Most homeowners start to think about updating or remodeling rooms in their houses if they have lived in them for several years. Bathroom renovations have proven one of the more popular project trends in recent years: In 2020 they accounted for 30% of home improvement upgrades. While major renovations of large bathrooms can be extremely expensive, you can approach smaller bathrooms with a more fiscally practical plan. Here are some guidelines for updating a small bathroom that can keep you from flushing your money down the drain.
Update Your Fixtures
Pitted and rusted sink or shower faucets and handles are one of the more unsightly blemishes in even an otherwise clean bathroom. Simply replacing worn fixtures can provide the foundation around which to build updates. If you enlist plumbing companies Geneva IL, you can ensure the installations are high-quality and fully functional. Relative to the cost of a full remodeling, replacing plumbing fixture replacements can be a cost-effective way to extend the service life of your bathroom.
Lighten the Look
Dark walls, vanities and curtains all can combine to make a small bathroom feel claustrophobic. Reverse the feeling by painting the walls and cabinets a shade of white. If white is not to your liking, choose pretty colors in soft shades. Next, replace dark shades or curtains with similarly lighter-hued ones. You may even consider half shades that let light stream in from the upper portion of windows. Even with these changes, you can add splashes of color by choosing rich towels and other bright amenities.
Create Space Illusions
Mirrors can perform wonders for small spaces. Install the largest mirror you can so that its light reflection enhances the size of the room. Remove any hanging objects that project into the bathroom. For example, try to replace a suspended light with recessed fixtures or wall sconces. Also, note that wainscoting or crown molding can create a feeling of confinement. Consider removing any wall borders that suffocate the space, or at least install less bulky pieces.
Light the Way
Speaking of light, your choice of the wrong bulbs can make any space look dark and dank. You want enough light to avoid shadows forming in the corners of the bathroom. Make sure to compare different lumen outputs, and consider how warm you want the lighting to be.
In some cases, you might decide you need or want to enlarge a small bathroom — perhaps too many people need to share the space or you are remodeling the adjacent room. However, your petite bathroom might just need a face-lift. If so, you can scrub its appearance for just a small outlay by planning carefully and thinking holistically.
