Design tips to make a small bathroom more spacious

Not everyone can afford a master bath with twin sinks, a palatial tub, and luxury dual-headed shower. Some of us (well, most of us!) have to contend with reality. Reality means compromises, and sometimes that compromise means a small bathroom. But just because a bathroom is small doesn’t mean it has to feel small. In fact, many small bathrooms can be transformed into much larger-feeling spaces simply by making some adjustments to design choices.

Here are some design tips for your small bathroom that don’t involve major renovations. If you’ve been living with a small bathroom, perhaps these tips will help you make the most of what you have until you decide it’s time to make the upgrade:

1. Install a sink with open shelving underneath, or a narrow pedestal. A big, blocky cabinet under a sink may provide storage, but visually it consumes a hunk of open space.
2. Situate towel racks on the back of your door. Stylish towel bars stacked three high on the back of your door can eliminate the need for racks elsewhere in the bathroom, opening up more wall space. If your bathroom’s really small, these towels on the back of the door might not even be out of reach from inside the shower!
3. Elevate shelving above the toilet tank. If you have shelves elsewhere, but the space above your toilet tank is empty, consider relocating high shelving to above the “dead space” behind the toilet. Consolidating this used space into a single area can broaden out the rest of the bathroom.
4. Go high with wall cubes. Cubbie or cubes situated overhead can be an effective way to move the clutter of storage above eye level. There are companies who make these wall-mounted, moisture-resistant cube shelves in a variety of styles.
5. Recess some lighting. You may not multiple light sources in your small bathroom, but if you can “hide” some of your lighting in recessed areas, particularly above the shower, you can reduce the “noise” of big fixtures.
Look on the bright side: At least a small bathroom means less to clean! If these design tips aren’t enough to open up your small bathroom, perhaps it’s time to upgrade to that bathroom of your dreams... let me help you find your next home today: Contact me.

Is it time to freshen up your bedroom?

Bedrooms don’t come with an expiration date, but some really should.

When buyers are touring a home, a stale bedroom with outdated style can be a deal-breaker. Problematically, many sellers simply can’t see their own bedrooms honestly anymore. Give your bedroom the “has it gone bad?” sniff test by checking for these common signs of stale design:

Your ceiling has more popcorn than the home theater:  Is your ceiling a constellation of dusty, stained popcorn texture? Nothing says “state of the art 1950s design” like the popcorn ceiling. Removal can be a dirty job, and you’ll want to have it checked for asbestos before you do, but getting rid of it goes a long way to modernizing  the look.

Mirror, mirror, on the wall. And the closets. And the... ceiling? A little reflected light makes a bedroom look bigger, but if you’re rocking the fun house / journey-into-infinity effect, consider removing some of those reflective surfaces.

Frills, frills everywhere. Check those bed skirts, window dressings, and curtains. Could a Civil War-era southern belle scratch together a formal dress from your assortment of puffy fabrics? Tone it down.

Sorry, captain, the pattern is... retro. Check the paper in your drawers, the shelves of your armoire, and the paper on the walls. Does it feel like felt? Is it yellow like a pirate map? Does it remind you of an 80s prom? Any (or all!) of these are signs you need to update.

Prison ward pillows. Wow, that bed looks... really, really flat. You sleep like that? Clean lines are one thing, an uncomfy bedroom is another. Puff it up and make it cozy.

Formica anything. Does your dresser look like it would make a nice kitchen island in the 1970s? Spring for some staging furniture and replace that laminate wonderland.

But I’ve had that alarm clock / television / stereo for 30 years! Yes, and it shows. Nix the flip-digit clocks, the wood grain television cabinets, and the neon-striped boom boxes. Modernize or put them in storage, stat.

Yes, buyers can modernize a bedroom when they buy the house, but expecting them to see past your bedroom’s past is taking a gamble. Do a few simple things to freshen up that room!

Need someone to evaluate your interior appeal? I’m happy to share my candid thoughts and guide you towards maximizing your home’s appeal.

Contact me.