Although bathrooms are the most utilitarian of rooms, they don’t need to be boring. In our little city with its older, tract, and often single-bathroom houses, they can often be small and uninviting with outdated cabinetry, fixtures and little imagination. To make matters worse, did you know that the attractiveness of a bathroom can often lure or detract interested buyers? In today’s market, money spent on renovating a kitchen or bathroom is one of the best investments you can make to your home to increase it’s resale value.
Even though you may not be able to do anything about the size of your bathroom, here are some quick tips to spruce it up and make it appear larger and more inviting without breaking the budget.
• Out With The Old – remove anything from the bathroom that is old, outdated or uneeded such as “Hollywood” lighting over the vanity, shower doors that have seen better days, old fixtures, outdated cabinet knobs and wall-to-wall mirrors.
• Clean It Up — give your bathroom a good bath. Scrub nooks and crannies, remove soap scum, revitalize grout with a good grout cleaner and scrub brush. This will give you a clean slate from which to work.
• Pick Your Palette – the paint and wallpaper you choose should be neutral or cool in color to create a feeling of tranquility. Light, airy colors will also serve to open up the appearance a small space. Save the flashy, bold color choices for specific accessories you want add as feature elements later.
• Light It Up – replace old, outdated, or dim light fixtures. This may be an investment depending on the existing lighting, but there are myriad choices for bathroom lighting, depending on your budget. A simple, updated sconce may be enough to freshen up a small space, or perhaps you want to investigate installing recessed lighting, solar tubes or skylights.
• Floor It – get rid of that old linoleum! There are so many inexpensive, easy-to-install flooring options on the market, that you no longer need to hire a professional to get a great looking floor. Choose a light color tile and place it on the diagonal to make the room appear larger.
• Use The Space Interestingly – it’s easy to give in to the temptation of sticking with a tried and true vanity, but they are often large and don’t necessarily make the best use of your available space. Really look at the dimensions of your bathroom and see where creative storage can be used. Trade out the large vanity for a small free standing corner shelf, or a shelving unit over the toiilet. Or replace it with a pedestal or modern, free-floating sink.
• Right Back At You – use a large, modern mirror to reflect the light in interesting ways, making the space appear larger. If you don’t like a single large mirror, experiment with several smaller mirrors placed strategically on a non-necessary wall.
• Show Off Your Style – bring in the accessories. A small bathroom needs to remain as uncluttered as possible, so pick a few well-chosen articles to install such as a large candle, vase or wall art. Minimize the impact of a towel rack by hanging towels on the back of the door, or by placing a few towel hooks at different heights in one area of the room.
For your own personalized consultation about how to quickly improve the value of your home, or for a personalized market analysis, call us at 310-259-7419 or email me at [email protected]. Visit us on Facebook at HeartRealtors or on the web at www.heartrealtors.com.
Be the first to comment