7 ways to update a basic bathroom

Sure, the ever-functional bathroom is sometimes swept aside in favor of decorating more grandiose rooms. But your bathroom doesn’t have to be boring! It’s the little details that count, so we’ve rounded up seven easy DIY updates for every part of the room, from the walls down to the bottom of your vanity. They’re also inexpensive and quick — you can complete some of these projects in a day. Dust off your tools this weekend and make your bathroom look its best.

A new color scheme instantly changes the mood of a room. It’s important to use color carefully in a bathroom, since a color choice can easily overwhelm what is often one of the smallest rooms in a house. Pale blues, greens and grays are popular picks for their calming, spa-like qualities.

2. Deck the walls with art.

Just because a bathroom is functional doesn’t mean it can’t have personality. Hang some art prints on your bathroom walls to personalize the space. For a vintage look, decorate with repurposed flea market finds. Wallpaper an accent wall in a fun water-resistant design, or use colorful tiles as decor. For any artwork you hang up in bathrooms, make sure it has some kind of covering to protect from moisture.

Say goodbye to plain, store-bought plastic mirror panels. Or rather, dress them up. Paint a mirror frame to match your cabinets for a cohesive look, or swap out a blah square mirror altogether for one with a unique shape. For a funky, casual vibe, you could even hang up an assortment of smaller mirrors like the room above.