When planning a new bathroom design, start by determining your top style and functionality goals. Decide on your bathroom’s layout and whether you need to move around plumbing and fixtures to achieve this look. Select a color scheme and products to create your room’s style including a vanity cabinet with storage, shower enclosure, bathtub, tile, and plumbing fixtures.
Accessories are the finishing touch to a complete bathroom design. They bring together practical and whimsical items to add color, texture, and personality to your home living spaces. Carefully select items that will enhance your room’s style and functionality. Include practical features like cabinet hardware and showerheads in a finish that fits your design aesthetic, and add rugs, artwork, storage containers, and more to take your design to the next level.
How do you find the right balance of color and texture to create a stylish yet personalized bathroom design? Here are five steps to follow when accessorizing your bath remodel.
Step 1: Declutter
Before you start accessorizing, it helps to first declutter your room fully. Start with a clean slate and then plan the accessorize that best fit your bathroom design aesthetic. If this is a full bathroom remodeling project then you will have already taken the first, and most difficult, step of clearing out everything from your room.
When emptying the room, make sure you take this prime opportunity to get rid of items you no longer use, don’t need, or are out of date. Go full Marie Kondo or try the Four Box Method. Decide which decluttering approach works best for you and pare down your belongings to those items that you really use or are truly of sentimental value. Make sure you either create storage in your new bathroom design for what is left or have a place elsewhere (like a linen cabinet or basement) to keep other items.
The foundation of bathroom design storage is the vanity cabinet, which also serves to provide a work area on the countertop. In addition, it is one of your main surfaces that sets the tone for your bathroom remodeling style with the combination of door style, material, and finish. It also offers a prime opportunity to accessorize with your choice of cabinet hardware, from bold brass to striking matte black, or even leather, rope, or crystal. Match your hardware to plumbing fixtures and robe hooks or decide to choose a different material so your cabinet hardware stands out.
You could even add a unique piece of freestanding furniture like a cocktail table or a rustic step ladder in a larger bathroom. It provides extra storage and a one-of-a-kind style accent. Top your bathroom furniture with only those items you really need out in the open or that you want to display. Use a mirrored tray to keep items organized and select storage containers that accent your style or blend in smoothly, like clear glass jars or wire baskets.
Customized storage is essential to keeping your space clutter free, so be sure to incorporate storage accessories into your cabinetry like pull outs, drawer organizers, laundry hampers, and more. Add hooks and towel bars so there is no excuse to drop robes or towels on the floor. This leaves you with clear floors, countertops, and walls, where you can bring your bathroom design vision to life through accessories. A decluttered bathroom will also create a more relaxing room that transcends pure functionality and becomes a calm space in your home.
Step 2: Choose Your Color Palette
Typically, bathroom designs tend to stick to a neutral color palette. A bathroom remodel is an investment and many features like tile and cabinetry are not easily changed over time, so it makes sense to choose a color scheme that will not go out of style. A neutral base color like off white, gray, beige, and wood tones are also ideal for a relaxing bathroom space.
Bright pops of color can still play a part in a stylish bathroom design through your accessories. Choose an accent color in a vivid shade of blue, green, or another favorite and incorporate towels, rugs, or small decorative items in this tone. Create a cohesive style by sticking to a single accent color throughout your space. Metallic tones add to your design from matte black showerheads to bold brass pendants.
You could also create an eye-catching focal point with an accent color on your wall. Easy ways to achieve this look are to add a pop of color in a recessed storage niche with a contrasting tile, or even to create a feature wall in your shower design. In a small bath design like a powder room, you could go all out with bold patterned wallpaper or a bright paint color. Make sure you select moisture and mildew resistant varieties for these spaces.
Lighting is essential to a bathroom design, with a combination of targeted task lighting in key areas and ambient lighting for when you want a softer effect. Make sure you select lights that minimize glare and shadow around the vanity area. The style and finish of your light fixtures can also become an accessory to enhance your room’s style, ranging from metallic pendants to crystal chandeliers to sconces with colorful mini lampshades.
Plants add color to a bathroom while also improving air quality and bringing a sense of calm to your room. Choose moisture friendly varieties that will thrive in a humid bathroom design, and if you are not an avid gardener be sure to pick easy to maintain plants, so they don’t become a source of stress! A small plant in a window or a larger plant in the corner of your bathroom can really bring the space to life.
Step 3: Add Variation with Texture
If a dash of color is not your style, you can still add visual interest by varying textures in your bathroom design. Choose materials in your neutral color palette but change the textures from a smooth tile backsplash to rustic wood shelves or a pebble tile shower floor. Textures give your bathroom design a luxe feel, look amazing, and can serve to create a showstopping focal point when applied to a visible area like a backsplash or shower wall behind a clear glass enclosure.
Bathmats and rugs are an ideal way to add textures to your floor. They feel amazing and warm underfoot and serve an essential function of keeping you from slipping when stepping out of the shower. Choose a fluffy bathmat or even a slatted wood mat, depending on your preference. Mats and towels are easy to replace to update your look when you want to change your accent color or introduce a new texture to your bath design.
Window coverings offer another means of adding texture to a bathroom design. If your bathroom windows face onto a street or neighbor’s house, then blinds, curtains, or shutters are essential to offer privacy. The material and color you select can also enhance your space, especially when you introduce natural textures such as cotton or linen.
Step 4: Personalize It
Today’s bathroom design is more than just a purely functional space, so use your accessories to add a dash of personality to your room. Whether you are featuring your favorite color or hanging a piece of artwork you bought on vacation, personal items make your room more inviting. A fun family photo or repurposing a vase or jug as storage all make your space your own. If you are hanging a painting, print, or photo, make sure it can withstand moisture in a busy bathroom or else leave these accessories to an infrequently used guest bathroom or a powder room.
A mirror is a necessity in a bathroom design, used daily for essential tasks like shaving and applying makeup. However, a bathroom mirror can also serve to enhance your room’s style. A large, plain mirror reflects light as well as the surrounding walls, highlighting the accessories around your bathroom. A framed mirror or beveled glass mirror can become an accessory, especially when framed in an unusual material like rustic wood or custom tiles.
Wall hung storage offers another opportunity to bring a personal touch to your bathroom design. A vintage wall cabinet adds storage and introduces a one-of-a-kind design detail. Floating shelves or cubbies let you create an arrangement of practical and decorative items that bring color and personality to your space. Your shelf material also adds to your style, with glass or metal ideal for a contemporary bath design, sleek wood perfect for a spa style space, and reclaimed barn wood the best choice for a rustic bath remodel.
Step 5: Don’t Overdo It!
While accessories are fun and create a unique style, make sure you don’t overdo it and re-introduce clutter in your new bathroom design. Incorporate everyday items like towels and soap dispensers into your bathroom, utilizing these essential items to add color and texture to your room. Include storage containers in glass, metal, or baskets to further enhance your space while providing essential storage. Then add in a small selection of whimsical or meaningful pieces, candles or diffusers, and plants to complete your accessories.
There are many elements to consider when planning a bathroom remodel, from a vanity cabinet to tile, shower enclosure, bathtub style, plumbing fixtures, and more. Once you determine your bathroom design’s layout, create storage solutions, and plan your main surfaces like the shower and flooring, you can turn your attention to accessories. This is the fun part of creating a bathroom design, where you get to add a dash of personality with color, texture, and decorative features. Let our team help you create your ideal bathroom design with the perfect balance of functionality and style.
