Just because your bathroom is small doesn’t mean you need to overlook your decorations and keep it plain and white. It’s possible to get creative with the themes, flooring, and even the hardware without breaking your budget. Whether you’re looking to spruce up your existing room or want a complete overhaul, follow these tips for an updated bathroom.
Decide Where to Splurge and Where to Save
Before you’re ready to remodel, make a list of everything you plan to change, and then prioritize the most important aspects. You don’t want to blow your entire budget on tile from Italy only to realize you can only afford a $10 shower head. If a high-end shower head with strong water pressure is important to you, make sure it’s at the top of the list. If you want an environmentally friendly toilet, make sure you budget lists it as a priority. This way you know where you need to cut back and go thrift shopping, and where you can splurge on what makes you happy.
Prioritize Your Lighting and Plumbing Fixtures
Even if you design the most gorgeous bathroom in the world, you will hate it if your lighting and plumbing is poor. Make sure the toilet, shower, and sink water pressure matches your desired levels and that the shower gets hot quickly and reliably.
For the lighting, opt for bright lights so you can thoroughly see yourself and examine any pimples, bumps, or spinach stuck in your teeth. It’s definitely possible to install fixtures that have both mood and bright light capabilities, but you don’t want to be stuck with mood lighting when you’re trying to apply eyeliner perfectly. Once these two features match your goals, you should be free to get creative with the tile, decor, and towels.
Visit Thrift Shops and Gently Used Stores for Decor
Habitat for Humanity has ReStores where they resell items at a discounted price. This is a great place to find unused or gently used showerheads, faucets, and cabinet knobs that you might not find at Home Depot or Lowe’s. This is also the best place to find a steal on hardware that you couldn’t afford at full price. Plus, everything you buy supports Habitat for Humanity, so you’re giving back to the community around you.
Other options for finding unique decor and appliances are thrift shops, flea markets, and garage sales. These take a lot of looking, but it will be worth finding the perfect piece for your bathroom decor.
Don’t Be Afraid to Choose Contrasting Colors
Your bathroom color schemes don’t have to be limited to pastels and other light colors. It’s OK to experiment with dark contrasting colors to make a statement. Some ideas include installing black or dark brown cabinets that pop against a white sink or near a white bathtub. Another option is installing a dark shower curtain for a white shower.
Dark colors create a statement and draw in the eye. As long as you have a window to lighten the area or enough white accents to provide balance, then you should be able to get creative with whatever colors you want.
Break Out of Common Bathroom Themes
In the same way that you can choose contrasting colors to make a statement, take time to discover different themes that extend beyond common bathroom practices. Instead of a beach theme, consider designing your area with a 1920s romantic flair or a country farmhouse theme.
If you have a smartphone like T-Mobile’s Galaxy S7, then you should download Pinterest and Houzz to build inspiration boards instead of diving right and hoping something catches your eye. The offerings at Home Depot are meant to appeal to the masses, and if you want something unique then you need to take a deep dive into these apps to see what’s out there.
You visit your bathroom several times a day, so why don’t you model it in a way that you love? Once you meet your functionality requirements, get creative and design your area the way that you love, so all of your guests who use it will be wowed.
