Home Decorating For Dummies
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Thinking of selling your place within two years or less? Shift your bathroom colors into neutral white, almond, and other classics that prospective buyers prefer. If you don’t know what’s hot and what’s not in bathrooms, ask a local real estate agent.

Incorporate these simple tips as you redecorate:

  • Add glass handles, classic silver or pewter pulls, or hand-painted ceramic knobs to your cabinets.

  • Find sink and faucet designs that suit your home’s style. People notice them first. Also, stick with the same metals and finishes throughout.

  • Look for a new tub faucet to match the new sink faucet, give the shower a new glass door, and replace floor tiles.

  • Give your bathroom an instant facelift with a coat of light (white or some pale antique color) paint.

  • Select durable cabinetry. Cabinets are often part of the background. They should be nice, but they don’t have to be total knockouts. Keep cabinets light for small spaces.

Your decorating goal is to create an attractive and functional bath that any buyer could love. Neutral colors, paint, and simple fixtures fit the bill. Avoid wallpaper; the pattern might not suit everyone. Keeping it simple is the best policy. Look for:

  • A few important, not-too-busy, functional accessories, such as towel bars, a paper holder, and a soap dish

  • Classically colored (white, beige, cream) ceramic tile for the floor and walls (a must for a quality tub/shower area)

  • Decorative but not-too-fussy lighting fixtures

  • Decorative narrow, open shelves to display perfume bottles and pretty items that take up space in cabinets

  • Good lighting near the vanity mirror

  • Large three-way mirrored medicine cabinets (for seeing your hairdo from the back)

  • Light-penetrating but privacy-guarding window treatments (stained, frosted, etched, or opaque glass)

  • Storage space for necessities — especially important with a pedestal sink — such as a small cabinet with a door

While a major overhaul of your bathroom could cost thousands of dollars, simple redecorating can run as low as the cost of a gallon of paint. A dated-looking bathroom can get quick and easy spruce-up with new showerheads, faucets, and hardware for less than $100. Relaminating countertops and cabinets saves a bundle. New shower curtains, towels, rugs, and window treatments can cost as little as $50 to $100. Consider these budget-stretching ideas:

  • Accept others’ rejects: Shop showrooms for custom-order items that a client refused.

  • Choose classic white fixtures: They never go out of style and they’re less expensive than colored ones.

  • Consider solid surfaces that look like stone: Less costly than real marble or granite, solid surface countertops are easy to clean and never go out of style.

  • Create a timeless background with white or neutrals: Jazz them up with a few decorative tiles in exotic colors and patterns.

  • Forego real stone, and use a vinyl look-alike: Vinyl looks great for less, is easy on the feet, and is simple to maintain.

  • Think big: Use large ceramic tiles for walls and floors. They look good and cost less to install than smaller tiles.

  • Use chrome faucets, fittings, and accessories: They look classy but cost less than brass.

About This Article

This article is from the book:

About the book authors:

Katharine Kaye McMillan, former senior editor of a New York City-based national magazine, is a writer whose work appears regularly in magazines and newspapers. She is a contributing writer to internationally circulated Florida Design Magazine. She is the co-author of several books on decorating and design, including Sun Country Style, which is the basis for licensed signature collections of furniture and accessories by three leading American manufacturers and importers. A graduate of the University of Texas in Austin, she holds a masters degree in psychology and is a doctoral student in psychology at Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida.

Patricia Hart McMillan is a nationally known interior designer, whose interior design work for private clients, designer showcases, and corporations has appeared in publications worldwide, including the New York Times and USA Today. Known as a trend spotter and for clearly articulated views on design, she is quoted frequently and extensively in both trade and consumer publications. She a ppears on TV and talk radio. A prolific writer, she is coauthor and author of seven books on interior design and decoration, with Sun Country Style signature collections of furniture based on two books. She has taught decorating courses at several colleges and conducted numerous seminars across the U.S. She is decorating editor for Christian Woman Magazine and reports on design trends for The Sun-Sentinel, a Tribune newspaper based in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. She has been editor-in-chief of two publications and was head of a New York City-based public relations firm representing some of the most prestigious names in home furnishing and building products. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, with a minor in art history (with an emphasis in architecture), from the State University of New York (New Paltz). She was awarded a certificate from The New York School of Interior Design.

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