SIMPLE BATHROOM UPGRADES

                    Living in a home with a dated, dingy bathroom is no fun.  Aside from the embarrassment you suffer every time a guest asks to use it, an ugly washroom isn't an energizing place for your morning routine or for a hot soak in the tub after a long day.  If gutting the room and starting over isn't in your budget, give your bathroom a remodeled look without actually remodeling.
                    Remove or hide any eyesores.  If possible, put the trash underneath the sink.  The same goes for any cleaning supplies.   Get rid of old or nearly empty toiletries that are cluttering up the bathroom cabinets, drawers and shelves.  Use decorative baskets, boxes, bins and dishes to conceal countertop and display items like cotton swabs, hand soaps, towels and makeup brushes.
                    Repurpose items from around the house, or pick up sale items and find uses for them in the bathroom. For example, a vintage cookie jar can hold cotton balls.  Turn a ceramic saucer into a funky soap dish.  Or roll up towels and displays them in a wine rack.
                    Replace an old showerhead with a brushed or satin nickel oversized rainfall showerhead.  Match it with a new shower arm and flange, tub spout and handle.  If the plastic handles for your sink make you cringe, invest $50 to $100 into a matching modern sink faucet.


                    Hate the vanity and cupboards in your bathroom?  Refinish, stain, distress or paint them.  Replace the drawer pulls and knobs.  Or swapthem out for a reclaimed cabinet or buffet table.
                    If the dated ceramic tile lining your shower or covering your floor haunts you, repair and repaint it.  Look for ceramic tile paint kits and coatings at your local hardware store or home improvement center.  With plenty of  choices for color and finish, you can reinvent the entire room for a fraction of the cost of replacing the tile.
                    Get rid of dingy plastic wherever you find it.  Replace the shower curtain rod, towel rods and curtain rods with inexpensive upgrades made of or finished with brass, nickel, bronze, copper, pewter or chrome.  Match all fixtures throughout the bathroom in the same finish, from the toilet trip lever to the shower curtain rings, for a cohesive look.  If you mix finishes, do so deliberately.
                    Frame the mirror in the bathroom using wooden molding or trim, stair railing or scrap wood.  Sand and paint or stain to match the wooden furniture finishes throughout the rest of the room.
                    Choose linens that set the style of your bathroom.  For a spa setting, use plush, white terrycloth towels or natural earth tones.  For a shabby chic or French country style, look for towels with crotchet or lace accents.  Match the body, hand and face towels with any window treatments and/or the shower curtain.  They do not need to be of the same pattern or material, but they should complement each other.
                    Sick of the Hollywood strip of round light bulbs illuminating your face?  Replace the bulbs, shades or entire fixture.  To add more lighting without callingan electrician, use bulbs with higher wattage, or use clear instead of frosted glass bulbs.  If your countertops space allows, a table lamp is another easy solution.
                    An unsightly floor can be disguised with a decent bathroom mat.  Place small pieces of furniture or plants on the floor to distract from chipped linoleum and tile.  Sand and stain wood flooring, or cover it with a fresh coat of paint.
                    Painting can make a huge difference in any room and in a small room like your bathroom, it won't cost much money or take much time.  Add new color to the walls and ceiling.  Paint and add wainscoting, crown molding, baseboards or other trim.