Bathroom fixes large and small

You want a better bathroom, but don’t want to put a drain on your finances? Worry not. This is one room in the house where little things mean a lot.

On the other hand, if you want to go luxurious, there are a variety of new products that can turn the bathroom into a showcase.

SIMPLE FIXES

Often small and poorly lit, bathrooms can end up neglected. But they’re probably the easiest room to make over, says Ingrid Abramovitch, senior editor and writer at Elle Decor magazine and author of Restoring a House in the City (Artisan, 2009).

A very basic change is to buy a new shower curtain and good quality towels.

Is this a kids bathroom? Think bright colors and fun patterns. Or, to create a spa-like retreat, look for fluffy towels in serene neutrals, and maybe add accessories like new soap dishes and towel rails in elegant materials. If you want to up the deluxe factor, think about installing a towel warmer.

Another easy change is to swap out your shower head for a new, multifunction model. If your water pressure isn’t all it could be, shower heads designed to boost spray power can help. You might also try a shower filter to see if you notice an improvement; basic models can be found under $30 from brands such as Aquasana and Sprite.

A hot trend is putting music in the bathroom - the better to accompany your shower serenades. The Moxie showerhead from Kohler, for example, has a built-in wireless speaker that uses Bluetooth technology to sync with your music device. (Suggested retail for the showerhead: $199.)

If you’re feeling handy, one of the cheapest ways to transform a bathroom - or any room - is color. “You can always very quickly change the aesthetics of a room with a can of paint,” says David Alhadeff, interior designer and founder of The Future Perfect, a furnishings store based in San Francisco and New York.

Is the room white? How might it look in bright yellow with towels and bath mat to match?

Look for the new humidity-resistant paints that come in flat finishes for a refined look.

Another way to make a big change is to re-evaluate the lighting. A lot of bathrooms still have a single overhead light fixture, which casts unflattering shadows.

“Lighting is everything in the bathroom, and there are a lot of tricks to how we want to illuminate ourselves within that space to make ourselves look best,” Alhadeff says. “If you’re getting only overhead lighting, you’re not getting the clear picture of what you look like.”

If you already have lighting around your mirror, a change of bulbs can work wonders, and lighting along the side of the mirrors is preferable, Alhadeff says. Creating layered lighting is more involved than buying a new towel, especially if you have to hire someone to add electrical outlets for sconces and mirror lighting, but it can make a bathroom much more inviting.

A cheaper, albeit temporary, way to create a soft ambience: Light a few candles.

BIG-TICKET ITEMS

So much for budget-conscious bathroom makeovers. What if you’ve just won the lottery and are ready to make a really big splash?

Large, free-standing tubs are chic right now, Abramovitch says. Some people are making room for them by taking guest bedrooms and turning them into a bathroom-dressing room, with a free-standing tub surrounded by built-in closets and other accessories. Hot tubs, too, have evolved, with new systems that create smaller bubbles, as opposed to the roaring jets of yesteryear.