Never underestimate the importance of style in the bathroom. After the bedroom, it’s the first room you face in the morning and the room you return to the most throughout the day. It’s the one room of the house where you can usually count on being alone, and it’s the room that almost forces you to relax.
Don’t let a dreary, dingy bathroom make you dread the time you spend there. Put these tips into practice and transform your bleak bathroom into an urban oasis.
Lighting
Sleek, modern lighting can give your bathroom a spa-like feel. Elegant pendants with glass drum shades combine stylish functionality with easy-to-clean practicality. Smooth frosted glass sconces provide the ambient lighting every bathroom needs. If you have enough room, a crystal chandelier hung over a modern vessel sink strikes an unexpected contrast between quiet neutrals and over-the-top drama.
Flooring
Hardwood flooring is every decorator’s favorite, but it’s just not practical in the bathroom. Fortunately, most bathrooms are small enough that you can splurge on your flooring, because you won’t need a lot of material. A natural stone floor brings nature indoors, which is always calming. If you can’t afford natural stone, porcelain tile that mimics stone is an excellent second choice. Don’t forget to add radiant heat under the tile to keep your feet toasty on winter mornings.
Walls
You have two options when it comes to your bathroom walls: you can paint the walls white and add a pop of color with colorful towels, or you can put color on your bathroom walls and put crisp, white towels on the towel racks. Wrap classic white subway tile around a tub surround or backsplash, but make it modern by using white glass tiles instead of ceramic or by incorporating a glass tile accent strip into the design. Wallpaper is impractical for a bathroom, but you can add interest to plain walls with removable graphic vinyl decals.
Accessories
Bathroom accessories give you a chance to add softness and comfort to an otherwise hard-surfaced room and to appeal to the senses of sight, touch and smell. Luxurious towels are only the beginning. Add functional scented accessories such as soaps, lotions and candles and textured exfoliating mitts. Hang an ornate lacquered mirror over the sink, and tuck a small potted fern or vase of cut flowers into a corner of the vanity. Nothing stresses you out more then worrying about being late for work, so be sure to hang a stylish clock on the wall so you’ll always know what time it is.
Integrating Adjacent Rooms
No matter how peaceful your urban oasis bathroom is, it will seem out of place if it doesn’t share design elements with other rooms in your home. For example, if you have hardwood flooring in your master bedroom, choose a master bathroom flooring material that looks good with hardwood. Similarly, if your home is decorated in a Tuscan theme, bring a color from that theme or a piece of Tuscan art into the bathroom.
It’s so easy to transform a dingy bathroom into an urban oasis, there’s no excuse not to try these tips today. If you’re in search for national or local flooring experts, check out a reputable retailer and installer such as Floor Coverings International.
Arnold Norton has experience in home repair, renovations, and improvement. Mr. Norton has published several informative blogs and articles focused on helpful tips for new and current homeowners.