How to Decorate Your Bathroom With Art
Bathroom art and decorating are an important and sometimes difficult aspects of your home design. The bathroom is a unique place to put up art for a few different reasons. You don’t want super fancy or expensive art in your bathroom because it won’t really get appreciated to its full potential. Stay away from cheap or wacky art in there because, you know, it’s where people go to use the bathroom. You don’t want to freak them out! Finally, you need something for people to look at because staring at a blank wall feels pretty weird. So where does this leave you now?
Finding a Theme
First things first, you’ll need to decide on a theme. Most likely, you’re not going to be designing your entire bathroom around an art piece. Ideally, your art will complement the bathroom design choices you’ve already made. The most common bathroom design themes are traditional, modern, and farmhouse/rustic.
For modern interior design, there are some classic characteristics that you’ll see in almost every example. Almost every modern bathroom design has a very open floor plan. It’s common to hear the phrase “less is more” and have a color palette with neutral colors. Art with a pop of color would be a great fit for this kind of space. If you’re currently in the process of designing a bathroom, check out some of our awesome modern bathroom vanity options.
For a more traditional bathroom, it’s best to stick with slightly more traditional artwork. A sleek modern painting would look pretty weird if paired with an antique vanity. We have a great selection of traditional bathroom vanities for every size bathroom.
Monte Carlo Single Vanity – $1,759.00
Farmhouse/rustic bathrooms are growing in popularity and for good reason. A lot of available farmhouse vanities are made from reclaimed and recycled wood from old barns. These vanities alone tell a cool story. Adding additional art that tells a story like the farmhouse vanities would be a good place to start.
Woodland Single Farmhouse Vanity – $995.00
What Kind of Art to Use?
Now that you have a general idea of themes, the next question is, what kind of art should I use? Of course, you could go with a traditional painting or print. This is an easy option because most of the ones you’ll find will be in a frame with glass over them. This protects the art from the humidity that you’ll inevitably have in a bathroom. With these standard pieces of art, you’ll be able to easily avoid mildew or warping.
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Art experts usually advise against any acrylic or oil paintings being exposed to humidity. If they’re not sealed behind glass, I would not recommend choosing these. