Haus Obsessed
Let’s face it. No matter what anyone says, having a large bathroom is a luxury that everyone desires. More space, less clutter and a giant bathtub to wash all of your problems away. Unfortunately with the way we live these days, especially in NYC, bathrooms are always small and lacking any space to store the essentials. With so many bottles in constant rotation, it is hard to keep organized. So here are my tips for those of you who are battling bathroom blues, and want to transform their basic space into something zen.
1) Get rid of old clutter! If you have any products or samples that you no longer use, get rid of them! If you feel guilty throwing them out, give them to friends. I am sure you have at least one friend who is a product junkie and would love to test out that bottle of L’Oreal Dry Shampoo you bought 3 months ago.
2) Use vintage apothecary bottles and other antique containers to hold your staple products. I despise the look of labels. They add to the clutter and detract from any simplicity. Unless the company has a really beautiful logo, try to find an alternative jar or remove the label. Old apothecary jars and even recycled glass bottles are ideal for cotton balls, Q-tips, face wash and lotion. I keep my body lotion in a large Mason jar and use a recycled Dr Hauschka bottle with a pump for my Cetaphil face wash. My nail polish and all nail paraphernalia sits in a galvanized bucket behind my toilet. This gives the bathroom some charm instead of resembling a giant advertisement for every product on the shelf of Rite Aid.
3) Decorate your walls. Just because it’s a bathroom, doesn’t mean you can’t put stuff on the walls. Add photos and art that will bring you peace so when you have filled your tub and are relaxing after a long day, you will have pretty things to stare at. Bathrooms are also a great space to use wall treatments. Bright colors, wall stickers, floral wallpaper or even crazy designs all add a lot of character. That blue wall that might look odd in your bedroom, could add an uplifting feel here. After all, the walls are small, so the time and material investment isn’t too large if things go wrong.
4) Question a bathmat. People swear by having a small rug in your bathroom to soak up water and keep your feet protected from cold floors, but I think that sometimes these rugs are obsolete. They get too wet, and if your bathroom is small like mine they just make the space look even smaller. Though, if you happen to stumble across a really great one, then definitely go for it. But, rarely, do I think that bathmats look good enough to buy. In my mind they are just another thing to clean. My floors do not get cold enough to truly need one, and though it gets wet, the marble isn’t damaged or slippery. Plus, a little air drying never hurt anyone.
5) Five minutes every other day can save a couple of hours of cleaning every 2 weeks. By keeping a rag on hand next to your sink, you can wipe down any residual water that pools on your counters. This prevents the disgusting grime and dust residue that accumulates. It is also a good idea to keep a sponge next to your tub so that once you are done with a bath, you can quickly wipe off any rings that appear on the sides. Not only does a clean bathroom feel sanitary, but if you ever have guests over, you don’t want the brown ring around your tub to be the one thing they remember.
