How to Make Your Bathroom Look Expensive on a Budget

Despite being one of the smallest rooms in your home, your bathroom should serve as a personal sanctuary—a space where you can escape and relax at the end of a long day. Recent advances in bathroom design make creating a luxurious bathroom suite more attainable. Today, many luxury bathroom ideas and designs are available at surprisingly affordable prices. You can customize a bathroom to suit your budget while maintaining a lavish atmosphere. Even with a limited budget, your renovation doesn't have to be dull and uninspiring.

Whether you are embarking on a complete bathroom transformation or simply looking to update a few elements, our expert tips will guide you in discovering luxurious bathroom items that perfectly align with your budget. Prepare to be pleasantly surprised by the affordable elegance waiting to elevate your space. Scroll down to read!

Simple Upgrades Can Make a Difference

Listen up: transforming your bathroom into a luxurious space requires no overhaul. You can start by reassessing your bathroom accessories and upgrading small fixtures. For example, opt for high-end-looking accessories that are budget-friendly, like elegant gold-effect toothbrush holders and soap dishes.

Upgrading fixtures such as your shower systems or bathroom taps can significantly enhance your bathroom's overall aesthetic and ambiance. However, if you cannot invest in such upgrades, focus on small accessories such as high-quality towels, a plush bath mat, and decorative accents around the walls.

Using gold toothbrush holders and soap boxes can make your bathroom look more luxurious even at a low cost

Smart Bathroom Storage Solutions

Minimalist and clutter-free spaces are often synonymous with luxury, so effective storage solutions are important for hiding your bathroom essentials. A vanity or mirror cabinet offers great options for keeping items out of sight but easily accessible.

Under-vanity storage is an excellent way to conceal essentials and give your bathroom a hotel-like glamour. You can even upcycle a cabinet if you're handy with plumbing or enlist your bathroom fitter's help. With a countertop basin, tap, necessary waste pipes, and labour costs, you might get a better-sized bespoke unit for less than a standard off-the-peg option.

Use bathroom vanity to enhance bathroom storage capacity and achieve simplicity and luxury

Find The Right Lighting

When designing a bath spa that oozes luxury appeal, you'll want to look at your current lighting options and what they do for the room. A cost-effective choice that blends practicality and luxury is strip lighting underneath a vanity mirror. It adds much-needed light when doing tasks such as putting on makeup and also adds a luxurious glow to the overall setting. If your bathroom candles aren't providing enough ambient light, it's time you consider installing dimmer switches, as they provide greater control over the intensity of your bathroom lighting.

You can also opt for a relatively small yet impactful upgrade by incorporating multiple light sources such as recessed lighting, wall sconces, or pendant lights.

Install strip lights under the vanity to make the bathroom look more upscale at a lower cost

Master The Power Of Colour

Even a simple bathroom can exude luxury with a consistent colour palette. White symbolizes pure elegance and can transform your space effortlessly, while grey is also another fantastic option and a popular trend in bathroom design. Both colours offer several advantages: they are calming and easily coordinated with other colours.

If you have selected a dominant colour scheme for your bathroom, introducing a vibrant accent colour can significantly enhance the space's ambiance. Consider adding on painting cabinets and shelves in striking shades like deep orange or rich turquoise, but you must avoid going overboard. Choose a complementary accent colour and infuse it throughout the bathroom using various decor items. You can easily revitalize the room by acquiring affordable accessories in the same colour, such as towels, a framed mirror, or a stylish hamper.

Just consistent colors can make your bathroom look more upscale

Strategic Tile Choices for Your Bathroom

Transforming your bathroom with tiling is a quick way to elevate its appearance, but it's important to be mindful of costs. While big-box stores offer budget-friendly white ceramic tiles, they may lack visual interest. One way to enhance their look without breaking the bank is to use coloured grout. You can also save money by opting for dark or large format tiles, which cover more space with fewer pieces. For a luxurious touch, consider incorporating stone-look tiles strategically rather than tiling the entire bathroom with them.

Many experts suggest focusing your investment on the floor, as it has the most significant impact. Instead of using pricey stone mosaic tiles throughout, you can create a visually striking "rug" effect with a small area of standout tiles surrounded by larger coordinating field tiles.

Use colored grout to decorate your bathroom

Trending Fixture And Fittings

Fixtures and fittings can make or break the bathroom. Rainfall showerheads have stayed firmly at the top spot of many bathroom designer's must-have lists, and for a cozy shower experience, it's easy to see why.

Waterfall taps and wall-mounted bath fillers add an unexpected element that can really elevate your design, but floating vanity units create the illusion of space when it's at more of a premium by increasing the available floorspace and complementing a minimal design perfectly.

Bring a new touch of colour to your bathroom with waterfall faucets

When it comes to metals, chrome is a timeless classic, with matte brass another popular choice right now for a premium feel. Chrome is usually the least expensive, and it's trending as well. On the plus side, it's the easiest to maintain and keep clean, and it looks great in both modern and traditional spaces. It's a total win-win if you ask us.

Magic of Wallpapers

One of the most trusted ways to upgrade your bathroom space is by introducing wallpaper. Apart from being easy to install, bathroom wallpaper can quickly transform the space and make it more inviting.

When it comes to choosing your wallpaper, the options are endless. For a touch of timeless retro glamour, consider vintage wallpapers with dusty rose patterns that beautifully complement handwoven cabinets. On the other hand, if you prefer a more elegant and simple aesthetic, geometric wallpapers in white and blue can add a refreshing yet luxurious feel to your space.

If you feel a little eccentric, a striped wallpaper can completely transform a dull bathroom, giving it a sophisticated edge with a touch of pop. Striped wallpaper in brown or orange tones will infuse your bathroom with an earthy richness and create a warm atmosphere.

Use wallpaper to make your bathroom look more luxurious at the lowest cost

Ending

Congratulations on reaching the end! Creating a spa-like oasis in your bathroom is now easier than ever, thanks to the latest design innovations and cost-effective options. Even with a modest budget, you can revitalize your space with carefully selected upgrades and savvy decisions.

To summarise, start with small fixtures and accessory updates like upgraded shower heads and taps. Effective storage solutions maintain a minimalist, clutter-free environment, enhancing the luxurious feel. Lighting is crucial for ambiance, so use layered lighting. A consistent colour palette, with choices like white and grey, offers sophistication while adding a vibrant accent colour through accessories can enhance depth without overwhelming the space. Tiling can elevate the bathroom's appearance; budget-friendly options like white ceramic tiles with coloured grout or large format tiles create visual interest. Selecting the right finish for plumbing fittings, such as chrome, provides a stylish, cost-effective solution that suits both modern and traditional designs. Plus, you might want to reconsider wallpapers because they are easy to install and cost-effective too!

With the guidance we have provided, you have the opportunity to craft an opulent bathroom retreat that suits your budget, promising a tranquil and chic haven within your home.