Our bathrooms are a very important part of our home. After the kitchen, they are probably the second busiest room in the house. Especially on a weekday morning when the whole family is trying to get ready and in the shower! But it’s not just the family who the bathroom has to appeal to. It also needs to be stylish and welcoming in case you ever have guests staying over. First impressions are important and the bathroom is one of the rooms that will shape those impressions! If yours is starting to look slightly tired and dated, it could be time to update. Even if you don’t have the money or desire to completely renew it, there are still plenty of ways you can brighten it up and update it without spending a fortune. Here are 12 ideas about how to update a bathroom.
Add Space & Light With A New Mirror
Mirrors are great additions to any room. They can increase the perception of space and make a room look slightly larger than it actually is. Not only that they can also give the illusion of light. If you place your mirror on the opposite wall to a window sunlight can shine onto the mirror and be reflected throughout the room. Furthermore, modern mirrors can incorporate all kinds of gadgetry including demister pads, lighting, clocks and even a Bluetooth connection to your mobile phone for playing music whilst you shower! And everyone loves a bright and airy bathroom!
Install A New Towel Rail
Some people simply hang their towels on their bathroom radiator. You know the type, the flat contract style radiators that are fitted as standard in most homes. A good quality tall towel rail installed will give you extra heat output and extra vertical storage for towels and bath robes.
Replace Leaky Tiles
Sometimes you need to update a bathroom because of maintenance reasons as opposed to aesthetics. One common component that often needs changing or renewing are the tiles. If these have been on your walls for a number of years, they could begin to leak and let water through. If this is ignored and left unattended you could end up with a water damaged wall or floor. To get rid of this possibility completely consider installing the Showerwall waterproof panelling system. This is the easy to install and attractive alternative to tiling. Showerwall can be installed as a replacement or directly over old tiling.
Soft Close Toilet Seat
Sick of being woken up during the night by people slamming the toilet seat down? Then it sounds like you need a soft close toilet seat. These have sprung hinges to prevent them from being too loud when they close. Until recently this ingenious idea was only available on plastic seats but now even wooden seats are seeing this being introduced. Unfortunately, they still won’t encourage men to put the seat down after them!
Renew Wooden Finishing
Let’s face it, after repeated use wooden bath side and end panels and toilet seats can start to look a little shabby. The seat can get chipped and hinges discoloured and the bath panel can start to ingress water at the base. For a relatively cheap upgrade get these replaced. If you’re thinking of selling your home perhaps go for a clean white panel and toilet seat or for a contemporary facelift consider a wooden panel in smart Avola Grey or luxury Walnut finish.
Renew Tile Grout
If your grout is discoloured, your whole bathroom will be dragged down with it. Particularly in the shower space, a pinky/orange film can form on the once clean lines of grout. Even after cleaning this can quickly return. So one quick way to liven up the room is to re-grout. For a proper long-term solution hand grind the old grout away and then re-fill and point with new compound. For a quicker cheaper job simply clean then paint over with a grout pen available from most DIY shops.
A Lick Of Paint
Giving a room a quick lick of paint is a great way to update it and this is particularly true in the case of your bathroom. It’s always best to ensure surfaces are thoroughly clean and free from mould prior to painting. Consider lighter colours to help reflect available light around the bathroom. Darker colours in smaller spaces will close the space in.
Add Some New Decorations
New decorations and bathroom accessories can really help improve the look of your bathroom. You can keep this simple by just adding some bright contrasting towels. Or you can replace toilet roll holders, towel rings, robe hooks and shelves with a new matching set perhaps with a modern or traditional style. Chrome covered brass accessories will stand the test of time. Alternatively, you can buy some funky accessories, like a patterned shower curtain. There are also lots of fun toilet seat designs out there these days.
For an understated improvement why not bring the outside in? Add plants to the space or use natural wood, stone or maybe a brick finish to an element of the space.
Add Some Candles
Of course, you don’t need to make any big purchases to spruce up your bathroom. If you already have a lot of tea lights and scented candles, you can add them to your various surfaces. Not only will they add to the decor, but they will also help you to relax after a stressful day at work!
Renew Flooring
The average British bathroom tends to be relatively small. Therefore renewing the flooring shouldn’t lead to too much expense. So if you’ve committed the ultimate bathroom sin and currently have a carpeted floor it’s time to lift that up and replace with a more hygienic tile, laminate or vinyl flooring surface. Tiling can be expensive unless you can do it yourself to save a few pounds, laminates can be tricky to install and you run the risk of potential leaks unless you buy the good stuff. For a quick attractive install that’s warm underfoot consider the likes of Malmo Vinyl Flooring.
Use Family Photos
Family photos are great decorations. You can frame them and hang them on the walls or simply stand them on a surface. It’s a cheap way to update your décor, and also adds a fantastic personal touch to your overall interior style. Another fun way to update your bathroom in a personal way is to get your kids to paint some pictures. You can frame these and hang them next to the photos!
Update Your Storage
A lot of clutter in your bathroom can make it feel messy and a lot smaller than what it actually is. If you feel like you’ve started hoarding products, have a good clear out. Can’t throw everything out? Then it might be time to update your storage. Think about purchasing a bathroom tallboy, mirrored storage cabinet or vanity unit. There are plenty of white gloss offerings on the market available for relatively little expense.
So, as you can see, updating a tired bathroom doesn’t have to be too difficult or too expensive. It does require that you actually get on with it though, perhaps tackle easier tasks first in order to keep yourself motivated.