Is your bathroom no more than a room where you shower or bathe? Do you not give much thought to its appearance or how it can really be used? Why not think of it instead as your own little private sanctuary—a place to escape to! What’s better after a hard day’s work than to relax the stress away and rejuvenate your spirits?

There aren’t many places in your home where you can actually escape the rest of the family. Often your young children follow along right on your heels and it’s difficult to get time to yourself. Everyone needs and deserves a little time now and then to unwind. Your bathroom provides the perfect spot to do this, but for it to be relaxing, you need to create the right atmosphere.

Get Rid of That Cold, Sterile Look
Sometimes bathrooms end up looking like, well, no more than just a bathroom. Is it decorated with nothing more than stainless-steel towel racks and toilet-paper holders—the works? Is everything in the room pretty basic and straightforward, with nothing too fancy? If this is the case, then here’s where you need to start.

The first step is to soften the look. This can be done by adding wrought-iron towel racks or white or pastel-colored wood. Lavender, sea foam, or another soft, relaxing shade is perfect for the walls. In terms of flooring, two great options are carpet and colorful ceramic tiles. If your linoleum is plain-looking and hardly noticeable, definitely consider updating your floors.

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
Look at your large bathroom mirror—does it look a little stark? Does your mirror just hang there with nothing around it? Then perhaps it’s time to make a change. As an alternative, hang a mirror trimmed with gold edges or place wallpaper border around it. Choose a border that contrasts with color of the walls. Another option is to completely change the shape. An oval mirror, for instance, adds a romantic touch.

Decorate the Tub
Spruce up that tub, especially if you’re lucky enough to have a garden tub or one with wide edges. For starters, set greenery around the edges. You can make the tub look really inviting with small ceramic pots filled with herbs and greenery. Include some votive candles in the arrangement, and you are ready to soak in a bubble-filled tubs, letting the delicious scents of the candles float your worries away. There’s nothing quite like filling the tub, lighting a few candles, and bathing in a warm candlelight glow.

Accents Pull It All Together
Pull your new bathroom together by adding a few accents. For the perfect touch, consider an oblong or square basket to hold a few bath towels. If you have room, add a small table, painting it a contrasting color and decorating it with stenciled flowers and greenery around the edges. Add some clear glass containers to hold cotton balls, Q-tips, and other items. If you have any attractive body splash and lotion bottles, you might display them as well. Of course, there’s always room for more plants and more candles. Just make the room your own.

It’s so much more relaxing to bathe in a room that’s both exquisitely beautiful and wonderfully smelling. Then there’s no need to jump in and out of the tub. Instead, you can to relax, unwind, and enjoy yourself. By taking along your favorite book or magazine and a glass of wine, you can make it the most peaceful part of your day! Who said bathroom décor needs to be boring?

One popular theme for a bathroom is an ocean theme. With some ocean-themed décor items, you can give your bathroom a unique ocean look so that every time you set foot in the room, you feel like you’re at the beach. If you’re looking to create a wonderful ocean theme for your bathroom, then use your creativity and follow these tips.

Paint the Bathroom with Colors from the Ocean
You can quickly transform your bedroom into an ocean retreat by painting it blue, green, tan, and cream: the colors of the ocean. You can add a unique twist to the theme by painting one wall an accent color like turquoise and the other walls cream. Add more color to the room by adding yellow, which will work to highlight the feeling of warm sunlight over the ocean.

If you tend to be really creative, you might paint a mural of an ocean scene on one of the bathroom walls. In this way, you can fill in a large space and also create a great highlight for the area. If the bathroom is right off your bedroom, then it will seem as if you are right on the ocean.

Use Real Ocean Accessories
Use items you would find down at the beach or ocean, rather than buying all your décor items from the store. It’s amazing how things such as shells and sand make such great additions to the room. To add instant ambiance, place a basket of shells or bottles of sand on the shelf.

Hang an Ocean-Themed Shower Curtain
One of the first things people see when they walk into a bathroom is the shower curtain. Hang an ocean-themed shower curtain for all to see. In this way, you can really play up the shower area. You might choose one with a beautiful ocean or beach scene, or go with a more playful look, perhaps with pictures of fish. Decide whether you’re trying to create an ocean retreat or a fun beach theme, and choose your curtain accordingly.

Look for Themed Accessories to Complete the Look
There should be no problem finding bathroom accessories that fit in with the décor, as ocean themes are popular these days. There should be lots of soap dishes, bath mats, wastebaskets, and even towels that are ocean-themed. Tailor the accessories to fit the theme. For instance, if you’re creating a fun bathroom décor, then choose something like a fish-shaped soap dish. But if you’re going for a serious ocean retreat, then try something like shell-shaped soaps displayed in a blue soap dish.

