Bathrooms are notorious for being tacky, especially if your place wasn’t built in the 21st century.   But the great thing about bathrooms is that they are small and relatively uncomplicated so you can make one over pretty quickly.  In fact, there are several projects that you can do in one weekend that make your bathroom look like a whole new place.

Paint

It never ceases to amaze me how a fresh coat of paint can transform a space.  I recently repainted my bathroom and although I loved the new color on the wall, what really made the room was the freshly painted cabinets and trim.  People often underestimate how long it takes to paint a room, even a small one.  Take your time and do it right.  Paint the ceiling walls, trim and cabinets (if desired).  Be sure to prime and use 2 coats of high gloss paint to protect your walls from the high moisture content present in most bathrooms.  I like to peruse my favorite home mags for bathrooms that look like mine to get color ideas.  The first time I painted my bathroom, I just chose a color swatch that I really liked.  It was a great color, it just didn’t work well in my bathroom.  This time around I found some bathrooms with similar lighting and tiling to give me an idea of what would work.

Change The Details

It is true that the details make the room.  By changing out outdated faucet hardware, towel racks, lighting fixtures, shower curtains and rods, soap dishes, toothbrush holders, etc. you can give your bathroom a painless face-lift.  And you can really put together a savvy decor.  So often bathrooms tend to get thrown together little by little.  By changing all of your accessories at once you are able to make it all work together.  Just make sure that you don’t make it too ‘matchy’.  Look for pieces that are complimentary rather than identical. 

Dress Up Your Vanity

The sink and mirror area can be your bathroom’s biggest age giveaway.  Nothing says 1980s like a wall length mirror and a big boxy cabinet.  You don’t have to buy a new, expensive cabinet.  Just work with what you have.  Trash that monster mirror and replace it with a smaller, more tasteful wall mirror.   You can hang decorative sconces on each side with all of your newly found wall space.  Next, paint the cabinet and add new decorative pulls and feet.  You can even remove the cabinet doors and replace them with new doors that have a decorative face or cafe curtain panels for a retro look.