The fact that bathrooms are small means that they’re prime candidates for decorating in style. If you know what you’re doing, you can get a whole lot of lux on a very small budget. The following advice is from the experts in bathroom design over at Posh.co.uk, leaders in bathroom fittings and design
Have one dark wall
Making one wall noticeably darker than the others produces a contrast. This means that the other walls look lighter in comparison. As a result, the whole room looks bigger.
Your feature wall can also be used to address other design issues in your bathroom. For example, if you’d like to make your walls look longer, then use horizontal stripes. For height use vertical ones.
Remember that the eye-tricking effect of stripes will still work if you use complementary colors rather than contrasting ones.
For example, you could use two different shades of the same color and keep both darker than the colors on the other walls. If you want to go for a really luxurious look, then consider wallpaper.
If you’re on a tight budget, then consider painting the lower half of your feature wall and wallpapering the upper half.
If your budget is even tighter, consider putting wallpaper (or even gift paper) in a frame and using it as art.
Another option would be to have a dark ceiling or even a dark floor. This does, however, often work best when you have high ceilings.
Regular ceilings, it can make a room feel even smaller. Also, if you have tiled floors, updating them can be a major undertaking.
Invest in your ceiling light
At the very least, put a decent lampshade on your ceiling light. If you can, however, it really is worth investing in a statement light fixture.
This will have much more impact in a small bathroom than in a larger room. Also, think about whether you need extra task lighting and whether you would benefit from extra lighting just for aesthetics.
One very cost-effective trick is to invest in a color-changing light bulb. This can change the mood of your bathroom literally at the press of a button.
It works best when your walls are fairly light. In general, however, you’ll want most of your bathroom walls to be in lighter shades anyway.
Use mirrors with care
Most bathrooms benefit from having one and only one large mirror. Ideally, you want to place this at right angles to your bathroom window.
This maximizes the mirror’s ability to bounce light around the room and hence make your bathroom look bigger. If your bathroom doesn’t have a window then try using a mirror with its own lighting.
Depending on the layout of your bathroom, your large mirror could also be your above-sink mirror. If it’s not, then use an over-sink mirror that complements your main mirror rather than competing with it.
Realistically, that means pick one which is big enough to let you see your face clearly and no more.
In general, stay away from having more than a couple of mirrors in a bathroom. You really can have too much of a good thing.
If you go overboard with mirrors, your bathroom can end up looking cluttered and/or creepy.
Get smart with curtains
If you need to cover your window for privacy, then you may want to use a blind. That said, there’s a lot to be said about using curtains in a bathroom.
The nature of bathrooms means that they’re often full of angles. Curtains can soften that. If you’re really set on a window blind, or you don’t have space for curtains, look for something soft like a Roman blind.
If your bathroom doesn’t have a window, then try putting curtains up anyway. You can hang them from the ceiling. This gives the impression that there’s a window there.
It just happens to be covered. It’s a pure psychological trick but it often works. Another option would be to put curtains on either side of your main mirror. This can be even more effective.
One last trick with curtains is to use two shower curtains instead of one. This makes a simple, functional item into a decorative focal point. For maximum impact, invest in a high-quality pair of decorative flower curtains.
Take care of your tiling
If you’re updating a bathroom, then one of the biggest favors you can do yourself is to switch to a self-contained shower cabin.
If you want a bath/over-head shower combo then get one that comes in a cabin. Self-contained cabins eliminate the need to use tiling to protect your walls. Just keep your wall tiles for decoration if you want.
If, however, you’re stuck with tiling for the time being, then at least make the most of it. At a minimum, clean it regularly. It’s a pain (literally) but it really will improve the appearance of your bathroom.
If you have a bit more budget, then you can look at options such as decals, peel-and-stick tiles, and tile paint to refresh your bathroom’s look.
If budget isn’t an issue, tiling can be great for decoration. In general, you want to stick to one type of tile across your floor and walls. If that isn’t possible then go for complementary tiles.
Be very careful about using high-contrast colors or striking patterns. They may look great on social media but living with them can be a very different matter.
Bring in nature
It’s one of the oldest tricks in the interior designer’s handbook but it sticks around because it works. Plants are the obvious choice. They often look particularly good in bathrooms because they contrast with the hard surfaces and angles.
Real plants are best but if that doesn’t work for you, go for faux or dried. If even that doesn’t work, just hang up pictures of plants.
Try to find other ways of bringing nature into your bathroom. For example, can you swap out your artificial sponges for real ones?
They look better and they’re better for the planet too. Similarly, can you use containers made of natural materials instead of plastic ones?
Upgrade your hardware
This suggestion gets mentioned everywhere and there’s a reason for this. Upgrading hardware such as handles, pulls, knobs, shower heads, and faucets really can give your bathroom a whole new look.
Katie Mills( Content Editor & Fitness Fanatic )
Content editor, marketer and product tester. A regular contributor for the ‘Home And Garden’ and Modern Homes Magazines, now part of a close-knit team, I oversee all the content on Posh. All roads have led to this job which I love. I get to focus on my love of interior design and health and work with a fabulous team. The role brings me a good level of freedom to my family and me and keeps me productive