Home Tree Atlas: Home Decor Ideas and Mood Boards

Guest Bathroom Ideas That Make Them Feel At Home

The great thing about a guest bathroom is that you experiment a little bit more when it comes to the design. It is so much easier designing something else, like a room when it is not meant for you. Here are some posts to get inspiration from for decorating ideas, styles, and color schemes:

Decor Styles

Color Schemes

Restyling: One easy way of restyling a bathroom is to reframe the mirror. Since the mirror tends to be a big piece in most bathrooms, it becomes a focal point. So changing the style of the frame can set the tone and style of the room. Have a look here for different mirror styles and ideas. One of those magnified mirrors attached to the fall that flips over is a great piece to have in a guest bathroom.

Clutter Free: You want to have the bathroom as free of clutter as possible – especially if you have a small guest bathroom. Have a look at the Japanese bathroom link above and see how minimalist the spaces are. You want to aim to recreate that hotel experience – free of clutter. At the same time you want to have the bathroom well stocked with fresh thick towels and toiletries (toothpaste, tooth brushes, cotton swabs, razors, bath salts, shampoo, soap pumps, etc.). Keep all of these items out on display in elegant glass jars or wicker baskets. You want these items to be easy to see so that your guests know where to find them without having to ask you – just like in pictures (4) (5) and (6) above.

Some unique storage ideas include using a ladder to hang fresh towels. For more storage ideas check out: Design Guide: Bathroom Shelving Ideas Mood Board.

Fresh Feeling: Along with being clutter free, a guest bathroom should feel fresh and inviting. One way of doing this is through smell – place some fresh flowers before they arrive (8), use potpourri, or drop some essential oils, like vanilla, around the bathroom. Adding some wall decor pieces can make the space feel unique and special: Style Guide: Bathroom Wall Decor Ideas.

Comfort: A few other guest bathroom ideas to consider include a hamper for dirty towels and a trash can. Also having enough lighting in the room is important in making the space feel comfortable. If you are planning on having some young guests, light switches on a cord or lower down on the wall will help them out. 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8

More Bathroom Posts:

If you want to create a dream shower room, take a look at this post for ideas: Design Notes for Shower Room Ideas.
If you have a small bathroom space and want to make the most of it, have a look at these ideas: Small Bathroom Ideas and Designs.
For different storage ideas have a look here: Smart and Decorative Bathroom Storage Ideas
Simple Bathroom Decor Ideas To Transform and Style Your Space

May 24, 2013 in Bathroom

Style Guide: Bathroom Wall Decor Ideas

When it comes to decorative ideas for the bathroom walls there are simple ideas like putting up a large painting, artwork, photographs or prints as seen in picture (1). Or if you are into the more vintage style, wall decor ideas include skeleton keys, subway art signs, bird cages, and letters (Vintage Wall Decor Ideas: From Bird Cages to Designing with Frames). But I believe that the best bathroom wall decor ideas are more structural, functional, and part of the bathroom itself. For example how you paint the walls adds to the decor of the room.

Wall Texture: When it comes to painting the walls you’ll have a ton of unique choices in creating textures. Using a dry brush can create a linen texture (2) while a sponge can be used for a more marble look (3). Check out my post here for more ideas and painting techniques. Another idea would be to the paint the wall a solid color, then hang up a framed piece of decorative wallpaper that really stands out.

Mirror Styling: The bathroom mirror itself can act as a wall decor piece. In most bathrooms this is a large wall fixture. You can easily restyle the look of the bathroom just by changing the frame of the mirror. Have a look here for pictures and ideas: Designer Bathroom Mirror Ideas: From Lighting to Framing. A designer touch would be to add back lighting behind the mirror. This will add a nice soft glow in the room, and elegantly frame the mirror.

Wainscoting: Then there is wainscoting or using beadboard. This is when a panel is fitted to the lower part, breaking up a flat wall – just like in pictures (4) and (5).

