Want in on a secret? Trendiness isn’t necessarily what’s “new”. Right now, a growing trend in interiors, especially in bathrooms, is giving everything an antique glaze.

Antique bathrooms can be subtle in their approach, or they can be a complete blast from the past.

Take cabinet styles for instance. You can create an antique look simply by adding a distressed finish to your current cabinets, especially if they are made from wood. Just be sure to safely apply the varnish and coatings to be sure to preserve your cabinet.

Cabinets can also be completely redone to get that antique look. Think beautifully, ornate, carved wooden shelves lining your walls, in either a rich brown or light neutral.

If you want to just dip your toes in the water of antique bathroom style, you can try upgrading your fixtures to reflect the dated-but-trendy look you desire. Rubbed bronze is always a good bet when going for the antique look.

Other accessories can give that antiqued feel too. Try adding a detailed, vintage, framed mirror above your sink. Going to anything gilded in gold or bronze can get you just the effect you’re looking for.

When redesigning your bathroom in the antique style, try to purchase sturdy, good quality pieces. Although flea markets and vintage shops can offer great finds, don’t be afraid to really test out the merchandise before buying. If the pieces are truly antique, you don’t want to buy them just for their style only to find out that they have no substance when you get home.

In most homes, bathrooms are relatively small so creating a whole new look can often be done with minimal changes. Unless of course, you want to gut the room and start over fresh, this is fine too! The trick is to basically decide on a theme and color palette and carry it out throughout the whole room.

Creating a coherent look consists of using the rule of three as your guide. This means you need to repeat every major color three times. Bathrooms are spaces you can really have fun with but you still need to employ a few practical points.

• Safety – Style should never come before safety. Step up tubs must have handrails, floors should be slip-resistant, etc.

• Look into the Future – If you’re spending a substantial amount of money, you want to make sure that this is what you’ll still want in the future. If you have to put off the remodel for a month to make sure you still feel the same away about your choices, so be it.

• Simplicity – Too many things in a small space look very cluttered. If you have a large room, you can add more items but small rooms should be simple with a place for everything.

• Quality – Just because it’s the bathroom doesn’t mean it shouldn’t receive the same consideration as other rooms in your home when it comes to buying quality products.

Many people jump into a bathroom remodel spontaneously. This is a room that is entitled to as much thought as any other area in your home. When in doubt, wait and see if your theme and color palette are still appealing to you down the road.

You don’t have to do an entire remodel on your bathroom to create a spa atmosphere. Adding a few essentials to your decor and hiding the clutter will ensure that you find tranquility whether you’re soaking in the tub or just trying to escape the chaos of a busy home.

Choose a Theme

Spas will rarely have mismatched towels or a confusing theme so you may need to purchase a few new essentials. A natural garden, blue lagoon or Asian theme are just a few ideas to get you started.

Add a Little Nature

Vases with fresh flowers, a hanging fern or some bamboo are all fabulous ways to bring nature into your bathroom. These living things breathe life into your space and promote a calming environment.

Pay Attention to Detail

You don’t have to spend a fortune on decor. Roll a few towels and place them in a basket, add a small table with a tabletop fountain and make sure that you place a few soy candles around the room.

Eliminate Clutter

Spas are simplistic and so should your bathroom be. Instead of having things laying around your sink, tuck them away somewhere. There are simple storage solutions available to accommodate even the smallest bathrooms. Remember, a spa is a peaceful place. If your eyes come to rest on a pile of towels on the floor or an assortment of hair products laying around, the entire aesthetic of the room is compromised.

It is interesting how many people devote a substantial amount of time and money into creating the perfect spa setting in their bathroom and then fall short on the simplest accessories. If you still have a generic chrome toothbrush holder screwed to your wall or if your soap is just sitting on the edge of your sink, you understand!

The stoneware bath accessories available from West Elm are the perfect compliment to any spa theme. The pieces are hand carved in India by stone artisans and the natural finish offers a clean, simplistic, earthy style. They are made from mint soapstone and the best thing about them is not only do they clean up easy, they are priced quite moderately. The prices rang from $10 to $19 and since they are all sold separately, you only have to buy what you need.

Think your soap dish isn’t important? Think again! When you have guests over, the bathroom is the one room where you can’t actually see their reaction to the decor. The small accents like this will allow you to feel confident that they most certainly are getting noticed. Not to mention, stone cleans off so much easier than plastic so soap scum doesn’t become an unattractive distraction! Take the time to put the finishing touches on your personal spa!

