For many of us, the bathroom is the tiny, cluttered room off the bedroom where we rush to brush, shower and coif before racing off to the office. But what if it were a place to retreat after a long, hard day, a haven to soothe the soul and calm the nerves? It can be done – and within any budget.
Low-cost: Accessorizing
The key to making a room more inviting is to use what you already have.
“Play with the existing colours in the room,” suggests interior decorator Karl Lohnes. “If you have a gold toilet, tub and sink, make that part of your colour scheme.”
Matching dominant colours will create a more uniform and calming look. Bright colours that compete for attention tend to create a chaotic mood. Karl explains that he recently re-did a bathroom that had dark-brown mini tiles. He played up the colour by incorporating a chocolate brown canvas shower curtain along with some brushed nickel accessories for a streamlined hotel look.
Jacqueline Glass, interior decorator and owner of Jacqueline Glass & Associates in Mississauga, Ont., says white is the colour of calm. Multiple white towels are an inexpensive way to create a lush environment, and they'll look good against almost any wall colour. Stack them on a tray topped with a bar of lavender soap, which adds an inspiring scent. Pillar candles placed around the room add a romantic touch to evening baths, fresh flowers (even a single stem) add beauty, French hand-milled soaps offer a decorative touch, while a plush white robe and slippers are pure comfort. “There's nothing more soothing,” says Jacqueline. “It's what you do for yourself.”
4 Comments
I am taking a small 2pc bathroom (hold onto your hats the sink and toilet are a lovely shade of turquoise!) and enlarging it slightly and adding a stand up shower. This is a basement bathroom which will at first be used by a tenant and then be used as a second bathroom for resale. Am on a very tight budget but am looking for ways to make it still look chic and not cheap. Any suggestions?
sylvipeace, if your bathroom isn't too small, i would consider a pale shade of red to go with that grey, along with a combo of red, green & blue shower curtain.
My bathroom has always been kind of yuk! because the toilet and the tub and the sink are a kind of mustard yellow(ewwww)This year I am renovating my bathroom and have decided to incorporate this ugly color with colors I do love. The colors I,ve chosen are a dark blue grey with crisp white accents and beautiful white tile backsplash that I am going to attempt to do on my own....any suggestions for making this easier?
i have the ugliest bathrooms of them all,,, we bought a house 4 yrs ago ,,the toilette and shower stall and bathtub everything is grey ,,,yuk ,,,i hate grey ! ,,,,what color to use on walls to make up for it ,,, help