This article was featured in The Ottawa Citizen, and we decided to pass the wisdom along to you, our loyal readers.  After all, the bathroom is indeed the busiest room in your house! Check out some of the fantastic tips below, or click here to read the full article.

1.  Lighting: Bye-bye ugly light bar above the mirror and hello sleek, streamlined wall sconces. “Updating the lighting is a quick and easy way to rejuvenate a bathroom,” says designer Dean Large of the Astro Design Centre on Old Innes Road. Besides adding a stylish look to the room, Large says two fixtures on either side of the mirror provide more even light which is especially useful when applying your makeup.

Cost: from $200

2.  New faucet: Often referred to as the jewels of the bathroom, replacing old taps with gleaming new faucets gives a custom, personalized look to the bathroom. The hot new trend is square, angular, single-lever faucets in white or black matte finish.

Cost: $100 to $1,100

3.  Adjustable shower: A drizzling rain showerhead may be relaxing, but not a practical choice for daily showering because it doesn’t provide enough water pressure. Large recommends pairing a fixed showerhead on an adjustable bar –”to accommodate the heights of all family members” — with a hand-held shower to make it easy to wash down the tub or rinse off your legs while shaving.

Cost: from $200

4.  Bathtub liner: If your bathroom is a throwback to the 1960s, the tub is likely a gaudy dusty rose, mint green or mocha beige. Rather than rip it out and all the surrounding tile, Bath Fitter sells a moulded, acrylic tub and wall liner that fits right over the existing eyesore. Best part: It can be installed in just one day.

Cost: $2,200 to $3,200, depending on style, colour and ceiling height

5.  Anti-slip protection: Rubber bath mats are designed to prevent nasty spills in the tub or shower, but they’re also a breeding ground for mould and bacteria. The Porcelain Tub Treatment from Home Hardware (homehardware.ca) is a liquid you apply to the bottom of the tub or shower to make it slip-resistant.

Cost: $19.97 for one-application kit

As Dorothy says in The Wizard of Oz, “There’s no place like home.” I couldn’t agree more, but lately my house’s drab bathroom decor has had me thinking Dorothy’s domestic mantra doesn’t extend to the washroom.  Ever the optimist, I’m making it my personal quest to prove Dorothy’s words can include my bathroom. So, I’m setting out to give my bathroom decoration a major makeover.  I stumbled upon this article below which was more than helpful in giving me the inspiration that I need.

What is the most frequently visited part of a home besides the living room? Of course, it’s the bathroom. This is where you clean yourself up everyday. That is why the bathroom is one of the most indispensable parts of a house. That being said, many homeowners invest a lot on bathroom design even if it is a very private area. These days, some bathrooms have neutral and simple designs, while others have elegant and elaborate designs. Regardless of the bathroom decoration people have at home, one thing is for sure: they want a unique look and feel for their bathroom.

Isn’t it a great idea to make your bathroom look more eye-catching and interesting? The bathroom has huge potential to look beautiful and capture attention, so don’t let yours remain plain-looking. Because your bathroom literally and figuratively holds a special place in your home, it pays to give it a facelift-you will be very happy with the results. The following are a few bathroom decoration ideas you can use to enhance the appearance and functionality of your bathroom.

Pick your own unique design theme and stick to it.

The bathroom design includes everything from the bathroom tiles to the toothbrush holder. Here’s a tip: opt for bathroom products or accessories that capture your fancy. If you are fond of collecting multi-colored glass figurines, then you can add them as decor for your bathroom. Other ideas for bathroom decoration include a classic theme that consist of materials such as porcelain, wood, or bronze; a contemporary theme with simple lighting, multi-colored glasses, and white steel and chrome accents; an Asian theme consisting of Buddha figurines and lanterns; and a design consisting purely of stones or pebbles.

Each spot of your bathroom such as the toilet, shower, and grooming area must be planned well, keeping in mind the needs and preferences of all members of the household. Bathroom wall tile ideas are one way to customize every part of the bathroom.

Place a small table close to the toilet or bathtub.

This is where you place books and magazines, so anyone who uses the toilet or takes a warm bath in the tub will have something to read while relaxing.

Use elegant soap trays and dispensers.

These bathroom accessories can complement the overall decoration and theme of your bathroom. If you are talented enough, you may want to make your own soap dishes and dispensers.

For a soothing and relaxing effect, hang a photo or painting of a landscape, lake, or seascape in front of the shower area or bathtub.

