When entering someone’s home, there is a general feeling you acquire. The colors, the textures, the smell, the placement of items… they all play an important role in producing a feeling. As a host, you have the opportunity to create a feeling for your guests with the ultimate goal of making them feel welcomed and taken care of. Let’s dive into some easy ways to decorate your rental bathroom or (owned bathroom) and create a unique experience for your guests!
1. Identify how you want your guests to feel …how you want to feel… when entering into the space
This is the most important question you must ask yourself when creating and designing any room in your home. What is the feeling I want to achieve when entering into this space? Do you want the room to be full of color and create a happy feeling or do you want tons of wicker material and palm trees to create a beach feeling? Or a combination?
The feeling is your starting point and usually translates into your theme/color palette for the room. I have found my themes in each room are derived from where I have traveled, incorporating textures, bright colors and design elements to create nostalgia. If you don’t have a distinct idea, look around your home and find items you have acquired from your travels, favorite stores, even fashion items…is there a common theme? A certain material you are more drawn to? A color you would snuggle in? A piece of artwork you could design a room around? Once you have a feeling/theme in mind, move to step two.
2. Create your color scheme/color palette
Once you pick a theme/feeling, look at the starting colors in the space. For a bathroom, look at the tile, flooring, and walls and figure out the colors you would like to add to the space to create your theme/feeling. This step is just a rough draft, but steps 3 and 4 are where the real work begins!
Side note: If you have a rental bathroom, you must work with the color palette given to you. Now, that doesn’t mean you can’t modify the color palette, like using a shower curtain to cover up the tile or carpets on the floor to cover up the linoleum, but understand if your backsplash is a certain color, say yellow, but you love red accents, it may suggest an advertisement for a certain company. Just keep the existing color palette in mind when picking your theme!
3. Examine the functionality of the space
When creating a unique experience for guests, you first need to identify the necessities of the space. What do guests need to feel taken care of? What products should I use? How do I want the space to function for guests? How can I create a lasting impression? Sit and ponder what you find most important for the space.
Once identified, find out the existing functionality of the space. In our rental bathroom, the bottom drawers in our vanity are large enough for toilet paper storage. This eliminated the need for a side storage unit. Instead of purchasing an inexpensive toilet bowl cleaner and plunger, I purchased Simple Human products to make the space look and feel aesthetically pleasing, as my rental bathroom is a resort theme/relaxation feeling.
For a lasting impression for my guests, I purchased a white gardenia hand soap and lotion set from Williams Sonoma. Scents can be a memorable experience for guests, especially if you continually purchase the same scent! Look below for more ideas on creating a functional design for guests and how to present them!
Next comes the fun part!
4. Collect decorative items to make your space come to life!
Here’s the fun part! Let your inner design child roam free! At this point, you have identified a feeling, created a theme, know your color palette, have assessed the functionality of the space and acquired practical items, and now, your focus is attaining beautiful items to enhance the experience for your guests. What do you want to bring to the space to make it feel unique? Is there anything you already own that can be added to your space? What type of storage is aesthetically pleasing for your theme? Can pictures be incorporated? What type of frames?
Purchase different colored and textured pots for your future plants (step 5)! Use travel souvenirs and gifts from your friends and family; this will create a unique one-of-a-kind design, possibly spark a conversation and show gratitude to your guests. When acquiring items, make sure to leave space for some greenery!
5. Add plants!
And for the final touch….finding the perfect plant for any space can be exhilarating as it gives the room a pop of color! Not only do plants bring a living element to a rather dull space, but also clean the air and reduce stress levels.
If you have a bathroom with no windows, a faux plant is your best option. Place it on the counter or on a shelf. If you have a bathroom with a window, your plants may survive depending on the type of light (direct, indirect) and how long they have accessibility to natural light.
Important Note: When you first acquire your plants keep a close eye on them. If you notice your plants aren’t doing well, you can place them on a window sill to capture the most light and keep them happy! Of course, move them back to their designated place before your guests arrive!
And with that, you are done! Marvel at your finished product and start hosting guests!
