6 Easy Rental Bathroom Decorating Ideas

They should be calm, clean and comfortable. And they should feel like a place all of our own.

In the rental world, however, some bathrooms can be dimly lit boxes devoid of personality, with growing mould and grimy grout.

But the good news is it doesn’t take much to turn a sanitary frown upside down.

Here are six ways to transform your questionable rental bathroom into an oasis of tranquility, without breaking the bank.

1. Replace the shower curtain

Chances are, your landlord will have used neutral colours to decorate your bathroom, in a bid to boost its popular appeal.

And while there’s nothing inherently wrong with clean white walls and beige furnishings – in fact, they can look pretty spectacular in the right setting – a neutral colour scheme can often feel cold and unwelcoming.

Adding a bold, colourful shower curtain is a great antidote to that feeling – and brings with it the added bonus of reversibility.

Read more: How to make the most of a small bathroom

2. Replace the toilet seat

Just like the neutrally coloured shower curtain, the white toilet seat is the default option for most landlords, but it needn’t be for you.

Pick up a wooden seat to add some welcome contrast to your room, or simply buy an affordable new white toilet seat from your local hardware store and replace the old one. Easy.

3. Buy a simple bath mat

Adding a simple bath mat from the likes of Kmart, Linen House or IKEA into your bathroom serves a few functions: It hides daggy floor tiles, injects a welcome dose of personality, and keeps your feet warm in winter.

4. Accessorise

Adding funky bathroom accessories is the simplest way to personalise a bathroom – or any room, for that matter.

From towels and soap dispensers to toothbrush holders and storage solutions to hold all your bathroom essentials, there are such cool options for bathroom accessories these days – and the best bit is, they’re affordable!

Spend some time deciding what style you want to go for – for example marble vs. timber-look items – then piece the look together for a stylish rental bathroom in no time.

Read more: Trends in bathroom design

5. Dress up a ladder

Part storage solution, part fashion statement, ladders add a playful touch to any rental bathroom, and are fairly easy to dress up.

Start by hanging a few small plants from one of the rungs and a few hand towels from another.

If you’re tight on space, consider removing the bottom two rungs, so that you can lean the ladder against the wall that’s behind your toilet.

Browse our collection of bathroom ideas

6. Pick up some wicker baskets

Nothing says sophistication quite like contrasting textures, which is why you should consider using rattan or wicker baskets as rubbish bins, storage solutions or ways to display plants.

This is a particularly good idea if you’re trying to create a laidback, coastal aesthetic, as natural textures are a key component of this look.

What’s more, the relaxed pieces are versatile: You can use them to store toilet rolls or toiletries, or as plant pots, to add a touch of greenery.