You can use an ocean theme for a master bathroom, as easily as you can use it for a child’s bathroom. You can follow many different variations on this theme, everything from lighthouses, to sand sculptures, to fish. Have fun with this theme, and be sure to include your own personality when designing the style.

When decorating a kid’s bathroom, it’s easy to get carried away. But you do need to be sure that the room is functional as well as fun. You don’t need to undertake a big remodeling project to create a perfect bathroom for a kid. Often, all that’s needed in a great decorating plan that makes sense. When it’s time to decorate a kid’s bathroom, keep in mind the following tips.

Get Your Kid Involved in the Decorating
By giving your child a say in decorating a room, you make it much more likely that he or she will use that room and keep it clean and organized. When it comes to choosing colors and a scheme for the bathroom, consider your child’s opinion (if he or she is old enough). See if your child would be interested in helping you paint or making art projects to hang on the walls. They will be much more enthusiastic about the bathroom if they are involved in any aspect of the decorating.

Always Remember Safety First When Decorating
When designing your child’s bathroom, it’s important to keep issues of safety in mind at all times. It’s so easy to get caught up in planning and implementing the design, and then realize belatedly that you’ve created a safety hazard. This is particularly important for younger kids and toddlers. If there are younger children in the home, remember to add things like a non-slip tub mat and safety latch for the toilet. It’s also a good idea to add safety locks to the cabinets to keep medications out of the reach of little hands.

Be Sure to Add Plenty of Storage and Organization Space
If you want your kid’s bathroom to stay clean, then you need to provide a designated space for everything in the room. By providing your kids with plenty of storage and organization space, you will make it more likely that they’ll clean up than if they don’t have a place to put their stuff. Place smaller bins and baskets in the cabinets and drawers to help organize them. Also keep in mind that your storage and organizational spaces can be decorative ones as well.

Add Style or a Theme with Small Touches
Kids grow up so fast. It’s therefore often smarter to decorate the room in a neutral manner, keeping the walls and flooring plain. You can then add stylish flair to the room with smaller décor items. After all, wallpaper borders and shower curtains can easily be changed later on. Other smaller décor items that will add instant style are towels, baskets, and artwork.

Get Creative with the Decorating
Remember that this is a kid’s bathroom—not your dining room or living room. Therefore, you can get creative—even go a little crazy—with the décor. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone when decorating this room. It doesn’t need to match the style of the rest of your décor, particularly since the only people who will probably see it are you and your kids.

Both parents and kids can have a lot of fun decorating a kid’s bathroom. By keeping these tips in mind, you can be well on your way to creating a great kid’s bathroom.

Most bathrooms are designed for adults. But if you have a kids’ bathroom in your home, you might have to adjust your focus when it comes to decorating. It’s not that difficult to create a bathroom perfect for a child, particularly if you remember who you are decorating for and address any problems your children may have with your ideas.

Accessibility Is Key
If you are creating a bathroom for your child, it’s important to make sure that your child will actually be able to use the bathroom by himself. There are many different ways by which you can make the room more accessible, especially for those younger children. Simple things like a kid-friendly faucet or cabinet pulls can instantly create a more accessible bathroom for your child. Place a stepstool in the bathroom if your child can’t reach the sink by himself, or consider lowering the height of the counter and sink.

Make the Bathroom Safe
A bathroom can actually be a pretty dangerous place for a child. If you want peace of mind when your child goes to do things by herself in her own bathroom, it’s a good idea to make the room as safe as possible.

• If there’s a shower, be sure to install non-slip adhesive decals or a mat for your child.
• Place a cover over the faucet and bathtub spout that will control the temperature of the water and prevent scalding.
• Don’t place items up high that your child will have to climb to reach.
• Don’t place toothbrushes and other items above the toilet or sink; put them down lower in a cabinet.

Add Plenty of Storage
A child can accumulate a lot of items in one bathroom. The key to getting your child to keep the bathroom neat is to have plenty of organized storage in the room. As with anywhere, if children have a specific place to put something away, then they will be more likely to do so. Use plastic baskets and bins for larger items and then drawer organizers and bins for smaller ones. A separate bucket for tub toys is also a great idea, so they’re not all over the bathtub.

Sharing Is Possible in a Child’s Bathroom
Don’t worry if more than one child will need to share the bathroom. You can avoid a lot of problems by keeping things organized and labeled. For instance, give each child his or her own basket or bin on its own shelf, which will prevent confusion over whose item is whose. If you have a larger bathroom, you might want to even consider installing a double sink in the room, which will prevent fights when everybody is getting ready. Ask each child for design ideas. This way everyone will feel like they’ve had a say in the bathroom’s décor.

You’ll be surprised how fun it is to design a child’s bathroom, particularly when you get your child involved in the process. This is a great project that you and your child can plan and create together, resulting in a special bathroom specifically designed for your child.