In terms of interior design and decor, the bathroom may have been one of the most overlooked, if not neglected, rooms of the house. But in recent times, a quick look around on Instagram will show you a lot of very popular hashtags relating to bathrooms, bathroom design and bathroom decor. Browsing these tags will show you hundreds and thousands of posts showing beautiful showroom-quality bathrooms, before and afters, tips and tricks. While not all of us are fortunate enough to completely overhaul our bathrooms with lavish marble vanity units, sealed parquet flooring and enough storage and display space to open up a branch of Lush Cosmetics, you don't have to spend your life savings on little things that can elevate your bathroom to Instagram-worthiness.

 

 

 

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01. Let There Be Light!

No matter how amazing your bathroom looks, anyone with an interest in photography will tell you that lighting is key when it comes to getting a good shot. My fiancee, for example, HATES those standard incandescent bulbs that give off slightly yellow light, so its LED's all around for us! Dimmer switches allow you to have full control of the light output of your bathroom light (please ensure your bulb is dimmable first) without spending much cash. This lighting difference can influence the mood of your photography. Just cleaned your shower valve or basin tap to a perfect, spot-free shine? Then crank up the light and show the world it's reflective glory! End of a long day? A nice relaxing bath with some candles? Setting the dimmer to low will add a relaxing vibe to the whole scene.

 

 

 

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02. Go Bold With A Shower Curtain

That standard white shower curtain that was there when you moved in has run its course and isn't winning you ANY style points anytime soon. Change it up to something colourful and fun, it will add great contrast to the room and give you something to smile at every day.

 

 

 

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03. Ditch the standard square mirror

The standard frameless rectangular bathroom mirror isn't a bad choice, but this article is about making your bathroom more interesting. Look for different shapes like oval, hexagon and such and don't just stick to standard wooden frames. Theirs a whole world of brushed steel, copper and living edge wood waiting for you to explore it.

 

 

 

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04. Give Wallpaper A Chance

Adding wallpaper to the bathroom can have so much more impact than a contrasting paint colour or vinyl wall stickers (think "Live, Laugh, Love") that seems to have been left in the 2010s. Due to the high humidity of the bathroom though, you can't just use any wallpaper. Look for waterproof or vinyl wallpaper if you decide to undertake this task. I'd also recommend wallpapering one wall to act as a feature wall instead of the whole bathroom. Vinyl wallpaper can get rather expensive, so simply papering one wall will give you maximum impact at minimum cost while making your selfies and Instagram pictures of your newest bathroom decor purchases pop and stand out amongst a sea of white backgrounds.

 

 

 

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05. Mix materials and textures

 This is a simple one, many people stick to a 2 or 3 colour palette to make decorating easier such as black/white, black/white/rose gold etc. A very easy way to elevate your bathroom would be to take a look at what you already have and try mixing up the finishes and textures you have. For example, a black and white monochrome bathroom but with copper basin taps, gold-framed mirror or even a potted windowsill plant (artificial or real is down to you).

 

 

 

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06. Give everything its own home

 It doesn't matter if you have a small bathroom or a large bathroom. If all of your decorations and toiletries are scattered about the room it'll make it feel cluttered and, in turn, small and cramped.

Adding storage space and giving everything a home will open up space and make your bathroom a relaxing place to be. After all, life is hectic and bathrooms are for relaxation, so having a hectic bathroom isn't going to do anyone any favours now is it?

Under-sink cabinets are cheap and simply slide into place and if you or anyone you know is good with DIY some bathroom shelves will make a world of difference to a bathroom with limited surfaces. Another great move would be labelled storage containers for soaps (unused, of course), cotton pads, hand towels etc to give everything a home. This also makes the bathroom easier to keep tidy as you won't be thinking about where to put things, just do as the label guides.

 

 

 

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07. Get some artwork on the walls

 If bathroom wallpaper doesn't seem like your sort of thing, another way to make your bathroom walls more interesting is with artwork. The bathroom is often overlooked as a place to house a small in-house gallery but it's perfect for any prints or photography that catches your eye. Be careful hanging originals or anything precious to you though as the humidity can cause damage to original art over time.

 

 

 

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08. Ditch the bath mat in favour of a rug

In my experience, bathmats tend to be small, the vacuum cleaner tries to eat them, and they end up getting in the way more than enhancing the look of the flooring in a bathroom. The most-liked bathrooms on Instagram tend to have the same thing in common and that's the use of decorative rugs instead of dedicated bath mats that tend to be eyesores. A long, narrow runner that doesn't break the bank and is decorative can contrast very well against a currently plain floor tile or vinyl. The number of rug designs available will mean that you'll be spoilt for choice.

 

 

 

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09. Bring the outside, inside

Every room in your home deserves some sort of plant life or greenery, and it makes the most sense to include it in the bathroom. Bathrooms are focused around water and plants need water to live, I might be getting overly deep and philosophical here but you catch my drift.

Plants, be them artificial or real, add a lot of interest and create a focal point as well as an easy dash of colour and texture to an otherwise flat room. If you have space, a potted plant on the side of the tub will provide a more relaxed, close-to-nature bathing experience. If you don't have space there, consider wall-hung pots or simply use a window sill.

 

 

 

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10. Set the mood with candlelight

Setting up some burning candles, scented or not is an amazing way to give a bathroom a relaxed, luxury feel.

You can have one or two resting on the bath or go all out and have an entire display perched proudly in size or colour order on a shelf or windowsill. My tip to you is to have similar looking candles and display them in threes to make it more pleasing to the eye.

Those are just 10 tips you can use to give your bathroom a more instagrammable appeal, make it easier to use for you, your family and friends, and add a whole heap of style at the same time!

Written by: Lewis Bowman

Website Design & Social Media Manager @ Rubberduck Bathrooms