At the end of a hard day there are few things I enjoy more than taking a long, hot bath — add a glass of wine and a good book and I’m all set. I love colorful, eclectic design but the bathroom is the one room where I would rather show restraint. I prefer a clean soothing environment that encourages relaxation instead. Here are a few tips for creating a spa inspired bathroom that won’t break the bank or require renovations.
1. Keep it simple and uncluttered. While the ever-present tangle of curling iron and blow dryer cords underneath your sink may not even register anymore, tuck them away if you can. By reducing visual noise you instantly create an environment that looks and feels cleaner.
2. Choose a palette of soothing earth tones. When you think of a spa inspired bath, often what comes to mind is white on white. Natures inspired tones have a similar calming effect but are easier to keep looking clean and help you steer clear of an environment that feels too sterile. Blues, greens and sandy tones are usually a good bet.
3. Buy quality when it comes to your towels, bathmat and robe. Good quality sheets are often touted as life changing. Likewise, soft fluffy towels and robes and are a worthwhile investment and lend an air of luxury to the bathroom.
4. Make small upgrades where you can. A rain showerhead is affordable and simple to install, and adding vanity lighting or replacing a too small mirror are small changes that can make a big difference.
5. Add niceties. Bring in scented candles, add flowers or a bundle of eucalyptus, and leave some reading material. Small touches are what make the space feel inviting and encourage you to relax for a while.
6. Get rid of labels. Another way to reduce visual noise is to transfer products you leave out into clear jars and bottles. The added bonus of this is that you can save money by buying in bulk and refilling them as needed.
Image: Spa style bathroom designed by David Jiminez/House Beautiful
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Great post!
We tried to make our guest bath pretty spa-like when we moved in. We replaced the medicine cabinet with a PB knock off mirror, painted the walls a calm light blue, etc. I'd say it worked well (even with the gross beige tile with random pink accents) well until we had a pipe burst in the wall. Sadly now there is need for a gut job. But at least we have a plan.
The only problem is that rain shower heads aren't typically low flow nor are they all that environmentally friendly. They do make some decent ones though.
Great ideas. Thanks!
Install a dimmer switch.
Keep a "wipe down" washcloth folded neatly on the sink. Mine match my towels so they don't look like rags -- but that's essentially what they are. I keep several in an attractive box so they're handy. I use one to wipe up splashes, makeup, toothpaste, etc. Just toss it in the wash on Saturday and grab a clean one at the same time.
Remove the scale. I know people tend to think that the bathroom is the best place for a "bathroom scale" (it's even in our language!). But weighing yourself nude, in front of a mirror, is not condusive to a positive body image (unless you're already a hard-body). Put the scale in the pantry or in the garage or the guest bathroom. Weigh yourself once a month or once a week if you must. Just deduct a pound for your clothes.
Preventative maintenance. Keep a small grout brush in the tub or shower and make a hot-water scrub of the caulk or tile part of your routine. I take an extra 3-4 minutes during my weekend shower (no chemicals!) for this, and it prevents mildew from getting a foothold. Who would want to linger or try to relax in a dirty bathroom?
...you meant a palette maybe? ;0)
I think i'm odd on this one but i only leave the handtowel out and the bath mat out in the open. The rest of the folded towels are stored in a closet (although I have a nice towel rack in the bathroom) and even the bath towel i use is hung to dry behind a door in the bedroom. Not sure if this is normal but I don't like looking at stacked towels. makes my bathroom look smaller than it already is.
These are some wonderful ideas! I do want to ask though; am I the only on that noticed that there are actually 6 ideas here? The 2. point is listed twice. :)
Diridi -- glad I'm not the only one.
This is what I do.
Add a large mirror, somewhere, if you have room.
Change metals to match (for me, this meant chrome or stainless steel for the shower curtain rod and hooks, toilet seat hinges on new toilet seat, other racks in shower, other accessories like the jars with lids for stuff, the bathroom cup, frames on mirrors, garbage can, toilet paper extra rolls holder, towel hooks, toilet brush, etc.)
Pick a wood tone you like, and use that color wood exclusively for wood accessories - for me, that has been bamboo lately. Thinking of replacing old window blinds with ones in bamboo or similar-colored wood.
Pick a simple two colors for everything else - towels, bathmat, shower curtains if not using white ones (get some nylon or polyester ones that repel water and stop using vinyl), wall paint, and anything else of color. My colors are yellow and celadon green. Avoid busy patterns in all of that - less pattern is more soothing. I like adding a bit of color to white tiles and fixtures. White towels remind me of the gym. I like white tiles because you can change your color scheme easily.
Add something small made of a textile with a pattern in your colors. Mine is french provencal fabric in a valance above the window, and a skirt sink to cover ugly pipes and make enclosed storage space beneath wall-mounted sink. Same fabric was used as a curtain to hide open shelves in my old bathroom. Fabric adds something, somehow, softens the sterile look somehow. The fabric an even be in a liner on the inside of glass cabinet doors to provide hidden storage - looks less cluttered than stuff visible behind glass.
I'm a HUGE fan of clean glass/ceramic containers and jars for soap/shampoo/conditioner/cotton wool etc. Plastic containers all mismatched and covered in writing is so visually cluttering and they just seem to multiply of their own accord in the cupboard. =/