bathroom decorating

Bathrooms often get the short end of the stick when it comes to interior design. After all, nobody's going to spend a lot of time in your bathroom, right? The problem is, it's not true-you will. Here are some great tips for refreshing the look of your bath without breaking the bank.
Five Areas of Focus in Bathroom Design
There are five areas you can focus on to improve the look of your bathroom short of a total remodel:
Walls
Lighting
Vanities
Hardware
Decor
Now, let's take a look at some bathrooms to see how it's done.
Sample Bathroom Design Ideas
We've given this formerly generic bath a vintage look by installing a vessel sink that looks like an old mixing bowl. The mirror has a decorative molding, and new sconces designed in the antique style add to the charm. When it comes to antiques, substance is everything; this fire brick flooring in a herringbone pattern looks and feels totally authentic.

One of the best ways to maximize space and create a feeling of quality workmanship is to add built-in cabinetry. If you have space behind a bathroom wall, back into it with shelving: you'll not only have a place to store toiletries, you'll have an ideal showcase for decorative items. Another tip? Hang some artwork over the toilet to improve the view. Finally, get rid of dated, damaged or chintzy vanities. You can replace them with solid antiques. Use your creativity when it comes to furniture choices: We've created a vanity out of an old dresser drawer by repainting it antique white and adding crystal knobs. Instant chic!

Our second bathroom overhaul is a study in both cost-savings and utility. Instead of buying new drawers and cupboards, put drapery fronts on your vanity. This solution adds color, texture and pattern and cuts the budget dramatically.

Next up? Walls. I can't tell you how many times I've seen people leave bathroom walls a boring ivory... and these are folks whose houses literally sing with color and texture elsewhere! Not only can you use wall coverings to boost your bathroom's style, but special paint applications and texture treatments-like this tin wainscoting-are a natural for bathrooms, which typically have less wall space than other rooms and can handle high-impact treatments. Here, we antiqued the tin with a wash of watered-down umber, and it looks fantastic. And substantive wainscoting has another use: you can add a deeper trim at the top to stack and lean items like perfume bottles and art.

For floors, affordable hotel tile is becoming popular, as is subway tile for showers.

Unusual light fixtures like this one we picked up on eBay add a funky, vintage charm. We've made this bathroom contemporary with nickel-coated hinges and ribbed vertical cabinet glass. Replacing tired or broken hardware fixtures earns you big-time style points, and it's relatively easy. For example, trade in those old towel bars for hooks-hanging them is simple, and you can arrange them any way you want. Adding Euro glass to the shower eliminated the ugly metal trim, and these lovely sconces on either side of the mirror add interest... a lot better than those above-mirror bar lights that shout "80s," right?

Remember: lighting styles change rapidly, so fixtures just five years old can look very dated. Luckily, it's an easy area to update. Replacing old lighting with colorful, modern or elegant pendants is one way to contemporize your look; adding chandeliers over tubs or in powder rooms is another. Here, we've also trimmed the walls in paneled wood for a warmer effect, and added wallpaper-yes, it's coming back-above the wainscoting.

Finally, get rid of that dated wall-to-wall mirror and go for something different, with interesting moldings or a substantive, artwork-like feel.

Bathrooms are an important part of any home. They're necessary, they're functional, and, if you show a little ingenuity, they can be beautiful, too. I'm Anne-Marie Barton, About Home & Garden.