Bathroom Decorating Ideas for an Effective Makeover

By: Sumita Roy

‘Decoration’ is a term we usually associate with the interiors of our living/ dining rooms and bedrooms. This is a thing we like to do over and over, changing their appearance multiple times, while treating our kitchens and bathrooms with a thorough clean up once a month. But have you ever thought about doing a bathroom makeover. Changing its dado on the walls, flooring and all the fittings and fixtures to create a new look. Being one of the most private places in your home, bathroom redoing can be something you will be doing for your own pleasure- as a treat to yourself.

If you think this is a good idea then here is a checklist of the things you need to follow, step by step, to make it right the very first time you go about it:

Selecting bathroom fixtures

This requires a bit of knowledge along with a sense of style. In modern times you can change the worn out fixtures by replacing only the partially affected area or by changing the whole set up, as per your budget. This is how you should go about it:

1. Creating the best backdrop possible. You can set a contrast between the dado tiling (checkered/ plain/ designed) with the flooring of the toilet. You can also use large portion of the wall to fit in a large mirror. This will make you bathroom look bigger and spacious than it actually is.

2. Lighting is important considering it sets up the perfect mood. Whether you want it well lit, or partially lit- creating a soothing ambience- is something you need to decide. Whatever it is, there should be focused lights above your mirror which is mostly needed for essential chores like shaving, putting on makeup etc.

3. Wall hanging or pedestal sinks are the best solution while you are looking to redo a small bathroom or a bigger one, elegantly. Pedestal sinks are available in variety of colors, sizes and designs. Even colorful art glass sinks are available as free standing.These have an advantage of being used for people in wheelchairs. While the pedestal ones have a fixed average height easily accessible to people with average height (including the ones sitting on wheelchairs), and the wall hung ones can be fitted at any convenient level. These can also be skirted to provide hidden storage below the same. And for open storage glass, fiber and wooden shelves can be installed just above the sinks.

4. In-counter sinks are usually made of vitreous china. However with an emergence of style, even trend of sinks and basins have undergone a lot of change and now the market is full of the variety. Some of these are: self rimmed with rolled finishes, some are based on undermount models, while some are self rimmed oval/ spherical bowls. 

• The latest and most simple look that most families opt for are single bowl placed on counter made of hammered metal, art glass, water resistant wood. 
• Another popular choice is crystal bowl fused on a countertop. 

• Vanity sinks are a bit more pricey choice for connoisseurs of modern taste. These are available in different shapes: triangle, rectangle, hexagonal etc. These combined with porcelain fixtures and hand painted traditional motifs is a great way to decorate your washbasin area.

5. Choice of colors is something you need to watch out for. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. For example:  dark colored lavatories are dramatic and do not show grime as much as white lavatories do. But these are easily marked by soap scum and hard water mineral deposits, and also fade with time, either due to light exposure or because of regular and thorough cleaning. Therefore, if you are planning to stay in your house for a long while then you can indulge in your personal preferences, but if it is for a few years then go for sober bone china fixtures. These are more neutral and will not cause any problem while sell off your house.

6. Bathtubs are only preferable when your bathroom has enough space to hold them in and still spare area for other lav-fittings and easy movement. However, if your washroom is big enough then your choice can range from the most conventional recessed bathtubs to corner tub, free standing tubs or whirlpool ones.

• Recessed bathtubs are designed to fit into a recessed bath. In this the three sides are hidden by the wall and the front has a finished appearance. Most of these have space saving combination of tub/ shower.
• Whirlpool bathtub symbolizes luxurious and new trends of bath. These are available in variety of sizes. These are made of either top notch cast iron or less costly acrylic and composites. These are usually recessed types having built in platforms. These platforms can have stairs to mount as well. But if you have stairs, make sure handrails are present, because wet areas can get really slippery.
• Hydrotherapy is also essential before purchasing a bath tub. Make sure you give your bathtub a “dry run” before buying it. This is to make sure that all the jets are positioned comfortable. 
• You can also include other whirlpool amenities in it like: inline heater to maintain temperature, two speed motors, and touch pad controls, to name a few. Showers are built with slight slope on the floor towards the drain. 

7. You can separate the area as wet spot by opting for swing doors or eliminate the motif of separation in the first place. You can also add in shower curtains to prevent water marks on other fittings and walls. The market is now filled with variety of choices regarding shower fittings. You may choose the traditional single point shower or customize many shower heads on different levels of the wall, as it suits your fancy.

8. Sanitary fixtures like toilets are widely available in vitreous china. The most old fashioned of these are two piece style round bowl mounted on the floor. Though not available in variety of materials, these are present in a wide range of colors.Completely new toilets can be installed in if you are redecorating your bathrooms by fitting it with fresh fixtures. But you can do the same in a budget friendly way just by adding on a plastic toilet seat. Padded toilet seat can also be installed during winters.

Finding the right fittings

Fittings in a toilet includes faucet handles, spouts trip levers for the toilets, pop-up drains, hand sprays, different other sprays added in a showers, mixing valve shower, outlet and controls in a bathtub.

1. If all the fixtures are in shape then you can do a lot by just changing the old fittings. You can install faucets with washerless construction having ceramic cartridges inside.

2. These are the main accessories that can create different style within your bathroom. You can give it a European look by fitting in the old fashioned cross handles. For a more traditional touch, go for levers and cross handles that are made of wood or ceramic. 

3. Also be careful about matching the color shades. The blue of one material (for example- sink), most of the times, will not match with the blue of a different material (like ceramic handles). In such a case, go for contrasting the fittings with the fixtures.

4. Quality fittings are mostly made of brass which forms their base. These have their finishes done in plastic, crystal, enamel, ceramic, pewter, gold, chrome and brass. You can choose from this variety and it is preferable to maintain uniformity in the same kind of articles. For example use all the gold finished fittings in all the areas of your toilets rather than mixing them.

Bathroom storage ideas

Storage is an important aspect to consider-whether you want it in display or hidden or a mix of both is up to you and your plan regarding the redoing of your bathroom.

1. Bathroom cabinetry may not play a showstopper as it does in a kitchen but it is very important while regarding its functional purpose. Plan enough storage in the toilet for those who use it on a regular basis. Also, the shutter of cabinets should not hinder the opening/ closing of doors.

2. You can install open shelves to store clean towels or put in a linen closet just outside the bathroom. You can also put in a simple hanging shallow cabinet on the wall above the toilet to plan storage of items you would rather not keep on display. 

3. Cabinets can be custom made as well. Therefore, if you have a particular choice about the height and material of the cabinet, you can use help to built in cabinets that fit your specifications. 

4. You can also put in bigger, free-standing cabinets like counters and use them as seats or sink holders. The flat top can shelf your toiletries. Free standing furniture can have chest of drawers as well that offer ample space. 

Thus, while redecorating your bathroom it is good to let go of your fancies and turn it into something close to a luxurious dreamland. But you also need to consider the bathroom space, which comes first in any kind of set up. Doing your washroom elaborately and leaving very small space for movement will not be a good idea.

You must think of the maintenance and safety issue. For example, fancying a giant bathtub is good, but not so if you have small children running around the house, or, you do not spend quality time cleaning and maintaining it. Maintenance takes a while and requires thorough cleaning and upgrading of all the hardware’s and sanitary fixtures. Devoting time to do this once a fortnight is essential. Therefore, do your bathroom in such a way that you can maintain it easily, or have someone do it for you.