5 Budget Ways To Refresh Your Bathroom

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May 23

Oh bathrooms - how can such small rooms cause such big headaches? Bathrooms need to function well so that day-day is made easy, and ideally we want them to be beautiful at the same time. But to be both practical and stylish means making a lot of detailed decisions on finishes, storage and lighting, and many times home owners just don't know where to start or believe it will be too expensive, and so don't start at all. Well I'm here to say that bathroom updates can be easy and effective even on a small budget.

Here are five simple ways you can refresh your bathroom without it becoming a huge and expensive renovation.

1. Update your lighting and mirror so that your tasks of shaving or putting on make-up are easier.

Lighting should not be above a mirror if possible, as it casts shadows and makes you look older. Remove your above-mirror light bar in favour of a sconce at eye-level on each side of the mirror. That means that most likely you'll need to replace the frame-less builder mirror that runs the full length of your vanity with a smaller mirror, allowing you to make a big update in style as well. These two things can be refreshed for relatively little money but will make a huge impact.

Hint: look for a vintage frame at a garage sale and have a mirror put in it. Or have a glass shop install a new mirror for you that's smaller than the length of your vanity, and frame it yourself with reclaimed wood.

2. Update your hardware.

A new faucet and pulls or knobs on your vanity make a huge impact. There are lovely hardware options that are reasonably priced at local hardware stores. I've shopped at Rona more than once and know that they have a great selection.

3. Choose a standout tile.

Fortunately, bathrooms have small square footage and therefore tile is usually pretty affordable. If you did one thing, choosing a standout tile for your floor would make a huge difference to your bathroom. Or create a feature wall with tile instead.

4. Add lots of functional hooks and bars for towels, scrub brushes and for hanging clothes or robes. Make them stylish by using vintage brass or reclaimed wood.

5. Add a colourful or patterned shower curtain. Just this one thing can brighten the whole room. Make sure it's made of natural materials and that your liner (if you use one) is PEVA and not plastic. Read more about creating a healthy bathroom here.