Bathroom
Executive summary: The bathroom does what it needs to and looks fine doing it, so I made it functional and called it a day.
I feel like my posts about the other rooms come with their own stories (or gripes), but I don’t have that much to say about the bathroom. I haven’t done much with this room, not because I don’t have any ideas, but because I think it’s fine the way it is and am daunted by the ideas I do have. Could it be more Pinterest-worthy if I put up wallpaper, added peel & stick tiles to the floor, swapped out the builder-grade mirror, added prettier lighting, and styled out jars of cotton swabs on the counter? Maybe, but that sounds like more work than I am willing to put in, plus unpractical in a room that needs frequent wiping. Out of all the spaces in our apartment, this is the one where we each spend the least amount of time, so I’ve made it functional but then left it at that.
Shower curtain & rings: IKEA | Picture frame: Amazon | Canvas print: Minted | Towels: Target | Stool: IKEA Bekvam
Similar to the kitchen, I kept the surfaces as clear as possible. Water spots and grime are a daily reality in bathrooms, so I want to make cleaning as easy as possible. The only things that stay on the counter are the hand soap and our electric toothbrush (there’s no other place with access to an outlet for charging). Other daily use items are stored in the medicine cabinet, and less frequently used items in the under-the-sink cupboards. I added color and pattern through the shower curtain, towels, and two pictures, and called it a day. I thought about getting a small runner for the floor, but like in the kitchen, I couldn’t figure out if it was really going to add any functionality, or just get dirty and become another thing I have to clean. Plus, they hung our door quite low in the frame during construction, so I don’t think we have any clearance on the floor for anything thicker than a piece of paper anyway.
Maybe it’s worth calling out that we don’t have a dedicated bath mat. It’s gone the way of so many other household objects that I didn’t ever question, but suddenly decided that we didn’t need. I had a eureka moment where I realized that the mats felt like they were constantly getting dirty, and I didn’t want to have a special cleaning method for them. I wanted something I could throw in the laundry with all our clothes or towels. I took a cue from hotels where they leave you an extra towel to use as a bath mat. If it’s good enough for a fancy hotel, it’s good enough for me. We use a hand towel (the twin of the one for drying our hands you can see in the picture). When we bathe, we lay the towel on the floor. When we’re done, we fold it in half and drape it on the edge of the tub. Done. I consider that a smart and simple solution. Pat on the back.
Because we have mini humans in our home, I keep a stool in the bathroom so they can reach the faucet. It’s one of two IKEA Bekvam stools that we already have, so even though it’s bigger than I’d like for our small bathroom, I’m not going to replace it (unless we can’t stop stubbing our toes).
See, I have no special stories or any particular gripes about this room. It does its job, it looks fine, and it’s easy to clean. Maybe my husband wishes I would be this chill about every space in our home. Well, if he likes it so much, he’s welcome to spend more time in here! ;-)