Your bathrooms are busy places in your home. It’s important to you that they are clean, bright, and comfortable, for both your family and your guests. If it’s time for an update don’t panic, there are many simple design tips to make your bathroom cozier.
Color can change everything
Any easy way to change the look of your bathroom is with color. Painting the entire bathroom can improve its overall aesthetic. The right color can make your bathroom feel cozier and more relaxing. For a quick, inexpensive update paint the bathroom cabinets a bold accent color, or paint one wall.
The best colors for small bathrooms are light and bright. Walls painted with white hues have a highly reflective quality and can make a tiny bathroom seem larger. Pale blues and greens create a calming environment. Liven the place up with an accent wall. Currently yellow and teal are popular accent colors. They add drama without being too overpowering for small bathrooms. Accent walls are best with a white bathroom or one that has a color scheme in the same family but lighter than the accent color.
Photo by Veronica Rodriguez Interior Photography
Large bathrooms have a lot of design possibilities. Neutral colors like taupe can help make a large room warm and cozy. Accent colors such as light greens, pinks, and blues work well with a neutral paint scheme. Grays create a cool and sophisticated feel. Navy blue is a clean and classic color with a nautical element. SeaFoam green makes the room feel spa-like. Traditional whites make your bathroom feel fresh and bright. Other great paint colors for bathrooms include black for drama, pink for warmth, and yellow for a cheerful tone.
Don’t Forget about Accessories
Accessories can easily add fun and design to your bathroom. Little things like changing the shower curtain or adding a throw rug with an attractive motif or hue can create a different atmosphere. Decorate your sink with pretty soap dishes and add artisan soaps, distinctive washcloths, and hand towels. Create more storage with a ladder leaned up against the wall to hang bath towels on, or add floating shelves to wall space. Place unique jars, or boxes on the shelves for a decorative touch and to store make-up and other bathroom items.
Photo by Kathleen Bost Architecture + Design
Plants are great for bringing the outside into your bathroom. When decorating with plants, consider the amount of natural light the room gets. Hardy plants that thrive in areas of moisture are best. Spider plants and snake plants are popular varieties of house plants and are low maintenance. Air plants, known as tillandsia, are plants that can grow without soil. They are an excellent choice for bathrooms with plenty of sunlight.
Changing light fixtures are another way to update your bathroom. For optimum lighting, you should have ceiling mounted or recessed lights for overall brightness, and task lighting for putting on make-up, shaving, and other daily tasks.
Use light fixtures that enhance the design of your bathroom. Chandelier light fixtures can be elegant or playful. They come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. Traditional ceiling flush-mount lights can match any décor. They come with and without exhaust fans.
Photo by Webber + Studio, Architects
Task lighting is mounted one on either side of the mirror, or one light above the mirror, or all three. These types of lights come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and finishes. You can match your task lighting to your ceiling light for a cohesive look or use the lighting as an accent piece.
Tub or Shower?
There are several considerations to whether you want a tub and shower combination, a separate tub and shower, or just a shower. If you are planning on staying in your home for several years, your decision should be based on your personal needs. Consider whether you even like to take baths, or will have guests that would prefer a bathtub. Most people with children need to have a tub.
Another consideration is the size of your bathroom. If it’s tiny, a walk-in shower might give you more room. Showers generally take up less room than a tub and can be configured to fit in odd spaces such as a slanting wall. If you’re undecided, a bathtub shower combination could be a good compromise.
Photo by Steinberg Custom Designs
If you are remodeling to improve your home to sell, adding or keeping at least one bathtub may help with resale. Many parents, or couples planning to have children, prefer to have at least one bathtub in their house. In larger homes, homebuyers often prefer a master suite with a master bath that has a separate tub and shower. In small homes, having just a shower is often an expected comprise.
Photo by SINGLEPOINT DESIGN BUILD INC.
Your bathroom is one of the busiest places in your home, and one of the most influential when selling. Making it clean and comfortable is a must. Luckily, there are many simple design tips to make your bathroom cozier. With paint and some accessories, you can design a bathroom to fit any home’s interior design.