but at head height (2). Porthole bathroom windows are another good window option for privacy. You could also go for a skylight, but just placing a normal window above head height works. This also works if you wanted windows in your shower area.

How about going vertical? Check out the window in picture (3). It is a thin vertical window, placed alongside the sink – out of the way from where people would be getting in and out of the shower.

Frosted Window Covering Ideas

A common way of adding privacy to bathroom windows is to have the glass frosted (4). You can go with glass frosted windows. Or you can buy a bathroom window privacy film that sticks over your existing window panes. These frosted windows or window film stick ons can come in a plain frost, or you can find decorative designs – seen in picture (5). Or if you want to add some colors to your windows you could always go for stained glass.

A Sand Film: $18.11 Wayfair | B Blue Cubix Film: $20.99 Wayfair | C Peacock Film: $21.14 Wayfair

D Leaf Privacy Film: $23.98 Amazon | E Bamboo Window Film: $20.99 Amazon | F Mosaic: $15 Amazon

Another way of getting frosted glass is to use glass blocks. I wasn’t a fan of them until I saw the window in picture (6). It uses two different glass block sizes to create a good looking pattern. For me, using only one sized block feels too much like a public restroom.

Bathroom Window Curtains, Blinds and Shutters

A great way of adding privacy to the bathroom with curtains and also let day light shine through, is to hang a curtain halfway down the window (or where head height would be) (7).

Other curtain ideas include using light weight fabric that lets light pass through. You can see the light shining through the curtains in picture (8).

Bamboo blinds and shades also let slivers of light shine through, plus they look great. You can also get the traditional style white metal blinds that are adjustable. Shutters are another option. You can get shutters that have slats that can be adjusted, and ones that are divided so you can close off the bottom half while keeping the top half open. You can also get more decorative shutters like the ones in picture (9). 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9