Save money (and water) renovating your bathroom

Izelle du Pisanie Izelle du Pisanie
Лофт, Interiorbox Interiorbox Industrial style bathroom
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Changeis the only constant, as the philosopher Heraclitus stated many years ago. And this maxim applies to everything in life, including our home. Effectively, regardless if we buy or rent a house, when we change it, we are happy… But for how long?

Some people take longer than others, but eventually we all get tired of the way our house is arranged. It may be that we need more space, or because the furniture is damaged, or simply because the décor is tired, we all have these sudden desires that make us go around the house and change everything!

The bathroom is one of the spaces in the house that is liable to increased wear and tear, and is perhaps the first to ask for a renewal, whether structural or decorative. Limestone, a little mould, a closet door that is jammed, time passing, and a bathroom that was beautiful before, seems to us now dull and dated.

If you’re still looking at your bathroom and imagine living somewhere else, it's time to change!

The problem, you might say our dear reader, is the tight budget…

We know that this is a reality we have to face and so today we selected six simple and inexpensive ideas for renovating your bathroom without breaking the bank. Come take a look and put these tips to work, since you can keep what works and discard that which is irrelevant.

Plan everything in advance

A good bathroom design is one that takes into account any needs of its users, whether physical or spiritual. The bathroom is one of the toughest divisions to plan, because wrong choices can trigger costs before, during and especially after the refurbishment!

Advance planning is therefore essential. Carefully consider your needs by answering the following questions:

1.       Do you want a profound renewal or just to modernize a little space? 

2.       Will this bathroom be used by many people? 

3.       Are there small children or people with mobility difficulties at home? 

4.       Is the room spacious and has a little room to manoeuvre in? It has window or just artificial lighting? 

5.       What style do you want for your bathroom?

If your bathroom needs a deeper renovation consider criteria such as storage, space and light. Check in advance what steps you have to consider. Do not try to do everything yourself! The result can be very expensive. So, you might want to: Contact professionals and hire help.

If you cannot or do not want to do a thorough renovation, there are some details that you can change in your bathroom without intensive works, but that can make all the difference!

Add natural light without opening another window

If your bathroom has little natural light, you can always multiply it! There are several ways of achieving this, and you can use one or even combine them all.

Will you reshape everything in the room? Great, makes this task easier!

Choose white coatings, preferably light reflectors, like the beautiful pearly mosaic image of the above bathroom. Very light colours, and in particular whites, make for the most luminous spaces and give a much greater feeling of spaciousness than dark colours. Use white coats also on the floor and ceiling. You will immediately have a bathroom bigger and brighter for sure.

Replace traditional wooden doors with frosted glass doors. Avoid curtains at all costs, either in the window or in the shower, even if they are transparent, because they will cut the light and give the feeling of a shrinking space. Instead, opt for glass shower enclosures.

Add mirrors in various locations in the bathroom, making a game of reflections. The light will multiply!

Finally, if you are thinking about a romantic space, classic or shabby chic, crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling is a classy choice.

Replace shelves and cabinets

Perfumes, aftershaves, creams, toothpaste tubes, razors… You do not want any of this in sight, and nothing  calls for more attention to the negative than damaged cabinets.

If your cabinets are damaged, or simply out of fashion, replace them! But do not do it at random. Make sure that the change will be beneficial. The aesthetic aspect is important, but you do not want to end up with bathroom furniture that do not serve the purposes you require! Take measurements to detail, preferably accompanied by a professional, such as Amplitude- Furniture ltd , creators of practical and beautiful cabinets such as in the image of the bathroom above.

No need to go ahead and change all the furniture in your bathroom… Sometimes all that’s needed is just to replace one that is in the worst condition. Or maybe you simply need to add some shelves with an interesting design to change any decorating style. Dare to mix different styles and parts.

Paint the walls a new colour

Tired of the old tiles with flowers? The paint is already peeling? The white is already tired? Paint! It is the simplest and most obvious solution to change the aesthetics of your bathroom, without major changes or background works.

Nowadays there are excellent paint for tile, if you do not want to remove them. But the important thing is to change. Innovate! Be inspired by this image of the bathroom. The sky-blue walls are reminiscent of the coating of a pool and gives a touch of water the area. This recalls the sea and blue sky.

Before this seems like too big a task, there is no need to paint all the walls. Giving new life to one wall may be enough to change the atmosphere of the entire room. Just make sure that the colour will benefit the environment. Cool colours like grey lend an air of hygiene and cleanliness, warm colours, such as orange or red, make for the most welcoming place.

If you're not into painting, or remain a purist when it comes to bathroom tiling, take a look at how: Tiles can take your bathroom to the next level.

Add a touch of luxury with the right accessories

Adding decorative elements is the simplest and fastest way to transform your bathroom without attempting renovations. Yet, you can also do it after renovations to complement or achieve the chosen style. 

However, even this seemingly simple suggestion has some tricks. Remember that the bathroom is a place where the relative humidity values are high. Hot baths and showers (all that steam!) leave the atmosphere inside thin and foggy or heavy with condensation. As such, the choice of accessories must reflect the need for moisture resistance. 

If you want to use wooden objects you can choose to coat them with resistant varnish, or choose items which are already treated for bathroom conditions. In the case of metal objects the idea is the same, and the choice should fall on tough objects. Golden, silver and pearlescent items give a luxurious tone to any space. Wooden accessories, wicker, jute, or other natural material give a rustic or modern style.

Add a mirror full of style

The mirrors are objects that spoil rather quickly in a bathroom. Quickly the subsequent coating begins to fall, and the edges are left with unsightly black spots. This can give a depressing air to any room!

Change the mirrors often if you can. Choose bold designs, then replace it with something more classic, like the magnificent mirror in the image above.

The mirror is the first place where we look to in the morning and sometimes the last place where we look at night, and so it is another item that makes us feel a change in the bathroom the soonest.

Which of these tips are most helpful to you? Let us know in the comments seciton.

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