A dated bathroom can become an eyesore, an impediment to selling your house, or simply a depressing room to use. Gutting the space and starting over from scratch is one option, but this is costly and time consuming, especially if you’ll be doing some or all of the project yourself. Another option is to make one or two key replacements and then complete the transformation with smaller, less expensive alterations.

 

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The Most Important Step

Switching from a shower curtain or outdated door to a clear glass enclosure can be the perfect foundation for this type of makeover. If the shower area has been hidden away behind a curtain or obscure glass, the use of a transparent enclosure will make your bathroom immediately look larger. There are a number of frameless glass enclosures suitable for installation on existing tubs and shower stalls:

Rolling barn style shower door systems

A swinging door beside a fixed panel of glass

Double swinging doors

Hinged or fixed shower screens

 
 

The clear glass will have a big impact, but the shower hardware you choose is also critical. To update the room, you could go with a popular but classic metal, such as matte black, even if you aren’t changing out the other bathroom metal. Just be sure to add the new finish to a couple more areas of the bathroom as well for an intentional, curated effected.

 

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Sprucing Up the Shower’s Interior

Making the move to clear glass and new shower hardware also means that the shower’s interior will always be visible. Use these tips to style it up:

When the bathroom makeover is complete, hire a cleaning professional or give the shower and other fixtures a deep cleaning.

Go through everything currently stashed in the shower and trim it down to the essentials that are used on a regular basis.

Buy matching bottles and decanters for shampoo, conditioner, and body wash.

Add a live potted plant that flourishes in wet conditions and is suitable for the level of light in your bathroom.

Replace the shower head with something more in line with the room’s new style and consider a luxe touch such as an LED light, aromatherapy kit, or handheld spray add-on.

If more storage options are needed, consider a hanging caddy, a shower stool, or a shelf that attaches to the wall with suction cups.

Since the shower’s interior will be visually integrated into the overall space, be sure to continue your chosen theme and updated color scheme here as well.  

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Distract from what You Aren’t Replacing

There are a number of ways to alter or distract from old fixtures you are not replacing in the bathroom. Take the vanity, for example:

New knobs and/or pull handles allow you to tweak its style and use more of the metal you’ve chosen for the shower hardware.

If you have the time and your budget allows it, sanding and painting an out of style vanity can give it a brand new look.

Trim down the contents of the vanity top to the bare essentials and introduce one or two in-vogue accent pieces.

Replacing the faucet is relatively cheap and really changes the ambiance of any sink area.

The walls around the vanity provide still more opportunities – framing the vanity mirror, adding a wall hanging, replacing the hand towel, etc.  

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Introduce Fashion Forward Colors and Patterns

Color can really define a space as fashionable or dated, but thankfully changing your bathroom’s palette is relatively easy and inexpensive. Consider a popular neutral for the walls, so that you won’t need to repaint any time soon. Then style up the room with accessories and textiles that showcase today’s hottest colors, patterns, and textures. For example, warm and relaxing colors are popular in 2023, as are natural materials and rich textures. There is also a resurgence of nostalgic patterns like chintz and scallops. However, if you’re dealing with a dated space, it may be safer to stick with more contemporary additions. In a modern space, a 1950s floral pattern can add warmth and interest, but in an out of date bathroom it may look like you just forgot to replace it!

In summary, a bathroom that’s looking a little worse for wear can be effectively spruced up through one significant upgrade and a number of small but impactful changes. Never underestimate the importance of the details, and get your shower hardware from the trusted team at  Glass Simple!