Discover simple tips for decorating a bathroom on a budget to help you create a stylish space without spending a fortune.
Any new season is a great reason to redecorate. There’s spring cleaning and making your home ready for warmer weather, summer vacations, and entertaining. Cooler weather is nesting time, getting cozy, and enjoying the multiple holidays.
In all my enthusiasm, I tend to forget the functional bathrooms. So this year, I focused on updating my bathrooms – here are my inexpensive ideas and tips.
Decorate a bathroom by painting walls or ceilings in trendy green or pink. Add color via wallpaper or new linens and introduce updated light fittings. Create attractive storage with floating or ladder shelves and recycled furniture. Use rugs, curtains, plants, and mirrors as exciting design elements.
Refitting a bathroom every season is impossible. But there’s a lot more to inspiring bathroom design than the fixtures.
Budget-friendly, decor-related updates are surprisingly quick and easy, whether you want a new spa style or a charming vintage look. Let’s look at the best ways to decorate your bathroom in an instant.
How to Decorate a Bathroom on a Budget – 10 Simple Tips and Ideas
#1. A Splash of Paint
Refresh your bathroom with a gorgeous, on-trend shade. Always choose a mold and mildew-resistant paint that can handle a bathroom’s humid conditions.
Green
Muted greens are in fashion (I’m celebrating), with Graham & Brown’s Viridis chosen as their color of the year for 2024. Harmonious, natural shades are perfect for eco-chic bathrooms with lush plants and natural textures.
Green is also beautiful for retro-styled bathrooms with brass fittings and a free-standing tub. Start by painting an accent wall to avoid committing to a complete change.
Pink
Beige tiles? Old fittings? Don’t worry. Painting the walls pink will transform an ordinary bathroom into a dressing room fit for a movie star. Blush and rose pinks ooze luxury and charm, working well with glamorous, romantic, and vintage aesthetics.
Stripes
Use paint to imitate wallpaper by painting the wall in stripes. Vertical stripes are elegant, painted in rich, spicy colors like mustard and terracotta. Or paint broad horizontal stripes in aqua blue and white to make a small bathroom appear more spacious.
The Fifth Wall
Add interest to your bathroom by painting the ceiling a different color to the walls. Most ceilings end up white by default. For a moodier space, paint the ceiling uber-trendy charcoal.
If you have a low-ceilinged, light-starved bathroom, make sure you have plenty of artificial light to prevent a cave-like bathroom.
#2. Wonder Wallpaper
The advent of peel-and-stick wallpaper means you can update your bathroom with a multitude of stunning designs – in one afternoon. I love oversized, quirky patterns for tiny powder rooms – in a larger space, they’d be overwhelming. Vintage patterns are ideal for older bathrooms.
Graphic prints suit contemporary bathrooms and add a swathe of color to all-white spaces.
#3. Lighten Up
Replacing dated light fittings can transform your bathroom. Globe lights add a Hollywood vibe to a vanity.
Elegant smoked glass wall sconces are sophisticated and work beautifully with the trend of stone slabs in the bathroom.
Candlelit baths can be stressful if you’re worried about kids or cats and open flames. Lanterns or hurricane lamps keep the candles safe and create a romantic, Arabian-nights vibe.
#4. Floating Shelves
Replacing a vanity or fitting one into a tiny powder room is optional if you put up floating shelves. Glass shelves are perfect for a minimalist or glamorous look.
Go for wooden or bamboo shelving to add warmth and texture to a peaceful Japandi bathroom where simplicity and functionality are key. Feel free to combine different kinds of wood.
For a less minimalist bathroom, decorate the shelves with a collection of personal treasures or fill it with elegant bottles of bath salts. Add a storage basket if you need to keep towels handy.
#5. Decorative Ladder
Decorative free-standing ladder-style shelving adds a country-style touch to your bathroom. Display your prettiest linens, cosmetics, candles, and indulgent bath oils while keeping them within reach of the tub – this way, you’ll be more likely to use them for pampering.
#6. Upcycled Furniture
Charming old-fashioned furniture is at home in the vintage kitchen – consider transforming an old piece for bathroom storage.
A lick of paint will update an old Welsh dresser or simple wooden stool lurking in your garage. Japan’s wabi-sabi philosophy means embracing imperfections brought about by age and use.
Go for crisp white for a traditional or Shaker bathroom, or choose an earthy pumpkin shade for eclectic bathrooms.
#7. A Splash of Color (Linens)
The easiest way to refresh a bathroom and add color is to replace your linen. Choose a peaceful, neutral palette by indulging in the fluffiest creamy beige or earthy taupe towels. These gentle shades are ideal for a Japandi look.
I find bathrooms a fabulous space to experiment with color – and new linens won’t break the bank if you don’t love the result. Channel your inner romantic by snuggling into blush pink towels, matching gowns, and slippers.
Have fun in your kids’ bathroom with a crazy theme (my sister’s boys love dinosaurs). Choose a vibrant artwork, shower curtain, and matching towels to transform a neutral bathroom.
#8. Warmth and Texture (Rug and Drapery)
Bathrooms can be cold and favor function rather than finery. A plush rug creates a cozy, luxurious atmosphere and sensuous delight for your toes.
Add formal drapes to your bathroom for pure sophistication – and to avoid nosey neighbors.
#9. Mirror, Mirror
Having a bathroom mirror is essential, so make it do double duty as a stylish accessory. Hang a collection of interestingly shaped or antique mirrors to reflect light into a small room, making it look bigger and brighter. Mirrored tiles on bathroom furniture add to the shimmering effect.
#10. Tropical Leaves
Apart from providing oxygen, plants have been proven to reduce stress and create a serene environment. A sustainable decor approach means selecting plants that can handle a bathroom’s dim lighting and humidity rather than choosing artificial items or plants that won’t thrive.
For a tropical feel, include lush orchids, snake plants, ferns, or fiddle-leaf figs. Wicker, rattan, and basketry will support the vacation vibe.
Trail pothos or ivy from hanging baskets or place palms in large pots in a vintage or English country bathroom.
Final Thoughts on Inexpensive Ways to Decorate a Bathroom
Redecorating a bathroom can be the work of an afternoon. From painting or hanging wallpaper to simply replacing shelves or towels, there are many ways to transform your bathroom into the spa sanctuary you’ve always wanted.
