Apartment Living Tips: Customize a Boring Bathroom

apartment bathroom decoratingApartment living is fraught with décor-related difficulties, not the least of which is incredibly boring design in the bathroom.  While the look of your bathroom might not be at the top of your list of apartment living gripes, everyone can agree that apartment bathrooms in general could benefit from a little TLC.  Lack of storage, ugly tile, harsh lighting, and dreary colors are all repeat offenders in bathrooms when it comes to apartment living, making them not very functional and, quite frankly, a little impersonal.  But you don’t have to suffer your bathroom boredom in silence just because you’re a temporary tenant.  There are plenty of ways to add a personal touch to a bathroom without damaging the property and incurring the displeasure of your landlord.  Spruce up your space with these apartment living tips, and soon you’ll have a bathroom that makes getting ready in the morning a pleasant process rather than a depressing daily ritual.

Add More Storage

If you’re blessed with a bathroom that has multiple spacious cabinets, then you’re among the lucky in apartment living. If not, there are still several things you can do to store your bathroom belongings.  Opt for hanging storage by installing hooks for towels on the wall or behind the door, use a shower caddy for the showerhead to maximize space, put a small shelf or chest of drawers in the corner, or even install some floating shelves.

Improve the Lighting

More often than not, apartment bathroom lighting can be pretty unforgiving. Apartment lighting fixtures have often been there for a while, and the bulbs might be too bright, too dim, or even burnt out.  To combat this, add some shades to the lights, change out the bulbs to make sure they’re of the right wattage, or even replace the lighting fixture altogether (with your landlord’s approval, of course).

Liven up the Walls

There’s nothing like a dull paint color to make an apartment bathroom an eyesore.  Get the go-ahead from your landlord and put on a fresh coat of paint to bring your bathroom to life.  If you can’t paint, consider temporary wallpaper or “tile tattoos”… just peel and stick to jazz up your bathroom, and remove them with no mess when it’s time to leave.

Bring in Furniture

Although the bathroom might seem like an odd place to have furniture, it can actually be functional and make the space much homier.  Put a small plush chair in the corner, add a storage chest that doubles as a bench, or maybe just place a stool or cushy ottoman in the corner.  You can use your new furniture pieces as seating or as aids in reaching that elusive top shelf.

More Apartment Living Tips

How have you personalized your apartment’s bathroom?  Give us your apartment living tips by finding ApartmentSearch on Twitter and Facebook.  And for more everyday apartment living tips, keep checking the Apartment Life blog!