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Ready to give your bathroom a facelift? Whether you're updating the space in your rental unit or doing a tile-to-trimmings transformation in your home's private spa, you'll find bathroom design ideas to suit your budget. Decorator Zoe Goldfine shows you how to start with a basic $150 bathroom makeover, and add splurges and style as your wallet allows.
The $150 Budget Bathroom Makeover
What you'll need to purchase:
- Paint
- Vanity hardware
- Towel and toilet paper storage
- Accessories
What you'll repurpose:
- Furniture
First take a look at the bones of the space. Molding, flooring and plumbing tend to be quite expensive to replace, so learn to live with them (yes, even that green deco bath tile!) and use them as the backdrop for your design. A bath with innate personality (think bright yellow wall tile) will be showcased best by the addition of subtle accessories. A basic bath, clad in perhaps a black and white pattern or a simple limestone, requires more eye-popping accoutrements, such as apple green or oxblood red walls. Are you a minimalist at heart? Go monochromatic and add interesting materials such as wood, rattan or bamboo to help warm the space.
Watch Video: Bathroom Clean Up
Chances are, your sink faucet is nothing to write home about. So, let's update it a bit. For a more consistent look, choose a faucet ($120 to $500) in the same metal that was used for the cabinet hardware (e.g., polished nickel or oil-rubbed bronze). There are styles to appeal to any taste, from vintage to deco to modern. For the tub, also consider a large rain showerhead. These can be as affordable as $100 and make such a difference in your shower experience.
It's easy to break the bank on sinks and toilets, so we suggest spending modestly on the toilet ($190 to $400) and splurging on your sink or vanity area. If your space has good storage, then opt for a pedestal sink ($150 to $400), which is more affordable than and just as attractive as a full vanity ($800 to $1,500). As an upgrade, look for an oversized, square sink.
Recessed display cabinets or floating shelves to hold candles and those glass flea-market finds are a great accessory for any bath. You can also afford to invest in a small etagere to hold towels, toilet paper rolls, makeup and hair products. This is especially helpful if you don't have a linen closet in the bath.
Wallpaper is making a comeback in a big way. Bold prints, ethnically inspired designs and an array of grass cloths make wallpaper a bathroom luxury that far surpasses even the best paint job. However, the labor can get costly, so try to hang it yourself (if you are handy) or find a friend in the business who is willing to install it for $15 to $20 a roll.