Storage: The things you need to store like extra towels and cotton swabs, can be arranged to be used as decorations. Keeping them in glass jars or wicker hampers creates a nice look. These can be put up on open shelves or wall storage and cabinets with glass doors. For pictures and ideas on this take a look at this post: Design Guide: Bathroom Shelving Ideas Mood Board.

Other Unique Ideas: A few other decorative wall ideas include your window treatment, plants, and even lighting. How you do up your windows will play a role in the style and design of the bathroom. Curtains are more traditional, while the barn style windows in picture (6) are more rustic. Bamboo blinds work well for a more tropical spa like feel. Having plants and flowers in the bathroom keeps the space feeling fresh. Most people will usually just use a vase and put them on the vanity. Picture (7) shows a more unique approach with plants hanging in wall planters in the bathroom. One last idea is to use mini chandelier lights just like in picture (8). The walls in that picture have an elegant pattern from the reflection of the chandelier’s glass. 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8

May 23, 2013 in Bathroom, Decor

Getting Creative: IKEA RUSCH DIY Wall Clock Hacks

This was an exercise in getting creative. The RUSCH clocks from IKEA here only cost US0.84 each. So I bought a few, and tried to come up with some ideas on how to hack them into better looking clocks. My first attempt was spray painting the clock frame. I soon realized that anyone who’s been to IKEA would know I just sprayed painted their clock black. So my focus shifted to taking the clock frame apart and using the black box that holds all the mechanical parts, and even reusing the round plastic cover.

Here are the clocks:

The Black Beast

For this one I ended up reusing the round plastic cover of the clock. Those little number points – they were made from cutting up the seconds hand.

About to drill the plastic cover. This was also done for the White on White and the Dressed Up clocks below. Wire cutters were used to cut of the plastic tabs that hold the cover into the RUSCH’s frame.

Cutting up the seconds hand to create the number placements.

Since I didn’t want the seconds hands on any of the clocks, I ended up cutting them off the round tabs. I still needed this part to cover up the hole. The tabs were then spray painted.

White on White

This was one of the other clocks that reused the RUSCH’s plastic cover. No number placements this time.

Dressed Up

The last clock to reuse the plastic cover. This time fabric was glued over the cover and little mohawks were created around the edges.

Double Dose

Double Dose makes use of the RUSCH clock and the MARIT place mat.

Glued cardboard to the back of the mat to make it stiff, then stabbed a hole through.

Horizon

This last clock was made out of a serving tray found at the dollar store. Drilled a hole through it then hit that bad boy with some white, then black spray paint.

Spray painting inside an IKEA shopping bag. Hitting the serving tray with the first coat of white.

The End

May 23, 2013 in DIY, Made By HtA

Design Notes for Shower Room Ideas

When it comes to shower rooms, the best option for partitions and enclosures is glass – either for the doors, or to separate the shower and bathroom area (instead of using shower curtains). The ideal way of doing this would to go for frameless glass pieces just like in picture (1), and have them go from the floor to the ceiling. Doing all of this, frameless and floor to ceiling, will create a more spacious and open feeling area.

Comfort and Ease of Use: A great feature to have in the showering area is a built in, recessed shelf. Another way of making the shower area comfortable and easy to use is to have a light right above (2) in the shower, instead of just having general lighting in the rest of the room.

Luxury Design Ideas: A skylight is a much better option than a window (3). As a window will need to be small, frosted or curtained off for privacy – while a skylight will bath the entire shower area in light.

Another luxurious touch would be to have the floor of the shower raised by wooden planks. This way the water drains underneath and you’re left with a tropical spa like shower room design just like in picture (4). Using rustic stone tiles for the walls of the shower is another way of creating a spa like atmosphere.

Other Great Shower Room Ideas: For a dream and modern shower design, you’ll want to have 2 shower heads. One attached to the wall or ceiling which will be large like a rain shower head. The other shower head is one that you can operate by hand. In photo (6) you can see a shower room that uses both types of shower heads (some showers have 3 different kinds of shower heads – one attached to the ceiling, one attached to the wall, and one hand operated).

One other great feature to include in your shower design is a bench. This can be built in like in pictures (7) and (8), or a free standing teak shower bench can also work well. 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8