Behold the most common interior design faux pas being made in bathrooms across the country. Here’s how to fix them, without breaking the bank.
1. Padded toilet seats
There’s a range of reasons visitors and potential buyers might gag at the sight of a padded toilet seat. Just consider the germ aspect alone.
“You probably remember your grandmother’s padded toilet seat,” says Bradley Bonnen, founder and CEO of iFlooded Restoration in Queens, NY. “They are not just dated but maybe unclean, and they’re guaranteed to turn people off. Replace a padded seat with a traditional ceramic toilet seat, or look into your alternatives for maple veneer toilet seats.”
Check out options at your local home supply store, or buy a toilet seat online at The Home Depot. Prices start at around $23.
2. Grungy carpets
As with a padded toilet seat, carpeting in the bathroom presents an aesthetic and hygienic issue.
“Carpets are a huge turnoff,” says Chenise Bhimull, an interior designer who works with ZFC Real Estate in West Palm Beach, FL. “They look outdated and are so hard to clean. Replace the carpet with tiles for a modern look and more sanitary surface.”
Tile floor installation varies, but usually runs from $3 to $30 per square foot. If you do it yourself, it will be less expensive. If you hire someone, you should budget for between $1,000 and $2,300 for a 100-square-foot bathroom.
3. Peeling wallpaper
Wallpaper put up a decade or more ago will instantly date your bathroom.
“If it’s peeling and wrinkling, it can make the entire bathroom look old and unattractive,” says Andre Kazimierski, CEO of Improovy Painters Naperville in Illinois. “I would generally recommend removing wallpaper from a bathroom in favor of an even, professional paint job. Paint will last longer and be more durable against the high moisture in a bathroom.”
With labor and materials, you can expect to pay between $600 and $950 for wallpaper removal and a professional paint job.
4. Harsh lighting
You get your start for the day, and often update your look for the evening, in the bathroom. So you want to make sure the lighting in the bathroom helps you put your best face forward.
“Outdated, ineffective lighting is one of the first things that’s most noticeable,” says Leah Tuttleman, corporate designer for Phoenix’s Re-Bath. “The Hollywood-style round bulbs, for example, served their purpose, but are outdated today. Other problem lighting comes in the form of harsh fluorescent, ceiling-mounted lights.”
Consider installing new light fixtures and replacing harsh old lightbulbs with dimmable LED bulbs, which are available in several light tones.
There will be a range of fixture and bulb options at your local lighting store. Or check out Shades of Light, which has different styles, designs, and prices starting at around $57.
5. Pastel toilets, sinks, and tubs
Is your sink, tub, or toilet a saccharine shade of pink, green, or blue? Then it’s time for an emergency refresh!
“The worst dated bathroom features that I see are colored fixtures like the sink, tub, or toilet in powder blue or pink,” says Marie Bagarozza, a real estate agent with EXIT Realty East Coast in New Jersey. “This look is straight out of the 1960s.”
Bagarozza advises switching out your pastel toilet or sink for a modern white one. Don’t have time to put in a new tub? Simply dress it up with a shower curtain, bath towels, and a bathmat in a clean, neutral color palette.
Another option: a porcelain or cast-iron tub can be reglazed or refinished to give it a modern look.
Shop for a new toilet, tub, or sink at your local home store, or check out options at Lowe’s. Prices for toilets start at around $89, while bathtubs start at around $219 and sinks at $40.
6. Bad mirrors
Mirrors can show age faster than almost anything. (And we’re not talking about face reflections here.)
“An old mirror with wear around the edges makes the bathroom look old and tired,” says Erica Davis, co-founder of Eralyn Interiors in Wellington, FL. “You can simply replace the mirror or frame the mirror. The frame gives the mirror a fresh new look.”
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