There are basically two types of outdoor showers, those that leave you fully exposed which are often used for rinsing off after a dip in the pool or those that are fully enclosed. Why would you want one if you don’t have a pool? Just because! An outdoor shower is a nice refreshing experience, out there with nature, the sun shining, cool breeze and listening to the birds.

Besides, an outdoor shower is ideal if you’re filthy from mowing the lawn or working in the yard or if you happen to work in construction or a factory, so you don’t have to get your indoor bathroom so dirty. Not to mention, they are the perfect place to give the dog a bath too! Whether it’s cold, hot, sunny or gently raining, there’s just something invigorating about showering outside.

Location is Key

How you are going to use the shower will influence the location. If it’s meant for guests to rinse off after swimming, a neutral location is fine. If it’s for personal use, aim for a location that offers natural surroundings. Of course, plumbing is going to ultimately dictate location but if you have a skilled plumber, things can be made to happen.

Wherever you install your outdoor shower, make sure that it offers plenty of ventilation. The space needs to be able to dry out thoroughly after use to prevent mildew and mold from accumulating.

The trend today seems to be making sure that you have the most spectacular bathtub to soak in to create the feel and appearance of a tranquil spa. However, the fact of the matter is, you probably still spend significantly more time in the shower. Most people enjoy a relaxing bath as a treat when they can escape for a few moments, the shower gets used daily so shouldn’t it be just as spectacular?

Remodeling your shower not only will make your rushed time in the morning a little more enjoyable, it will add value to your home.

Material Choice

Although plastic and porcelain seem to be the most popular options, tile is an exquisite choice. Yes, it does cost more than the other two and installation is much longer but it will also have a very long life and it looks spectacular!

Add a Bench

Wouldn’t it be nice to sit for a moment and soak up the steam or have a place to shave your legs? Benches can either be removable or built right into the shower. You can purchase shower stalls that are prefabricated with a bench in plastic, porcelain or fiberglass options. If you chose tile, the bench will need to be built and installed separately.

Change Your Fixtures

Not prepared for an entire shower remodel? Why not just add a new shower head? Rainfall shower heads varieties are becoming very popular right now!

Install Doors

Replacing that shower curtain with doors in either translucent or frosted glass will give your bathroom a huge facelift. They look elegant, are easy to clean and they prevent water from ending up all over your floor.

Wouldn’t it be nice to figure out that one perfect temperature that grants you the most refreshing or soothing shower every single time? If you’re like most people, you probably turn the hot and cold water on, let it run and fidget with the setting until you find a comfortable setting, get in the shower and fidget some more. If you had a digital faucet like the one pictured by Jado, you could find your ideal temperature and set it there every time with the push of a button. Not only is this wonderful for you, less water is wasted which allows you to do your part to preserve the Earth’s natural resources.

The digital faucet pictured brings a clean, elegant, futuristic look to your bathroom. This E-vision faucet is the first of its kind in the industry letting you control your temperature, flow and volume with an easy to use touch panel. You can even program personalized settings so you know the exact temperature to turn to on a cold day and then set a cooler temperature for those post-run showers.

The faucet offers a flat panel display with a glass-covered modern face, complimented by contemporary chrome hardware. If you’re ready to add that last finishing touch to your bathroom remodel, the E-vision faucet may be what you never thought you needed but you simply can’t live without. To view the digital faucet as well as the rest of the Jado collection, visit their online gallery.

Towel warmers sure have found their place in contemporary homes. The traditional image you may picture when you think of a towel warmer has gone through a huge transformation and today they are available in an endless number of styles, some rather exquisite like a piece of art.

The Boz Guitar Towel Warmer by Wesaunard makes it more than clear that you can have a functional piece of art in your bathroom! Made in a two-toned gold and chrome finish, Wesaunard says that their designers created this piece, inspired by objects of affection being women, wine and great music with the goal of bringing zest and luster into any bathroom.

How they Work

Maybe you’re under the assumption that towel warmers are only for spas but this is not the case, you can have one in your bathroom too. Once you have one, you won’t believe you managed to shower your whole life without it! There are basically two types of warmers being electric and hydronic.

• Electric – These have a filament inside as well as oil, you plug them into an outlet and as the temperature of the oil rises, the racks get warm and so do the towels. They use low power, are energy-efficient and completely safe, some even have an automatic shutoff feature.

• Hydronic – Hot water is used to heat the rails in these types of towel warmers. They connect to the hot water system in your home and then a pump pushes hot water through the rails to heat the towels.

Towel warmers are one of those luxuries that everyone deserves but few think about actually purchasing. Don’t you need a functional piece of art in your bathroom? Visit the Wesaunard website for more information on their contemporary collection.

