London is one of the cities that hosts most of the world’s “most expensive” items, so it should come as no surprise that the world’s most expensive bathroom is also in London. With a whopping $392 million price tag, the Gold Plated Bathroom is the very definition of spending money for the sake of it.
Giving your house a good bathroom makeover does not need to cost the GDP of a small country. There are hundreds of ways of building your dream bathroom on a reasonable budget, and if you keep reading this handy guide, we’ll share a few ideas on how to transform your space.
Have a Single Idea
The first thing you’ll want to do in your budget-driven bathroom remodel is to come up with a singular idea. Many bathrooms have faucets that don’t match shower heads and carpets that don’t match the curtains.
You can save money if you find a fixture or two in your bathroom that you already like and then decorate the rest of the bathroom to match that fixture’s vibe. Having one cohesive idea guiding the entire bathroom remodel
Rip Out the Build-In Tub
Built-in tubs were all the rage in the second half of the 20th century, and their reign has finally ended. A built-in tub takes up more physical and mental space than free-standing tubs or showers. It also creates a scenario where you, as the designer, are at the tub’s mercy rather than having the control to incorporate the tub in your grander vision.
Filling the Void
So you’ve ripped the bath out and got a gaping void of grey concrete in its stead; what should you fill it with? Two great budget-friendly options are finding or thrifting a free-standing bathtub or installing a stylish, luxury shower.
Thrifting, junkyard diving, restoring, or otherwise “finding” a standing bathtub is better than buying a brand-new one because it can be pretty expensive. Once you have your tub in hand, the DIY project itself doesn’t cost that much. Paying professionals to tackle the project could cost between $4,000 and $10,000 while doing it yourself will almost certainly cost less than $1,000 (and a serious amount of effort and elbow grease).
However, due to time and water constraints, most people don’t bathe anymore. Installing a large shower that conforms to modern bathroom design trends is, therefore, the cheaper and more practical choice for most people.
Update the Colors
Another convention from the past that you can safely delete from your bathroom is pastel fixtures. The stereotypical dull pink or blue porcelain sink and toilet now only serve to make your bathroom look like an ’80s motel. You can give your bathroom a modern look very quickly by replacing these fixtures with white ones.
The avoidance of pastels, however, doesn’t only apply to the porcelain features. Many sinks are built into cabinets which also have an effect on the overall look of the bathroom. Cleaning and repainting your bathroom vanities cabinet to a white, black, grey, or beige will bring the room’s appearance into the modern era.
But I Love Colors
Loving color is not a crime in the current setting; bathroom design just incorporates color differently now. You can use a vibrant shower curtain for your big new shower or a caleidoscope of different colored tiles for certain sections of your walls.
Take it a step further by using fixtures with reflective finishes (like faucets and showerheads) to make the bathroom seem even more colorful. These fixtures will reflect the splashes of color in your bathroom back to you as you move through the space. Also, remember that a tasteful painting or rug can bring color to the room.
Say No to Scruffy Carpets
A carpeted bathroom smells even older than it looks, and that’s saying something. Carpeted bathrooms only have a single advantage over tiled ones in colder parts of the world because they will be warmer, but they’re worse in every other way.
From a practical perspective, bathroom carpets trap more bacteria and need to be cleaned more often. From a design perspective, the rate at which they get dirty means that the room as a whole seems to age much faster.
Replacing the carpet with tiles is a budget-friendly option for both the present and the future of your bathroom. Cleaning tiles is more straightforward and cheaper, and they’re much more resistant to the bathroom environment, which means it’ll be much longer before you need to replace them again.
Deal With Boring Walls
Your bathroom’s walls are like the frame of a painting as well as its background, so it’s well worth thinking about a few bathroom wall decor ideas before you go ahead and get started with your project. No bathroom makeover would be complete if you left stained old paint or decaying wallpaper unattended. The first and cheapest step is simply applying a new coat of paint that matches your idea’s mood.
However, if you want to take it a step further, you can opt to use a cheap tile and pattern to cover the walls instead of painting them. Staggering simple white square tiles in a header bond pattern or any other style has a striking overall effect.
Another one of the bathroom design ideas that’s dominating the scene is decorating the bottom half of the walls differently from the top half. Some designers like to use white wooden paneling for the bottom and darker, floral wallpaper for the top. Others prefer classic tiles at the bottom and paint for the top.
Get Inspired For Your Bathroom Makeover
Bathrooms are pretty simple to upgrade on a budget if you’re into DIY projects. You can start your bathroom makeover by updating old fixtures, including built-in baths, to bring the bathroom more in line with modern bathroom trends. Tiling the floors and walls are also great ways to modernize your bathroom.
Whatever you choose to do, be sure that it fits your overarching vision as well as your budget. You can always check out the rest of our wonderful content if you need help with a budgeting plan or a design vision. We have insightful articles on finance, home renovations, and more.
