Update Your Bathroom in One Weekend-on the Cheap
If you have an hour or so and hate using tools
Improve your bathroom’s look with minimal effort by updating decorative items such as the shower curtain, towels, and rug. If you’re puzzled by the color scheme you’d like, begin by picking a shower curtain. It’s the very first thing people will notice and will make the biggest impact. Picking one with relatively neutral colors, like a black and gray curtain, is foolproof.
Next up, pick towels and a rug. Don’t overthink how the colors or patterns go together-a matchy-matchy color scheme screams that your decor is dated. Instead, pick colors that play nicely with the shower curtain. In this case, the gray rug coordinates together with the neutral shower curtain, and pale aqua towels give a dose of calming color. Buy at least two bath towels, and don’t forget the hand towels-nothing says “this bathroom is gross therefore is my host” like your guests having to dry their hands on your still-wet bath towel. Finally, put in a few small accessories that tie everything together. A classy-looking soap dispenser and brushed-metal toothbrush holder will elevate your vanity.
And can we discuss trash cans for just a second? First, it is best to have one in your bathroom, and secondly, it should always have a lid. You dispose of some pretty personal stuff in there, and no guest wants to know that much about you, unless they like to snoop through medicine cabinets. This simplehuman trash can is on the pricey side, but its narrow profile allows it to fit in tight corners, and the lid closes slowly without slamming shut. Worth it!
If you have three hours and hate using tools
Swing by any discount retailer and raid the office supply section. Yep, that’s right. Just because something’s intended to sit on a desk doesn’t mean it isn’t the perfect item to help keep your bathroom organized! This desktop organizer is meant to store pens and papers with that oh-so-trendy rustic charm. Re-imagine it as a holder for your makeup brushes and lip gloss tubes. Enhance storage capabilities of a small vanity with drawers and shelves under the sink. This plastic set of drawers screams, “My mom thought this would come in handy in my dorm room!”-but, really, so what? It’ll be hidden behind a cabinet, and plastic is easy to clean. The small size means it’ll fit beside all of that under-sink plumbing. This expandable shelf is great for both the kitchen and the bathroom. You are able to double the capacity of a shelfless cabinet by storing items on two levels. While you’re borrowing items from the office supply aisle, look to furniture meant for other rooms as great choices for your bathroom. Those adorable corner shelves meant to hold china in your dining room? Imagine it as space-saving storage for toiletries and rolled-up towels.
If you have a day and really know what a drywall anchor is
It’s time to bring out your toolbox! There are lots of simple projects you can complete in one day. The best way to make your bathroom look polished is to hide the clutter. An over-the-toilet wall cabinet stores your stuff without having to take up valuable floor space. Opt for one with solid doors instead of open shelving. This file rack is meant for a front-desk receptionist, but, real talk: You read in your bathroom. Hang it on your wall and use it to store magazines! Flat walls are boring. Add some charm with wainscoting. You can DIY it with wood panels, but for the less crafty, there are wainscoting kits.
Is your laundry rack in your bedroom under your framed wedding portrait as you have nowhere else to put it? Bring sexy back by moving the laundry rack out of the bedroom and into the bathroom, where sexy never enters anyway. This collapsible shelf folds up in the perfect In addition, it has hooks to hang up hand towels and robes, and a shelf at the very top to store much more. If the edges of the bathtub are crowded with precariously balanced shampoo bottles, install a corner shower organizer. You can put it together in 15 minutes without any tools at all. Don’t invest too much money in these. Regardless of how rust-proof they promise to be, you’ll have to replace yours every a couple of years or so. Replace dated cabinet knobs and drawer pulls to instantly update built-in vanities. They don’t cost much and are also as simple as a light bulb to install. Add some atmospheric lighting for all those times you aren’t putting on makeup-low lighting adds moodiness and hides dust! Under-cabinet lighting is easy to install.
Finally, every bathroom needs art. Because of humidity, this isn’t where you’re likely to want to hang your Monet, nevertheless, you can pick up inexpensive art just about anyplace. And have fun with it! We all know what you’re in your bathroom for, so you may as well let your sense of potty humor shine.
If you have a whole weekend and want a big change
You can hang art and add decorative items in just one day. But what if you have a whole weekend? Day 1 becomes the day you repaint the walls. To get a spa-like atmosphere, opt for a pale gray or pastel tone (like Benjamin Moore’s Gray Mirage or Mystical Blue). Or go nuts with color, because in such a small room you can get away with it! Try a bold red, deep teal, or dark purple. For less than $100, you’ll make a dramatic change to exactly how your bathroom looks. Let the paint dry overnight, and move on to adding accessories and storage on Day 2.
Lots of humidity with no exhaust fan? A few tricks: Replace the solid bathroom door which has a louver door-it offers the same level of privacy, however the steam can ventilate out.Or plug in a compact dehumidifier. They have some so small your guests won’t see it, and it runs silently.By Monday, you won’t even recognize the place. Total cost for all of this? Slightly below $500. What are you waiting for?