Even if you’re pinching pennies (and who is not these days?) , you are still able to take a bathroom from basic to amazing. Whether you’re building a new bathroom from scratch or remodeling an older one, spending a couple of added dollars on hardware, fixtures and more can pay large style dividends — and sometimes, chic materials are not any more expensive than plain ones. Here are nine components that are easy to amp up without gouging your bank accounts.
Judith Balis Interiors
1. Wall paint. Rich, bright color costs exactly the same as beige, so do it. Paint creates the greatest impact for the least amount of cash, hands down. The ideal color can open up a cramped area, create a huge room feel cozier or add instant character to a basic bath. And it takes to create a unique striped pattern or a zany geometric layout is really a roll of painter’s tape and a sharp pencil.
Rachel Reider Interiors
2. Cabinetry. Stock cabinetry comes in such a vast array of sizes and styles these days that you can easily receive a modish look without paying for custom work. Beef up moldings and trim around the edges for a more finished look.
In the event that you really want to put your own stamp on it, then think paint. Much like walls, it is easy and inexpensive to give cabinets a coating of color. Try painting the door panels shade and the frames another, or stencil on a theme of your choice.
Amoroso Design
3. Faucets and fixtures. You’re not confined to plastic and chrome — affordable taps come in stylish finishes that make them look more upscale. Home centers, plumbing providers and online retailers carry a wide choice of taps in brushed nickel, oil-rubbed bronze and antique brass, frequently with towel bars and other hardware to complement them.
Urrutia Design
4. Knobs and pulls. You could spend huge bucks on cabinet hardware, but why? There’s such a huge choice of fashion-forward finds available on the market that you’re almost certain to find one that appeals to both your preferences and your wallet. Consider unusual finishes, bold colors, interesting shapes or unconventional materials to present your cabinetry a customized twist.
5. Tile. Like hardware and fixtures, tile is often as expensive or as affordable as you let it. Choose a classic shape in a sudden shade, like these charcoal hexagonal tiles, to get a fresh look that does not say builder grade. Or create your own routine from cheap ceramic tiles located at a home center.
Many times, upscale tile retailers will have a back room or a clearance place where they offer discontinued or slightly flawed pieces at reduced prices. If you do fall in love with luxury tile, look at buying a small amount to use as a accent decoration in the walls or flooring.
Artistic Designs for Living, Tineke Triggs
6. Lighting. If you’re remodeling a bathroom, chances are that new light is high on your wish list. Think beyond conventional flush-mount ceiling fixtures and above-the-mirror strips. Pretty sconces, pendants and chandeliers help to personalize a tub and will not add much to the bottom line.
Alan Mascord Design Associates Inc
7. Mirrors. Frameless sheet mirrors feel uninspired and bland. Eschew them in favor of eye-catching contours, like this quatrefoil version, and chic finishes. You can often find great bargains on mirrors in catalogs and via national retail chains. Or select up one-of-a-kind finds at your regional flea market or antiques shop.
8. Storage. Brick shelving is relatively easy to install, particularly when you design it to fit between wall studs. As an alternative, you could bring into a freestanding unit and paint it to combine with the surrounding walls to tone down its ready-made look.
If your renovation includes gutting or retiling the shower, it is simple to add recessed markets in the redesign. You can either purchase them preformed or custom cut them, then tile them in.
Zenteriors from Camian Larson
9. Countertops. In the event that you long to get a classic marble or granite slab however your bank accounts can not handle it, consider rock tiles instead. They cost less and are easier to install. Or start looking into a number of the newest laminates available on the current market, which replicate the look of stone at a fraction of the purchase price.
More:
7 Tile Tips for Baths on a Budget
12 Strategies for Updating the Bathroom
9 Ways to Create a Not-So-Standard Toilet