Are you ever getting ready in the morning and you just think, "UGH! I am SO TIRED of this bathroom?" We've all been there.
The bathroom is where you go to freshen up. It's only natural that it too would need a refresh once in a while.
In this post, we offer a few tips for inexpensive and uncomplicated ways to give your bathroom the refresh it needs and you deserve.
House of Jade Interiors | Travis J Photography | Karin Pendant by Mitzi
Art, plants, the unexpected, simplicity.
Replacing tile, flooring, and the major pieces that make up a bathroom—the tub, the toilet, the sink, the showerstall—require serious investments of money, time, and energy.
There are other things you can do quickly.
The first is to pare back the clutter that bathrooms accumulate so easily, leaving out only those things that get daily use and need daylight. By creating more space and simplifying, you're setting up something like a blank canvas for the new things you'll be adding to pop, as well as giving yourself the mental clarity you need starting your day or winding down before bed with your self-care rituals. Without this step—decluttering and finding out-of-sight but accessible places for the variety of products used there—none of the other ones will matter.
The next is to add something green. Some plants thrive in this environment. Orchids in particular hardly need more than the regular steam of a hot shower. Succulents are low-maintenance and on-trend. Placing a potted green friend in your bathroom contributes color and dimension to a space that often runs the risk of being neutral to the point of bland and clean to the point of sterile.
Even the pot can add dramatic interest. While it takes serious commitment to install terracotta tile, you can bring earthy warmth, a pop of color, and something unexpected with something like the cool rolling flower pot by Crowdyhouse.
Art elevates any space. Find a piece that you love and, giving due consideration to how moisture might affect the work over time, place it near the mirror or anywhere there's enough room for it.
A dash of the unexpected always reinvigorates a space or takes it to the next level. Figure out what that might look like for you. In the bathroom pictured above, the presence of a dark-stained traditional wood table is one of a few different elements, along with the painting and the choice to illuminate with a pendant.
Kristina Lynne of Kresswell Interiors | Tracey Jazmin Photography | Astrid Wall Sconce by Mitzi
Real rugs > bath mats
Speaking of the unexpected, the tyranny of convention has us all settling for bath mats we don't really like.
What's with that? Why not put a real rug in there instead?
In a blog post on bathroom trends to avoid they wrote earlier this year, Cheviot noted that many are "ditching [their] basic bath mat for an authentic rug." They go on to say, "Vintage rugs elevate a bathroom's elegance, and also add flair with the pattern and color."
Arlyn Hernandez points out that Apartment Therapy has been talking about this phenomenon since 2012, so it's no fad. The respected home decor site included the use of vintage, authentic, and kilim rugs on their year-end list of bathroom trends they're not ready to say goodbye to yet.
As you can see in the room above, if color is not really your thing, you can do a bathroom with minimal color, smart lighting and faucetry choices, and then use a beautiful rug to give the room personality and warmth.
One quick tip: Be sure to get a non-slip rug pad or backing to keep the rug in place and prevent accidents.
House of Jade Interiors | Travis J Photography | Riley Sconces by Mitzi
You could use a little color.
If you do love color, then this is a good place to use it. Bathroom cabinetry is a great place to go bold with a hue that makes you feel good.
Brass pulls often play off paint colors chosen for the bath beautifully. It's easy to match the lighting fixtures and faucetry with these pulls. Alternately, mixing metals is a sophisticated look that has legs.
Earlier mentions such as rugs and art are also easy ways to add color. To take it a step further, match your towels to a hue from the carpet, the cabinet, or the piece of art.
In the bathroom below, an uplifting work of art in the ultimate pop color, another piece on the wall opposite the mirror, fresh flowers, a succulent, and a whimsical shower curtain all bring the space to life with complementary chromatics.
Nathan Schroder Photography | Orion Pendant by Mitzi
And here's the part where we state the obvious.
Finally, interesting lighting that brings high design sensibilities to your space is a painless and essential part of refreshing the bathroom. Nothing can save a bathroom with an outdated flush mount or a bath bar trying too hard to be invisible.
We've made it easy for you, creating fashion-forward sconces, bath bars, flush mounts, and pendants with a contemporary edge and minimalist aesthetic.
Dig in to the complete Mitzi collection, call an electrician, and reclaim your bathroom!
Featured image: Aira bath and vanity sconce by Mitzi.
