Updating Your Bathroom for Under $100
1. Start with a fresh coat of paint. Whether you choose white or a color, go for something light or pastel. It will make the room more airy and seem bigger. You may be trying to match something to your existing floor or tile but it doesn’t have to be the same; it can be a complementary or coordinating color. For example, if you have a yellow tile or floor, you can choose a light green or a light blue that will easily match what is already exists in the bathroom. A fresh coat of white paint on the ceiling will also make the room brighter and feel bigger.
2. New towels can add a splash of color to the bathroom with very little work at all. Hand towels in bright colors with coordinating bath towels and/or washcloths will look pretty and make the room feel as if it is new.
3. If you have a full bath with a shower curtain, you may wish to change the shower curtain and liner. Shower curtains do get dingy after a while or the colors fade and look old. A new shower curtain can really brighten up the whole room.
4. If you have a window in the bathroom, you can hang new curtains at the window or even hang a pretty vertical blind. This can keep light and peepers out when you want them out but let light in when it is desired.
5. Hang a few pictures of mirrors on the walls. Mirrors will make the room look bigger and brighter. Pictures give a focal point of interest to look at. Both can jazz up a plain room. My bathroom has a seashell motif so we have a few seashell plaques that my daughter made and they really look beautiful and fit with the decor we have.
6. Place new throw rugs or toilet seat covers in the bathroom. Adding new rugs can add a splash of color to an otherwise boring floor. Throw rugs are not very expensive and are easy to keep clean as most can simply be thrown into the washing machine and then dry in the sun.
7. Colorful and fragrant candles and soaps look nice in a bathroom. There are so many candle scents to choose from these days and many are quite right in a bathroom. They will not only make the bathroom smell good but will look good as well. A dish of cute soaps will also give the bathroom a fresh smell and be decorative at the same time.
8. New soap dish and/or liquid soap dispensers are not expensive and can make a boring counter top come alive. There are pretty ones in faux marble that are not expensive at all and they look so nice on a counter top. If your counter tops are white, a bright color or even black will make a nice contrast. You can then purchase toothbrush holders, cups, trash cans, etc that match and finish off the look.
9. Instead of wallpapering your bathroom, find a border that you can hang either around the top of the walls at the ceiling or for a simpler project, you can use border paper to frame the mirror in your bathroom. You won’t need a lot if you frame a mirror and often remnants will be enough to do the job. It sounds small but a little bit of a pattern added to a solid wall can make a huge difference in the feel of the room.
10. Stencil a median border in the bathroom. If you measure up to about the center of the wall in the bathroom and then paint a repeating motif, it can really give the room a “put together” look. Repeating butterflies or fish or seashells in alternating complementary colors will especially look nice.
11. Add a pretty bowl of potpourri to your counter top. Not only will it look nice, it will smell nice too. And, if you choose the right bowl, you will get plenty of complements on how well it fits in your bathroom.
12. Install a new faucet to replace a leaky or outdated looking one. Installation is usually pretty simple to do and a shiny new faucet may be just the thing you need.
13. If you have cabinets in the bathroom, new knobs or handles may just add a spark of something pretty. You can get something that looks shiny and new or a knob with a floral pattern or other design.
14. Last but not least, give your bathroom a really deep down cleaning. Even bathrooms that look clean have corners and crevices that collect dirt. Clean out your medicine cabinet while you are at it and get rid of any outdated medications, creams, and first aid supplies!
Now, you can probably implement most of these ideas at the same time and still not spend a total of $100 but if you do everything, your bathroom may have the cluttered look and you are not going for that. Instead, pick and choose a few ideas and you will have the prettiest looking, prettiest smelling bathroom in town.
