Did you eye your neighbor’s updated kitchen while visiting for a potluck? Or did you binge-watch home improvement shows over the weekend, and now you're pumped to tackle the nagging bathroom projects?
When DIY home decorating inspiration hits, it's easy to dream of upgrades that go beyond the budget or the free calendar days. However, there are ways to spruce up these spaces with home decor, without investing thousands of dollars or hours.
Photo by Canva AI Studio with AI
How Can I Make My Kitchen and Bathroom Look More Expensive on a Budget?
This is a common question that military home buyers and renters ask. One of the easiest, most affordable home decor tips for DIY kitchen and bathroom upgrades is paint. Paint is an impactful update in kitchens and bathrooms because the square footage is smaller.
Visit the major paint manufacturers’ websites for color inspiration and coordination; it's the smart, free way to guarantee good color matches. Then choose paint designed for high-traffic rooms for the best durability.
Ideas for Updating Your Bathroom
Work with What You Have
Bathrooms can be easily updated with simple changes if major renovations aren’t in the plans, which is often the case with rental home decorating. The room is relatively small, and there's likely a tile, tub, or floor color that’s just not going to change easily on a limited budget or timeline, meaning upgrades will have to coordinate with existing pieces.
Start simple by choosing colored towels, bath rugs, and shower curtains to add interest. If your bathroom features old-school blue, pink, or green tiles, embrace the recent retro trends and match new linens accordingly. If you’re not ready to lean into the fads that have come back in style, fresh white towels always add a timeless, spa feel to a small space.
Use Accessories to Make a Statement
Inexpensive accessories make big statements. They can be creatively placed and grouped on shelves or displayed on repurposed furniture like nightstands or painted chairs.
- Wooden crates and baskets are easy to find and make good storage for towels and other bathroom necessities.
- Reuse clean glass jars for cotton rounds and swabs.
- Mason or candle jars hold travel-size toothpaste, mouthwash, and floss.
Add Plants and Greenery
Plants are a great addition to home decorating, and surprisingly, the bathroom is the place to try out your green thumb. The options for bathrooms with access to sunlight, even low light, are plentiful because many plants, especially tropical varieties, thrive in regular humidity.
Some plant options to spruce up a bathroom:
- Golden and Neon Pothos
- Spider plant
- Tillandsia (air plants)
- Peperomia
The best-case scenario is natural sunlight, but there are ways to work around a windowless bathroom. Depending on your level of dedication, you can display houseplants in the bathroom, but you’ll need to bring your low-light-tolerant plants into the sunlight regularly to get them their fix or invest in artificial grow lights.
There's also the low-maintenance option to purchase fake plants. Their quality has vastly improved in recent years, and they have lost many of the kitschy, bad features. It does take time to find quality faux greenery that looks and feels real. One or two faux plants are fine, but it can be overdone if too many are placed. Dust is a giveaway for even the most realistic fake plants, so dust them regularly.
High-end fakes serve their purpose of adding life to an otherwise drab room while also being PCS-friendly for military homeowners and renters.
Bump Up the Bathroom Upgrades
Water-resistant wainscoting adds character and depth to any bathroom in need of an update. It’s best to use this wall covering conservatively. Too much water-resistant, plastic-looking material can detract from the overall appeal. This Old House explains how wainscoting can add warmth to a space typically cooled by hard edges and slick surfaces.
If you have a little more time and money, wooden or even linoleum bathroom floors can be dramatically updated with paint. The key to success is tracking down the best products from primer to paint and sealer, for example, Floor & Patio Latex Enamels by Benjamin Moore.
Want to update your home without remodeling? Try these rental and military housing decorating ideas: Personalize Military Housing or Rentals with Easy Decor Ideas and Make Temporary Military Housing Your Own.
Add New Life to the Kitchen
Since people use their kitchens every day, it can sometimes be a source of dissatisfaction. The more time you spend in a space, the easier it is to notice every little imperfection. Significant renovations are costly, but minor updates can enhance overall aesthetics.
Rugs and Window Treatments
Soften the hard lines and angles in the kitchen, starting with small rugs. They make standing more comfortable, and the space will feel homey. Experimenting with multiple small rugs may work better than using a single large rug in the middle of the floor. Choose a large print to hide messes. If you don’t want the upkeep of kitchen rugs, window coverings are another alternative to softening the space.
Countertops, Cabinets, and Hard Lines
The granite countertop trend is finally waning. Now, many homeowners are looking for something different, like quartz, quartzite, or marble. Replacing a countertop can seem expensive and labor-intensive, but affordable options have grown substantially, and they're much more accessible. Online tutorials can make a concrete countertop seem achievable in a weekend.
Concrete counters aren’t easy to remove on a whim, so if you prefer temporary decorating ideas, there are peel-and-stick countertop solutions. They’re affordable and removable, and you can find them quickly through Amazon, Home Depot, and Lowe’s. Most are vinyl-based with a print that mimics natural stone. For the best outcome, choose a product made from high-quality vinyl; however, there aren't many options in terms of durability or flattering design. Also note that peel-and-stick products have a limited lifespan.
Installing new cabinets in a kitchen can easily bust the budget, so alternatives are likely a better place to start. Changing the look of a strategic section of existing cabinets can easily be done by removing doors and painting the inside, outside, or both. The finished result is colorful, open shelving. With open shelving, it's best to place fewer items to avoid a cluttered look. If your kitchen has a lot of dead space, mounting shelves in available areas above the counter adds storage and display space for heirloom china or a collection of small potted plants.
Decorative brackets in the kitchen adds visual interest. They're often put below breakfast bars and island countertops, and they're also attractive when mounted in doorway corners. Find inexpensive options at home improvement stores, but you can also uncover great deals at your local Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore.
Photo via iStock.com/Joe Hendrickson
Try a Weekend Project: Backsplash
The weekend is the perfect time to update or add a backsplash. Tiles are inexpensive (you can also use temporary peel-and-stick tiles) because the backsplash square footage is small.
There are endless options, especially if a high-gloss paint is added to the project. Online tutorials offer helpful advice, but attending a how-to class at a local home improvement store might be a better place to start for beginner DIYers.
These design options provide affordable home decor improvements to your kitchen and bath that will refresh and update the entire space. For home improvement and design tips, trust MilitaryByOwner to provide current and classic decorating suggestions for your home, whether you’re a renter or a homeowner.
Don’t get stumped by the “how to decorate my home?” question. It's easier than you think. Our article, How to Decorate Your Home, is for anyone who wants long-term home decorating tips or rental home decorating ideas.
