Shop the Rest of Your Home to Save a Sad Bathroom

published Mar 16, 2016
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(Image credit: Lauren Kolyn)

No time or extra funds to spend on decorating your plain bathroom? You are not stuck with a sad space. You can shop the rest of your space to decorate a boring bathroom—create a more cheery room without leaving the house or spending any money. Peruse this “shopping list” of items you may already have at home to transform any bathroom into a brighter, bolder space.

Truthfully, the bathrooms featured in this post probably weren’t all that sad-looking before the addition of the elements in this list. But, you can still take inspiration for your own bathroom from the clever ideas and items spotted in these spaces. Choose how many ideas to add to your space by how sad your bathroom looks right now.

Changes you can make in 5 minutes or less:

(Image credit: Hayley Kessner)

If you have the floor space, add a side table, stool or other “unusual” small furniture piece

Narrow side tables, small wooden stools, storage carts—these are small furniture pieces that don’t have to stay in the living room or bedroom. Bring one (that you won’t miss where it is now) into your bathroom and see how it works.

(Image credit: Natalie Jeffcott)

Add an oversized or sculptural element

Chances are you might have something in your home already that would be considered “oversized” if you brought into your bathroom. From a large sculptural letter, to even just a big art canvas or framed print. By adding a dramatically big element to your bathroom, you immediately create interest.


Easy-to-do ideas:

(Image credit: Brittany Purlee)

Create a toilet tank vignette

You might consider taking advice from previous Apartment Therapy posts: Scale down a vignette from another room in your home (if it’s gotten too busy or too cluttered) by removing a handful of small design elements. Instead of storing away any objects you remove from a living room vignette, make a mini vignette on the back of your toilet or on a shelf.


(Image credit: Elizabeth Backup)

Create a gallery wall

If you have more art than walls in the other rooms of the your house, don’t store away pieces; bring them into the bathroom. Such a compact space can not only withstand the visual intensity of a floor-to-ceiling art gallery wall, it’ll be improved. Yes, you’ll have to do some art hanging (which depending on the art and the walls, might require drilling or hammering holes), but it’s still a fairly simple task using items you might already have.

(Image credit: Marie-Lyne Quirion)

Turn objects into fun decor displays

This is another suggestion that might involve holes in your wall. But, it’s an easy idea that you can do if you have any interesting objects or a collection: use them as wall decor displays. From sports equipment to board games to items collected from nature, you can create a grouping of items that will add a unique touch and a bit of welcome visual interest and quirkiness to an otherwise hard-working simple room.