Use materials that reflect light such as polished chrome and stainless steel to allow for more ventilation and create an illusion of space in the bathroom. White brick tiles, white paneling or wainscoting, and other white elements create a similar effect.

If your living room is located near your bathroom, you can try to blend the style of these rooms using faux-finish wall coverings and brass or gold fixtures.

Consider turning your simple bathroom into a sophisticated living or entertainment area.

Electrically-powered devices such as TVs, speakers, and music players that are made for bathrooms have gained much popularity today. If you install them in your bathroom, you can enjoy the convenience of listening to music or catching up on the latest news on TV while you take a shower or use the toilet. Bathroom electronic devices may be pricey, but the cost will be worth it because of the convenience and functionality they offer.

Bathroom decoration won’t be a hassle for you because bathroom products and accessories are widely available in local home improvement stores and online shops nowadays.

Source: Mondetur.net

I know how difficult it can be to stay organized in the bathroom, what with the exorbitant amount of hair products, lotions and soaps cluttering my counter space.  This video, featuring Linda Germal from “Rejuvinate Your Home,” offers excellent advice for ridding your bathroom of chaotic clutter and helped me turn my bathroom from messy place to serenity space.

I’m always on the hunt for great tips and tricks for bathroom remodeling and bathroom design, so I was pleasantly surprised when I stumbled upon this bathroom design inspired article on Houzz blog.

We’ve included our favorite bathroom design tips and their accompanying pictures below. For the full list of tips and clever bathroom design ideas, click here.

Don't limit yourself to typical materials. Hardwood floors are not the first floor material that pops into most of our heads when we think of bathrooms. SIDE NOTE: The simplicity of this room makes it beautiful. White walls let you appreciate the horizontal boards, and the contrast between the tub and the warm woods is stunning.

Approach bathroom design like you would living room or bedroom design. This will inspire unexpected design moves. Whoever designed this bathroom treated it like any other room in the house. Notice the wallpaper, chandelier, wallpaper and cabinet, and, O.K., the big tree? It sounds crazy on paper but it looks amazing.

Don't run to a big box store and grab typical cabinets, mirrors, and light fixtures. Look at how beautiful this mirror is. It allows the trellis print wallpaper to show through. Also, pay attention to light fixtures. These sconces are the icing on the cake.

Use unexpected furnishings. The luxurious curtains and lovely slipper chair make this bathroom very glamorous.

Our friends over at Real Simple magazine have come up with some really clever ideas for rejuvenating your bathroom design. Take a peak at some of the bathroom ideas below for taking your bathroom from drab to fab, or click here for the top 20 ways to upgrade your bathroom.

1. Bedroom, yes. Living room, of course. But a bouquet of flowers in a bathroom feels especially unexpected. Even a small vase of yard-cut greens adds freshness to the room.

2. One attractive option for window treatments is faux-wooden blinds, which offer all the elegance of real wood and none of the worries of water damage or warping.

3. Towel bars have been replaced by hooks next to the shower, eliminating the need for folding and just-so draping. An extra hook installed below gives the bath mat a place to dry.

4. A woven basket holds an ample supply of toilet paper, eliminating the need to hunt when you’re down to the end of a roll (your guests will thank you).

5. It is possible to keep toiletries looking neat on a bathroom countertop, with the aid of odds and ends like unused, mismatched serving pieces.

Having a colorful, vibrant home is easier to achieve than most people would think.  There are many different ways in which you can add color to your living space.  Accessories are an easy and popular way to add a pop of color to any room.  Within the bathroom, there are many vibrant bathroom accessories out there that will compliment any bathroom design.  You can use a shower curtain to spice up your bathroom or other bathroom accessories like bath mats and soap dishes to add a splash of color as well.  Whatever area of your home that you want to add color to it can be made easy with these Apartment Therapy tips.
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Many of us know, more or less, what colors we’re drawn to the most, but have you ever spent time thinking about how you apply color to your space? There are different color applying personalities that show through in homes, and we found a few examples in recent Apartment Therapy house tours.

We’ve pinpointed five different ways in which color can be applied to the home. By no means a comprehensive list, we like the idea of exploring what kind of color personality we have. After all, if you know what patterns you lean toward when it comes to color, it’s easier to both enhance your natural habits and break away from them to shake things up. Here are some thoughts:

1) It’s in the accessories A common trend for most folks, bringing color in through accessories and items that are easily changeable means that your spaces are flexible — and it’s not as scary as throwing a lot of paint on the walls. Color’s usually seen in tabletop accessories, pillows, cushions and more.

