This post is part of a larger series on home design. Be sure to look out for our other blogs on perfecting your kitchen, your living room, and your bedroom! In this blog, all photos were taken by Matthew Garsky (@matthewgarsky).
If you’ve ever looked through our Instagram and seen some of our bathrooms, you might be blown away by the ways our tenants can bring these bathrooms to life. With that said, it can be discouraging to try and make your bathroom something special. What if your bathroom isn’t as nice as those in the Wonder Bread Lofts (which, by the way, feature granite countertops, sliding glass doors, mocha-finished maple work, and high-grade tiling)? Whether or not your bathroom is top of the line, there are easy principles you can apply to make your bathroom look and function better.
Palette With Purpose
If you’re really looking to set a mood for your bathroom, you’ll have to choose your color palette accordingly. It is always easiest to buy whatever you want without color in mind, but you’d be missing out on giving your bathroom an intangible X-factor. Your bathroom can look great and give its guests great benefits.
Let’s get specific. If you always take a shower after work and want a place to relax and calm down, choose blue tones. Yellows will help brighten your day and lift spirits. We find that people love choosing a yellow palette when they spend a good amount of time starting their days in their bathroom and want a pick-me-up. Lastly, greens seem like a nice middle ground. You’ll find yourself relaxed and refreshed.
Details Make The Difference
Incorporating color doesn’t mean repainting walls. Often times, little details are enough to make a big difference. For instance, buying and displaying towels and shower rugs with your ideal color choice can often be enough to infuse a room with a whole new vibe. In addition, soap dispensers, small pieces of art, plants, and even soap bars themselves will be enough to reach your bathroom goal. Be sure not to overdo it though. If your bathroom is a place you where you want to relax, less is more.
Stylish Storage
Don’t get us wrong, putting bathroom cleaners under your sink and your toothbrush behind a mirror is a great idea. A bottle of Draino usually doesn’t add much to your decorating goals. But, like we said before, what about highlighting your towels? Your soaps? Candles?
One of our favorite (and often one of the cheapest) ways to store things in a bathroom is by repurposing an old wooden ladder. First, you’ll have to find a ladder, but after that, it’s as easy as a weekend project. First, make sure that your ladder can lean against the wall at the height and angle that you desire. Then, mark that in case you need to cut the ladder at all. After that step, sand the wood and repaint or stain it. This is a great way to add to the palette we talked about earlier. Need more help, give this video a watch.
When the ladder is done, you’ll be able to hang towels on its rungs. You’re storing, drying, and showcasing all in one. Not bad at all.
Lighting Brings It Home
In our IKEA blog, we talked about the importance of lighting, how it helps bring a room together, and then showcased some of our favorite lighting options. In the bathroom, you’ll need all kinds of lighting. First, you’ll need task lighting. Getting ready for the day (or night) is a pain without good, bright lighting. Installing this above the mirror will pay huge dividends. If that’s not an option, it’s well work spending a little money for a bright LED bulb.
If there are things in your bathroom that you’d like to highlight, consider some accent lighting, like an LED strip. Place is under your mirror and over your sink to showcase a beautiful vanity. You could also place a strip under each rung of the ladder to give it an otherworldly glow.
Lastly, ambient lighting will bring the mood of the room together. If you have adjustable lights, you’ll be able to dim them until you’re satisfied with the low-level lighting. Often times, though, this might not be an option. Luckily, to achieve that relaxing (romantic?) lighting you want, it’s as easy as lighting a few candles. Nothing special here. Just be sure to put them out when you’re done.
No Rehab Necessary
There you go. You could have a brand new bathroom or one that’s just getting by, but these few tips can help you enhance your bathroom without breaking your budget. No tiling needed. Just a little forethought and maybe a little bit of woodwork. These tips work for us and we hope they work for you, too.
