Since bathrooms are usually among the smallest
rooms in the house, unless you’re doing a complete tear out and replace, a
simple bath restoration can usually be accomplished in a weekend. That’s great
news for folks looking to create more space and freshen up dated bathrooms with
a remodel.
Here are some suggestions for bath restorations that don’t cost an arm and a leg.
Frame Your
Mirror
Wall-mounted, flat mirrors are great for
reflecting light and making a small room look bigger. However, by framing the mirror, either with tiles or traditional
wooden framing materials, you can make the ordinary look extraordinary. Since
mirrors are a large feature of most bathrooms, this is probably the biggest
bang you’ll get for your buck.
Create a
Bathroom Gallery
Whether it’s a series of three whimsical
prints identically framed or a larger collection of small art carefully
arranged on a single wall, art in the bathroom is something you and your guests
will both appreciate. There’s never been a rule that bathroom art has to be tacky,
or that bathrooms have to be solely functional.
Paint
Try painting a wall or two in wide neutral
stripes (two shades of the same color, for instance, on two walls that meet at
a corner). Neutrals, soothing blues, greens, and grays work well, but the color
you choose will have to work with your existing (or new) linens. Better to let
your linens provide a pop of color than your walls. Also, try to avoid dark and
shouty colors. Bubble gum pink is rarely a good idea in a bathroom.
If you like your wall color, perhaps you could
paint your vanity. With all the humidity in bathrooms (even if the fan is used
religiously before, during, and after every shower), many wood vanities start
to look shabby while they’re still perfectly functional. Pick an accent color
that works with your linens and any other furniture you may have in the room.
That includes shelving, ottomans, or small linen closets.
Install
Towel Hooks
If you have a tub that’s separate from your
shower enclosure, the space above the tub is almost always wasted space. It can
be the perfect spot to install a series of towel hooks (one for every family
member, plus an extra or two for guests) so towels can both dry properly and
add a decorative element. Invest in some thick bath sheets and you’ll be able
to admire them every time you enter the room.
Add a Plant
A huge, healthy plant will not only add a shot
of verdant green to your bathroom, it will create three-dimensional visual
interest. If your bathroom isn’t big enough for a plant stand, there are lots
of wall- or ceiling-mounted plant hangers you can use instead.
If your bathroom isn’t very bright, look for
plants that thrive in diffused light. Bonus: since many houseplants are
actually tropical, they’ll love the bathroom humidity. Remember to take
cuttings regularly so you don’t have to get out your machete to hack your way
through the jungle to the tub.
Install a
Standalone Linen Cupboard and Laundry Hamper
Built-in linen closets are great things to
have, but their placement in hallways is often problematic. If you’ve forgotten
your towel or realized you need a clean one after you’re in the bath or shower,
a wet footprint trek down the hall is the last thing you need.
Look for a small but tall standalone cupboard
with both open shelving and cupboard doors and store your linens out in the
open where you can easily grab them when needed. Use the cupboard space for a
laundry hamper to try to catch as many dirty clothes in one place as you can.
It will make the laundry round-up a lot easier. You can also store bathroom
cleaning materials in the cupboard space so they’re handy when needed without
announcing their presence.
Add
Shelving
While premade over-toilet shelving fixtures
may solve many bathroom storage issues, they tend to be functional rather than
decorative. You can probably get more mileage from a couple of small floating
shelves above the toilet and add open seagrass baskets to hold bath bombs,
lotion, leave-in conditioner, hair spray, mousse, gel, curlers—all the things
that end up clattering to the floor when you try to extract them from a
too-small space that’s jam packed with other occasionally used items. The
shelves can complement or contrast with your bathroom’s color scheme, depending
on the impact you want to make.
Whatever you decide
to do, take advantage of every bit of wall space and every new hook, holder,
cupboard and drawer organizer you can find. Your bath restoration should leave
you feeling you’ve got a new room in the house where form and function meet.