2) Pops of color Similar to the accessories approach, this can even be more powerful because it pairs a subdued color palette with small but carefully-placed pops of color.

3) It’s in the art This allows for the bulk of the color in your space to come through in the art — simple, elegant, powerful and bold.

4) All over the walls Requiring a bit of a leap of faith that you’ve chosen your colors wisely, placing them on walls, other large surfaces and furniture surrounds your whole home in color and shows you mean color business.

5) A combination of any of the above Color lovers often don’t pigeonhole themselves into any one category, choosing instead to incorporate color any way they see fit, whether through accessories, art, wall colors or a little bit of everything!

Source:  Apartment Therapy

Is your home decor drab or lacking in color?  This House Beautiful article is here to save the day! Conquer your fear of color with these tips for home decorating.  Spruce up your bathroom design with a splash of brightness by incorporating colorful bathroom accessories or switching up your bathroom wall color.  Break out of your shell and be adventurous with your decor in all areas of your home by implementing some or all of these tips.
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Whether you want orange in the entry or blue in the bathroom, here are some of our best tips to brighten your home.

Start Small

If you’re afraid to go bold, try starting in the smallest room. It’s not as much of a commitment, plus you’ll spend less time and money. This tiny — but cheery — bath in a New Jersey home makes a strong statement. “Powder rooms are places where you can gild the lily. We used a loud geometric in a bright ocean blue to give it a slightly over-the-top feeling,” says designer Mona Ross Berman. Wallpaper is Recessed from Studio Printworks.

Temper Hot Colors With Cool Ones

Because orange can be too intense on its own, Berman added blue accents in the mudroom. “It’s such a welcoming color. Orange feels like a younger, fresher version of red,” she says. “But it can be a hot color, and I needed a little bit of cool as balance, to cut through the heat.” Wall color is Benjamin Moore’s Fresno. Anchor pillow by Jonathan Adler.

Balance Glossy and Matte Surfaces

In this Beverly Hills living room, designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard choose Jean de Merry slipper chairs in Schumacher Sargent Blush silk taffeta. “Silk enriches every hue,” he says. For every glittering color, however, there has to be a matte one to offset it: “You must balance the ethereal with the earth.”

It’s Okay to Mismatch

For the kitchen of a Missouri lake house, designer Rhoda Burley Payne’s client choose a pistachio Aga range. Unsure what to do with the cabinets, Payne decided to paint them in a similar color. “We did them in a green that blended, but didn’t match.” Subtle differences in hues make for a more sophisticated palette. The cabinets are in Benjamin Moore’s Everglades, thinned to a stain so that the grain of the pine shows through. Wall tiles are by Flores Grandes.

Keep Pink in Check

To create a modern living room for a Capitol Hill row house, designer Barry Dixon choose a pink and brown palette. “It’s both masculine and feminine. They set each other off,” he says. The dark browns keep the pinks from appearing too frothy. The French Club Chairs are by Niermann Weeks and a Tuscany ottoman is by Stewart Furniture. Bell lantern by Chameleon.

Choose One Color, But Use Many Hues

Creating an idyllic bath for a Long Island home, designer DD Allen choose a blue palette but did not limit herself to one shade. The custom watery blue of the polished Venetian plaster walls picks up the blue in the floor tiles. Waterworks Classic Undermount tub. Venetian Plaster by JJ Snyder Studio. Architecture by Michael Pierce.

Add Contrast to a Neutral Palette

To make the master bedroom of this Alabama home more dynamic, designer Betsy Brown choose bright white bedding and a white lampshade. “A room of creams and beiges needs something stark and shiny white. You have to interject elements that add intense personality,” says Brown. Walls are Rockport Gray by Benjamin Moore. Saber Leg ottoman by Formations. Cashmere blanket from Suite Dreams.

Source: House Beautiful

Some of our BATH FITTER franchises across Pennsylvania sponsored 15 different breast cancer walks across their territories in 2011.   Their theme was “Together We Make a Lasting Impression”.  Here are some employee submitted photos of their family members and friends.  The following images were taken at the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk in Harrisburg, PA.