Folk and ethnic-inspired decor have been making a comeback in the modern design world lately, and they’re moving from the livingroom (in the form of richly embellished throw pillows, bead curtains and earthy rugs) to the bathroom. Here’s a few tips on how you can capitalize on the richness, depth and intrigue of folk and ethnic bathroom decor.

Think of folk/ethnic as global influences. This, in essence, is a very diverse and nearly “anything goes” approach to interior decorating. You can pick a particular region and culture of the world that you would like to emulate, such as North American Native or maybe Ancient Egyptian, or you can go for a more eclectic look that gets its influences from a variety of places.

If you want to start small, try adding ethnic touches to some of the accents in your bathroom. For instance, you can find plenty of embroidered hand towels that feature detailed trim, or small accessories that you can place around the bathroom. Try a folkloric wooden bird or painted vase on your windowsill.

It’s also possible to bring in some reclaimed wood furniture in place of your bathroom vanity if you want to make some more major changes. Or, you can do a complete renovation – paint the walls a rich golden hue, install bronze-trimmed light fixtures, bring in a matching tub, basin and toilet, and completely transform your bathroom to a folk and ethnic masterpiece.

Your bathroom is a sanctuary, if you put it into perspective. It is a place where you can take a long, hot shower in preparation of a hard day at work, and return to for a relaxing warm bubble bath after that day at work.

Your bathroom is a refuge from the demands of the day, where your mind can be at peace – so why not dress it up as the place of relaxation that it should be?

Soothing, tranquil bathrooms should speak to what you find relaxing.

To start, why not do a little painting. Calm, cool blue and greens will inspire tranquility. They will make your bathroom feel like a luxurious spa room, rather than just a functional room.

Another way you can remake your bathroom into a refuge is by removing the clutter. Look around your bathroom, and see what could be stowed away – you’ll likely be surprised at how much you can simply tuck away underneath your vanity.

If you want to go all out, try giving your bathroom the whole spa effect. An elongated soaker tub with jets, a streamlined vanity, and mood lighting are great relaxation additions. Or how about doing a complete renovation, and adding a sauna to the corner of your bathroom? This will relax you, improve your skin, reduce your stress and help you unwind after a tough day.

Your bathroom can be a place for you to find an oasis in your day, so bring out its inner spa and let yourself be pampered.

Ready for some good old fashioned renovation? Why not tackle the bathroom – specifically, those cracked, greying and dirty bathroom tiles under your feet.

There are many ways you can update those old ceramic tiles to look fresh and new. Try out these ideas, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised with how much your bathroom changes with just a simple upgrade.

If you’re determined to maintain a neutral look, you can earn some style points by opting for an off white, grey, or taupe ceramic rather than the traditional white.

Or, you can have some fun with checkered tiles. Black and white, brown and beige, green and cream… try playing with a variety of checkered patterns, both large and small, to see what works best for your space.

Oddly shaped bathroom tiles are also an option. Take a look at the pentagonal tile above: it is odd shaped, and uses black spaces to fill in the gaps.

Tiles can move beyond just the floor, too. You can run your tiles up the floor behind the sink or along the back of the bathroom cabinet. This will give your bathroom a sense of continuity and a fresh appeal.

You can use tiles as borders along a standing shower, and even start with the tile as the point of reference for your color scheme. You can match your soap dish and other bathroom accents to your tiles for a harmonious look.

Remodeling the bathroom can be a tough process. It’s hard to find affordable bathroom suites that compliment your home and retain a stylish appeal.

BestBathrooms has the solution: they offer everything from individual toilets and basins to bath suites, shower suites and full suites to make any bathroom shine. The bathroom suites available from BestBathrooms are the epitome of modern. They all feature solid construction and affordability along with a style that will bring life to a bathroom of any size and shape. You’ll love the “wow” factor that these sets bring to your home.

You can incorporate a stunning square bathtub with angular corners and sharp lines with a luxurious porcelain basin and pristine square-corner toilet. Or you can instead install an oval bathtub with modern, geometric feet and a matching curved basin. The possibilities at BestBathrooms are limitless. You have the option to purchase an entire set that consists of all the major bathroom appliances you need in the same style, or mix and match different baths, showers, basins and toilets to truly reflect your inner interior designer.

The best part about the modern bathroom suites from BestBathrooms is the price. You won’t find such stylish bathroom suites for prices lower than they’ve got. So if you’re looking for an affordable way to renovate your bathroom and up your home’s stylish interior, BestBathrooms is the place for you!