Upgrading your bathroom is not always the first project that homeowners think of when they want to redecorate. It is often perceived as a functional room, rather than one people typically spend a lot of time in.
With the right décor, though, the bathroom can be a place for relaxation, a place where you can spend hours in the bathtub reading or taking some time to pamper yourself. For this reason, giving your bathroom a much-needed upgrade is an excellent idea.
In this guide, we are going to offer some tips to help you upgrade your bathroom this year.
Start with Sustainability
Before you even think about upgrading your bathroom, you should make sure that you do some research to help you create a sustainable bathroom. It is very important to live in a more sustainable way and a bathroom renovation project is a perfect place to start.
Between energy efficiency, water use and earth-friendly materials, there are plenty of opportunities to make this project a stepping stone to a more sustainable home.
Focus on the Floors First
While it can be tempting to start thinking about your perfect bathtub or the tiles on the wall first, you should make sure to focus on the floor. This is going to need to be the first thing that is installed in the new bathroom and you’ll want to plan the rest of the project around it.
There are many great bathroom flooring options to choose from, but one that is on trend right now is laminate flooring for bathrooms. This kind of flooring is durable and comes in many shades, which will give you plenty to choose from as you work out a new look for your renovations.
There are many factors you can check to make sure your flooring is as eco-friendly as possible.
What materials go into the flooring product? Are they sustainably sourced? Are they local? How resource intensive is this flooring to produce? What is the company’s policy on energy and water use? What is the lifecycle of this product? How long will it last? Can it be recycled or repurposed at the end of its flooring life? Is it biodegradable?
Asking questions of your retailer and doing your homework on your flooring options will give you a good idea of how green your new floors really are.
Tiles or Paint?
The next thing that you will need to think about when you are upgrading your bathroom is whether you will want to opt for tiles or paint on the walls. Of course, you can also invest in wallpaper, but this is slightly less common due to the potential for damage in a bathroom.
Tiles can be the best option for many bathrooms as they are easy to clean and last a long time. However, you will need to pay more for tiles, so this is something to consider. As with flooring materials, you can research eco-friendly tiles and find out how sustainably they’re produced. You can also find non-toxic, zero VOC and even biodegradable paints.
Whatever you decide, make sure to match it to your flooring. Patterned tiles are on trend right now, so take some time to browse your options. Don’t overdo it with the patterns—consider a feature wall, especially if your bathroom is a slightly smaller space.
The Bath vs Shower Debate
One of the biggest decisions that you are going to need to make when upgrading your bathroom is whether you will have a bath or a shower – or both.
One pro to skipping the bathtub is that you will have more space to work with. On top of that, you can reduce the water that you are using if you have short showers rather than baths.
One pro to a freestanding bath, however, is that it can give you more versatility in terms of keeping kids and pets clean. If you don’t have a utility sink, a tub can be indispensable. Just don’t let your water usage increase because you want to relax in the bath!
If you’re replacing your bath and/or shower, this is the perfect time to install water-saving fixtures. Water-saving showerheads and aerator faucets for the sink are one of the easiest ways to conserve water. If you’re doing a large renovation, this might be a great time to think about a greywater system. This will divert water from the shower or sink and make it available for your garden watering needs.
What About Storage?
Something that many people forget about when they are upgrading their bathroom is storage. It can be easy to fill your bathroom with a bathtub, a shower, a toilet and a sink but where will you keep your shower gel, medicine and toilet paper?
When designing your new bathroom, make sure to take storage into account, or else you will regret it later on. We recommend adding some shelving units that are open, as these are on trend right now. Baskets hanging from the wall can also work quite well for this purpose. Look online for some inspiration for your storage needs.
Lighting
Bathroom lighting is often overlooked, but it is a very important part of the project. Your bathroom needs to be well-lit, especially if you are planning on using it to put on your make-up or do your hair. You should make sure to invest in energy-efficient lightbulbs if you want to do your part for the environment.
Create a lighting plan that uses the natural light you have available to its best advantage. Where possible, put fixtures like vanities, which need to be more brightly lit, in places where they can catch the most daylight at the time of day you need it. To really minimize your artificial lighting needs, consider a skylight.
Accessories
Accessories are fun to add and offer a great opportunity to be both environmentally friendly and creative. You can repurpose, upcycle or DIY décor that gives your bathroom a personalised feel.
It’s easy to find ethically sourced and sustainable versions of the accessories that you can’t find or make, things like bathmats or matching towels. If this is going to be a relaxing space, try DIYing some matching vases or candles to create the atmosphere. Try to avoid cluttering the bathroom, and be sure to use eco-friendly bathroom products like toilet paper and soaps, too.
Get Started
Upgrading your bathroom can be a fun project that leads to savings in energy and water use, so consider giving it a go this year. The greener your home is, the better you’ll feel. Make sure to use all of the tips that we have given you in this article and put them into practice. Hopefully, you’ll enjoy your new bathroom in no time at all!
Feature image: Ksenia Chernaya; Image 1: Castorly Stock; Image 2: Maria Orlova