Now that it’s autumn, it’s time to consider revamping your home decor style.  The latest fall trends are in and a rustic-refined mix seems to be the latest hit for the season according to this Detroit News article. These latest fall trends can spruce up your home decor, especially within the bathroom. Enhance your bathroom design with some rustic or nature-inspired bathroom accessories and you will be set  for the season with a fabulously decorated bathroom.
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The change of seasons is a good time to gauge what’s happening in the world of home decor, especially if your surroundings could use a little boost. Jackie Schwartz, owner of Home Interior Warehouse — Furniture and Design in Walled Lake, shares some hot options for the home this fall.

“There is a significant trend of mixing rustic and refined furniture and accessories in a room,” says Schwartz, whose store is celebrating its 21st anniversary in October. For instance, you might pair a classic sofa silhouette with rustic tables that are family-friendly.

More distressed looks are in but paired with sophisticated, dressier accessories such as mirrored pieces, beautiful pillows and even antique mirrors. Even light fixtures are mixed.

“We are seeing very casual iron-look lighting fixtures adorned with crystals,” Schwartz says. French-inspired accessories, such as pillows with French writing, are popular this season. “We are seeing more artifact-inspired accessories. There is a focus on anything worn and weathered with a little glitz mixed in,” she says.

Nature-inspired accessories, specifically botanicals and birds, are another hit.

Neutrals with grey and taupe are very strong. “Grey is the new brown in home decor,” Schwartz says. “If your personal style calls for color … it’s all about red.”

The key to remember is that a little red goes a long way and the hues can be mixed. Anything from wine shades to plum and lipstick red work well for accessories, accent pieces and accent walls.

“Red makes such a strong impact,” Schwartz says. “Even in a neutral palette, adding a few red accents can create a sense of warmth.”

For instance, even a bland piece of furniture flanked by red lacquer urns will make the room come alive.

For faux floral arrangements, it’s all about being natural. “We love the variety of high-quality silk flowers that are botanically correct,” she says. “Single elements in a vase are popular now vs. a traditional bouquet. Clean, simple and dramatic use of one kind of flower is popular, too.”

When it comes to patterns, anything animal print continues to be strong. Schwartz has seen a rise in demand for woods. “Hardwood flooring is more mainstream; it’s available at every price point,” she says. “People are paying more attention to their floors and walls as a backdrop for their furnishings and accessories.”

For the full Detroit News full article click here.

If you are looking to revamp your home decor through the use of accessories, then you definitely want to continue reading this blog post.  I found a nifty eHow article that provides step by step instructions for upgrading accessories in your home.  Any room in your home can be updated by simply adding and changing up accessories.  For example, in the bathroom you can add bathroom accessories like soap dishes, toothbrush holders, shower curtains, picture frames, and more.  You can always find different types of accessories to accommodate your bathroom design and any other room in your home.
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Rather than invest time and money in a full home redesign, consider the power of accessories. Upgrading accessories can refresh the space, increase functionality and provide new focal points for your interiors. Gather inspiration for accessorizing by studying furniture showrooms, antique stores, decor magazines and catalogs. Note which pieces, colors, materials, patterns and textures catch your eye.

Instructions

1)  Study your current decor scheme. Try rearranging furniture, artwork and other accessories to open up space and make interiors flow. Identify the pieces that weigh down the space or do not fit in with your aesthetic. These accessories are prime candidates for an upgrade.

2)  Determine your focal points in various rooms. Typically, the spaces above the fireplace mantel, above the dining room table, across from the living room couch and above the heads of beds have eye-catching accessories. Make these areas your priority, and choose accessories for them. Then accent with other details throughout the room.

3) Use artwork, heirlooms and do-it-yourself projects as key accessories. The best accessories are those that tell a story and reflect a side of your personality. Hang a favorite painting in a prominent frame over the fireplace mantel, and make a vintage vase or bowl the centerpiece of the dining room table.

4)  Integrate high-end functional pieces into your home decor. Switch out plain furniture hardware for designer, artisan or vintage handles, knobs and hooks. Cover a boring light fixture with a stellar shade, such as a Moroccan hammered-tin lantern with colored glass insets. Hang a chandelier, a series of pendant lights or a bouquet of bright silk lanterns over a bed, coffee table or dining area. Outfit bathrooms with long bath sheets in Egyptian or organic cotton. Fit beds with high thread-count sheets and down comforters in beautiful duvet covers. Line a bed, couch or day bed with throw pillows in luxe fabrics.

Source:  eHow