Bathroom Decorating

If you're like most of us, the most difficult rooms in the house to decorate nicely seems to be the bathroom. This is especially true when you have a large family and your kids are still small. Things just seem to be messy and disorganized more often than not.

It's not too difficult to decorate this area though. You probably don't want to go all out with an ornate decorating theme and make your bathroom look like a showcase... at least not until the kids are grown... but there are several things you can do now that will really spruce things up.

1. Put in matching bathroom accessories. Technically these don't have to match completely, they just need to compliment each other somehow. And by accessories, I mean things such as a soap dish, trash container, towel holder, and toothbrush holder. You can even add mirrors and wall shelves if you'd like, but just putting in new soap dishes and towel holders often makes a drastic difference in the look of your bathroom. Don't forget the toilet paper roll holder too, having a nice looking one really adds a finished, polished look to your bathroom decorating theme.

Bonus Tip: If you buy accessories in a solid, natural material you'll have more versatility with your color scheme. Buying wood or brass accessories for instance, makes it easy to have multiple decorating themes to switch around with throughout the year, without having to change all the accessories each time.

2. Get some new towels and washcloths. These should either be a matching set, or individual ones that compliment each other too. And they need to tie in somehow with the new accessories you've put in.

If you've gone with the flexibility of wood, brass, or other universal accessories, your towels and washcloths can be virtually any color - or color combination - you'd like.

You don't have to buy tons of towels and washcloths at once either. In fact, you can start with just one or two of each to use for display on your pretty, coordinated towel rack. You're going for a decorating theme here, so making things pretty is a large part of the goal. If you're able to buy multiple towels - or even entire sets at once, this will make you feel as if your new decorating theme is more complete. But it's not required to start with, just buy enough to put on display if you're short on money.

Also: Don't forget the hand towels. These add a bit of polish and upscale elegance to any bathroom, particularly when they're on display.

3. Put some potpourri or fake flowers around. These small touches are easy and inexpensive, but they really give your bathroom a more professionally decorated look. Pile a bit of potpourri into an extra soap dish that matches or compliments your other accessories, or lay flowers and greenery on a shelf beside a fluffy stack of towels. You can even weave greenery around various bottles that are on display in your bathroom, or around containers holding cotton balls and swabs too.

Share with your friends |

4. Put in a small area or throw rug. Even a tiny bathroom can use a rug... they're almost always functional, and they can be quite pretty too. It's a good idea to make sure the rug you choose is made of absorbent materials... particularly if you plan to place it in front of the bathtub or shower. If your bathroom is large enough, consider putting down several rugs. I personally prefer to have one in front of the toilet because the floor is cold, and one in front of the tub and shower too. You can also simply put the rug in the middle of the room as an accent piece.

When choosing rugs for your bathroom, be sure they match or compliment the color scheme somehow. If you're primary color in the bathroom is sky blue but you have small amounts of midnight blue mixed into other things, it's ok to choose a midnight blue rug. It's even ok to choose a cream colored rug even if nothing else in your bathroom is cream colored - just make sure there's a small amount of the sky or midnight blue in the rug and it'll tie into the decorating theme almost automatically.[Via]