This week, in our interiors section, we decided to focus on an integral part of our homes, yet the most neglected. The bathroom!
No wonder, it is popularly said that – a man’s worth is judged not by the money he has but by the shoes he wears and a house by the way its bathrooms are kept! How true. Often, we have sneered at unkempt bathrooms in restaurants, hotels and a friend’s place. And at the same time, a polished, clean and beautified rest room has been met with a smile.
Here are some easy tips to rejuvenate this place and make it as beautiful, clean and appealing as the rest of the house.
- Decorate the walls – most bathroom walls are left bare. Put scenic pictures, frames from holidays, postcards, old automobile number plates, signage’s with bathroom humour, or quirky hooks with a to-do list and a pen (most ideas erupt on the throne after all).
- Add colour – colour coordinate the walls. My son’s teacher once told me to allocate one tiled wall to each of the kids and get them to paint. Not only did creative ideas flow abundantly; the mundane walls got glamorised too.
- Decorate – indoor plants in small pretty planters, empty wine bottles with flowing plants, an old lantern, a small water fountain, figurines of animals, dolls or other favourite characters in children’s bathrooms can personalise and add zing.
- Pretty props – Rather than cluttering cosmetics all over the basin platform, get baskets to line them up in. Looks clean and space gets created. Shower curtains can be added too.
- Towel it up – Stack up hand towels in beautiful cane baskets, marble trays, small trunks/cabinets to add a dash of drama.
- Quirky hooks – remove the old metallic ones. Hooks and knobs with blue pottery, character designs, unusual boards can be pretty replacements.
- Floor coverage – get shower mat/floor mats in coordinated designs. Adds warmth.
- Laundry – cane/ cloth laundry baskets with covers can save the room from the messy and dirty feel.
- Mirrors – if you have the option of re doing the mirror in the bathroom, get nice designs. A large mirror on the wall, or small mirrors on the side walls can give a feel of hugeness.
- Dustbins – open dustbins with garbage bags and waste showing is an eye sore. The typical plastic dustbins can be replaced with colourful covered ones.
Let the elements of the room reflect in the bathroom to create oneness. For e.g – if your room is in the hues of green or yellow, try and get the floor mats, hand towels, soap dish, and other decorative stuff in the same colour family to create harmony.
Let each room speak its own story.
