We spend time styling spaces in our homes, aiming for a special look and feel that helps us relax, recharge and be ourselves: the bedroom, the living room, the garden... but it’s often the bathroom that gets overlooked. Too often relegated to quick showers and cleaning teeth, the bathroom quickly becomes filled with containers and half-used products, the surfaces covered in knick-knacks and mismatching objects! Does this sound like your bathroom? Well, this room is where we have the opportunity to be truly alone, where we should want to stay a little longer, relax, catch our breath, and we should always come out feeling refreshed, recharged and pampered.
all images in this page by James Treble
If you think I'm suggesting a bathroom renovation, do not fear; this is not that article! But I do have some simple suggestions that are very easy to achieve, using clever styling, to add extra appeal to your existing bathroom, and allowing you to create a room in which you’ll want to stay longer and pamper yourself.
So, if you think of your bathroom as unworthy of any attention, I want you to accept my challenge and keep reading for some tips you will certainly find very useful. All you have to do is take action, and start with these three important steps: Clear, Clean & Style!
NOTE: Below are some images from some bathrooms I’ve designed and styled. Look at the combination of textures, shapes and mix of materials... the oversized statement plants and the grouping of objects, all chosen to make the space feel truly welcoming.
Treble Top Tips:
Clear: Get rid of all the unnecessary knick-knacks, scrawny plants, cute pictures, stick-on hooks, mismatching towels, daggy window coverings etc. Declutter all surfaces (the vanity top, around the bath, the window sills...), then make room to store the items you do need, like tooth brushes and creams, out of sight.
Clean: Nothing makes you want to get out of a bathroom faster than grime, old stains and bad odours. The bathroom being a wet room, can have these issues. So, elbow grease and environmentally friendly products at hand, do what it takes to scrub all corners, grooves and out of reach surfaces: visible or not. Air the room as often as possible and prefer greenery like succulents and tropical plants that don't need frequent watering, as the moist soil in the pot will also add to mouldy odours. Finally the bathroom is now a blank canvas and it already looks and feels better.
Style: Working with the elements of the room which you cannot change (I’m talking about tile colours, the vanity finish and the tap-ware), proceed with your furnishing/styling based on an appealing first-impression. Adding plush towels always makes a statement, so buy quality ones and use them, you deserve it! Same goes with hand-made soaps and quality shower products, buy them and use them; and because they usually come with great labels and packaging, they also look good out on show! Provide a useful and elegant wooden stool next to the bath, perfect for a good book, a candle (or that glass of wine) and include some organic elements like natural sea-sponges, wooden brushes, bee-wax candles... but keep the styling sparse and leave plenty of free space on all surfaces. Finish up with easy to maintain window coverings and one, maybe two luscious green plants.
Above all, when styling any room, you're aiming to create an emotional response, resulting in a space that you and others will want to spend time in. Happy pampering!
Watch the video below for tips to achieve "The Hotel Feel".
More inspiring videos on James' YouTube Channel.
James Treble is an ambassador for Planet Ark and firmly believes in sensible purchasing, recycling and creative re-purposing. James has 3 decades of accumulated experience in the Building Industry, Real Estate and Interior Design and regularly shares his knowledge and experience in adding value to homes through clever design & styling. Watch his free videos on YouTube, and follow him on Facebook and Instagram for more free information.
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