With the credit crunch burning holes in our wallets, the last thing we intend on doing is paying an arm and a leg on a new bathroom or even renovating an old bathroom with new and expensive bathroom furniture. Having an atmospheric place to relax after a hard day’s work is always ideal, but for many of us, it is far too expensive a fantasy, especially in the current economic climate.

A bathroom renovation isn’t always necessarily as pricy as we would imagine. There are various low-budget strategies one can use to build the ideal bathroom, while still being able to pay off the mortgage. By examining the ways in which simple components such as mirrors, tiling, furniture and paint can be used in an affordable manner, your dream bathroom can, in fact, become a reality.

As many designers will tell you, mirrors are highly effective for creating an illusion of space. Placing full-length mirrors on walls and small mirrors on cabinet doors can make any small bathroom look twice as big. Lighting and tiles styles have similar effects on how spacious a room looks and feels. Using large-size tiles and large warm lamps increases the size of your bathroom significantly. Therefore, instead of spending hundreds of pounds on extending your bathroom’s area, create an illusion of space.

If you do not have the physical space to place the furniture you want, there are more cost-effective ways to create the space you need. Getting specially fitted or built-in furniture is, for instance, useful for freeing up space. Instead of standing cupboards or cabinets, get smaller, yet deeper, wall cabinets that can hang overhead. Additionally, the use of wooden planks to create your own storage place for towels or beauty products is an idea to be considered – planks on the wall leave more floor space, so utilizing the space you have in an intelligent manner is a very cost-effective way to clear up the space you need in your bathroom.

As colour is a large contributing factor that sets the atmosphere for any bathroom choosing the right type of wallpaper or paint is crucial. Painting a room yourself is the cheapest way in which to drastically alter the tone and create the ambience you seek.

There is no ‘right’ way to decorate, so choose your colours depending on the style you are after:

If you want to provide an illusion of space, the use of soft and pale colours is recommended (such as peach and off-white).

Cool colours (such as sky blue and jade green) to set a tone of calm and peace.

For a cosy, comfortable ambience, warm bright colours such as apple green, red, and orange are best used.

As is demonstrated by the above examples, a bathroom renovation does not necessarily have to be pricey, nor would you need to enlist the help of a high-budget professional designer. By changing the furniture, adding some mirrors, and splashing a fresh coat of paint on the walls, you can transform your bathroom into your ideal safe haven.

Popularity: 1% [?]