Is your bathroom a bright and cheerful place? Bathrooms can be just that, but many of them aren’t. Maybe you’ve seen sparkly, shiny washrooms in magazines and showrooms and wished you had the time and money to build one for yourself. Well, don’t wait any longer to upgrade. You don’t have to rip everything out, write a big check and undertake a major project; there are many quick and inexpensive bathroom decor ideas you can employ right away to give that space a new and refurbished appearance. It may be the easiest room in the house to update with just a few changes.

How can I refresh my bathroom for a more upbeat look?

New or additional colors will go a long way toward bringing new life to a boring room, but how can you know which colors to choose? One good way is to start with a theme. Let your imagination fly free and pick something that speaks to you, whether it be clouds, flowers, animal, forests or country living. Maybe you want a bathroom that makes a modern, casual or traditional statement. If children use the room consider boats, trains and mythical creatures. Coordinate changes, including colors, around this theme. Select towels, shower curtains, bathmats and other bathroom decor that express or complement the central concept.

If you’re looking to amp things up, avoid unexciting beige and taupe tones for the wall. If you pick an interesting color, the color itself can be your theme. You can go with a traditional pale green, but to add some joy why not try something fresh and different. Teal, for example, makes a great accent and can make a striking wall color too. Magenta is not exactly pink and far from what people expect to see. Blue, in all its variations, can be a great choice, especially if you use dark blue on the walls and light blue on the contrasts, or the other way around. If you want a more sophisticated look, consider metallics. Not only for handles and fixtures, but also as a color for towels and curtains, whether that color is bronze, silver or copper. You might even sneak in a little black as an accent.

Another option: choose a color you already have and like, perhaps a secondary color in your tiles or a shade that continues from an adjacent hallway or bedroom. If it’s a child’s bathroom, or if you yourself are a child at heart, think about two bright, contrasting colors.

To make your new colors pop and sizzle, ramp up the lighting. Replace an unremarkable ceiling lamp with a pendant. Make the room say “how do you do!” when you flip the switch.

Finally, are you a morning or an evening person? Do you want white walls with some energetic contrasts to get you off to a running start, or would you be happier with a richer color – a blue, say – that helps settle you toward bedtime?

What are some simple bathroom decorating ideas?

The shower curtain often sets the tone for the room. It’s one of the first things visitors notice. Take your time and pick one that epitomizes your colors and your theme. Select a couple sets of towels that complement or contrast with the curtain in different ways. Ditto for bathmats. Wouldn’t it be sweet to have two choices to alternate?

If you still have a medicine cabinet, replace it with a mirror surrounded by floating shelves or other wall storage. Speaking of storage, bins on the counter and baskets on the floor not only keep supplies organized but look good while they do it.

How long have you had the same bathroom decor? The same pictures on the wall? Could be it’s time for a change. This is great opportunity to put an exclamation point on the theme you’ve established with your wall colors and your curtain and towels. Pictures are only the beginning of wall decor; there are wall sculptures, shadow boxes, and if you have a space for it, a new clock can be practical and beautiful. For the matter, you can hang an extra mirror – they aren’t only allowed over the sink!

If you have a long countertop, a few decorative vases, trays and candles can brighten it up. And for one final up-to-date addition, replace that wall-hanging toilet paper rack with a toilet paper stand. There’s an innovation that people will notice!

Final Touches

Whether you undertake significant upgrades or not, you can put in a few hours and make these cost-effective changes:

• Put new handles on your cabinets and drawers.
• Swap out the faucets and the shower head. If you’d like, treat yourself to a hand-held massaging unit.
• Freshen your caulk and your grout with bleach or a grout renewal product.
• Change the toilet seat. It’s a lot easier than bringing in an entire new toilet. If water tends to keep running until you jiggle the handle, replace the guts as well.
• Buy a new light switch cover. See if you can find one that echoes your theme.

It’s easy and not at all expensive to put some zip into a space you visit several times each day. A cheerful bathroom goes a long way toward creating a cheerful home.