Most of us don't have the space to make a room of the bathroom as in this lovely photo from French Elle Décoration. But it's an inspiring reminder to treat the bathroom like another room with decorative touches that can make it a cozy and inviting place to spend time. Even in a small space, replacing a sterile bathroom mirror with a vintage mirror, swapping out the usual bathroom rug for a sheepskin or a flokati, hanging candle sconces or a chandelier, or projecting a great piece of video art on the walls can transform the space. After the jump, highlights of more pointers from the editors at Elle Décoration...
1. Cover one wall with water-resistant vinyl wallpaper.
2. If you have room, put a freestanding tub in the center of the room, rather than pushed up against a wall.
3. Set up bookshelves where you can store books, photos or other objects.
4. Hang a pretty chandelier for soft lighting and a change of atmosphere. If you don't have the space, try light garlands or a bunch of votives.
5. Hang airy curtains from the windows and use opaque cloth blinds to let in the light.
6. Create a mismatched wall of small mirrors to reflect light.
7. If you have room, put a comfortable chair in the bathroom where you can relax.
Other ideas?
- Kristin Hohenadel blogging from rue Vieille du Temple, Paris, France. She can be reached at kristinh @ apartmenttherapy . com
I'm trying to figure out why I would want to "relax" in a comfortable chair in my bathroom.
That's a very pretty room but I'm trying not to think about cleaning those drapes.
view blackbird's profile
This is an incredibly beautiful bathroom! Oh how I wish I had the space...
But, some of these ideas just aren't practical for a bathroom unless it's infrequently used or has tremendously good ventilation. The bathroom is prone to dampness and books and fabric (curtains, comfy chair) are wonderful growers of mold and mildew. (Bookes especially... paper is mold food)
Somehow, having a stuffy nose, asthma attack and headache (thanks to my mold allergy) doesn't much sound like a relaxing experience.
I love love love the chandelier though.
view ilovebutter's profile
This is one of those moments when AT seems to lose its way: If the site is about simplicity and pairing down -- with which I heartily agree -- then why are we talking about bathrooms that belong in the palace at Versaille?
Decorative touches (eg antique mirror) etc., I get -- but who really needs books and lounge chairs in the bath?
But to make a positive contribution here: How about dimmer switches? I have one because I hate snapping on bright light in the middle of the night, and it is nice to have dimmed light for a bath. Chandelier or no!
view Mid-C Frank's profile
Flokati in the bathroom? Sheep skin? I'd be wary of stepping on it when my feet are all wet.
view nellbell's profile
Flokati - Video Art - Books - In a bathroom?
You're kidding - Right?
view bepsf's profile
dreamy.
if only my bathroom had windows...
view southender's profile
This is gorgeous though not entirely practical for the common bathroom.
I've suspended many small glass Christmas spheres on thin silver wire from the ceiling above my bathtub. It's lovely at bath time with a candle flickering
view loop's profile
come on people, it's the Elle Decoration bathroom, of course it's going to be over the top. You might not need a lounge chair in the bathroom but hey, everyone can be quirky in the their own way. Recently I went to a friends house and they had a mounted jackelope on their bathroom wall. Not exactly Elle Decoration, instead more whatever floats your boat.
view wwoolsey's profile
Years ago, I had friends in a group house (and old Victorian in a cemetary). The huge bathroom had an old wire rotating bookstore rack filled with lurid 1950s paperbacks. Not exactly hygenic, but charming!
view marfa's profile
if i had servants i would love a bathroom like that
view Kat1's profile
Goodness! Do people really have that difficult a time comprehending why one might want a lounge chair in the bathroom? I for one, enjoy taking a bath while my husband reads in the bathroom with me. That's practical, imo. I occasionally even like sitting for a moment in the quiet of the bathroom, door shut, silence reigning supreme. Ideally, there should be a spot for this that is a little more dignified than the toilet.
That a bathroom should be plush, sensual, textural...well that all sounds A-OK with me, even as the owner of a lot of "simple and pared down" furniture. Practicality can include the sumptuous touches that make life more pleasurable, even if that means the impracticality of a flokati rug in the bathroom.
view VanessaKCK's profile
I love it and have a small bathroom that is infrequently used has a claw foot tub and shelves that we use for towels and decorative items. This weekend the scene will change...... Books here we come.
view 12candycane's profile