Make A Splash In The Bath - Decorating A Kids Bathroom

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I've been noticing an increase of activity on my Kids Bathrooms board at Pinterest which got me thinking about an article I wrote a few years ago about decorating a kids bathroom. After a bit of searching I dug it out of moth-balls and decided to use it as inspiration for this post.

If your children are lucky enough to have their own bathroom why not turn it into a room they enjoy being in, a room that's not only fun but showcases their personalities. My daughters (who are now all grown up) didn't have their own bathroom until they were in high school and by that time they definitely had their own ideas on decorating, so my input was somewhat limited.

With a younger child or children this can be a terrific opportunity to get them involved, tap into the wonderful imagination that kids naturally have. Not to mention they will no doubt love the fact that they helped with the decorating, making the room really feel like it's theirs. 

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The first step of course is where to start, if this turns out to be a road block using a theme might just be the jumping off point you need. A theme can revolve around anything your child loves, whether it’s a sport, animals or a favorite color. How about Flowers - Butterflies - Astrology - Music - Dance - History, the list is endless.With the variety of coordinated bath themes available it’s easy to create a fun bathroom that is really special.

The bathroom pictured above doesn't necessarily have a specific theme to it but a couple of things I really like about it are first the colors that were chosen. It's basic neutral colors and I love the soft blue used on the one wall, the real punch of color comes from the striped towels. The choice of accessory colors has been pulled from the colors within the towels. Notice the ceiling lamp, again the same soft blue as the wall but what I really like is the single gold fish on the shade - so cute.

The picture at the beginning of the post is another example of basic colors (blue, green and white) but in that instance more vibrant hues have been used. I don't know for sure but it appears that the towels may have been the inspiration for the walls, tiles, mirror and cabinet colors.

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One thing to keep in mind is how do you enter the bathroom, now that might sound strange but bear with me there is a motive to my madness. Depending on the where the bathroom is in relation to your child's bedroom it might make a difference in what type of decor you chose. If for example you enter the bathroom directly from your kids bedroom you may want to bring colors from the bedroom into the bathroom. 

The picture above (love the sinks) is a good example, you'll notice the wall color in both rooms are the same and the throws along with the stools at the end of the beds tie into the colors of the tiles in the bathroom. Now I'm not sure which came first (no, this is not a chicken - egg comment) the tiles or the throws but either way both rooms relate to each other. 

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Now what happens if the bathroom is next door or down the hall from the bedroom, in that case you're free to decorate in a completely different way. The only other thing to take into consideration with a separate bathroom is does it also double on occasion as a guest bathroom. If so then you may want to keep the decor on the simpler side, your guests may not feel comfortable walking into a bathroom painted bright orange with Sponge Bob completely covering every surface.  

I think the bathroom pictured above is a perfect example of what would work not only for a child but also for guest. Again another simple color pallet of crisp white (can never go wrong with that) and a soft yellow, just enough kids themed accessories - Yellow ducks, green frogs and if you look in the mirror you'll notice the same motif in the shower curtain - to make it a kids bathroom but not so much that a guest feel like they've walked into a comic book. 

Houzz - Idea Books

Another tricky scenario is what if siblings share a bathroom, which in most homes is pretty common.  Now you  have two different personalities to decorate around which in a perfect world would be fine because they'd love all the same things. Of course if your house is anything like mine use to be the chances of that happening are going to be pretty slim, so what's the answer "Compromise". 

The first step would be to have each child make a list of what they would like to have in the room,  next look for any common items and build on them. If you find yourself in a dilemma because the kids - whether it's all girls, all boys or a combination - just have such different interests that there are simply no common denominators color may be the solution.

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By using a neutral color for the walls then bringing in each of the kids favorite colors in the accessories you're able to accommodate each individual taste. The picture above I think is another way to bring the personalities of siblings into the bathroom. Once again a neutral pallet for the walls (love the beadboard) along with splashes of color in the shower curtain, towels and robes but what I really love is way they incorporated art work done by the kids.

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The last thing I'd like to talk about is how much do you do, well many times this question is answered by the scope of the project and budget. If it's a total remodel and unlimited funds then by all means shoot for the moon but for many of us it's most likely going to be simply sprucing up an existing space.

Either way I think one important thing to keep in the back of your mind is that kids grow up and are constantly changing what they like, some times from week to week. This was something I kept in mind with my daughters, even though expressing their personalities was important I also didn't want decorating revamps turning into major projects - time or money.

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This is one case where accessories can really make a difference, changing out a toothbrush holder or wastebasket can be a lot simpler and less expensive than totally redoing the entire room. With the wide variety of accessories and color choices today the possibilities are endless.

So if revamping your kids bathroom is in the future get them involved, use everyone's imagination and have some fun.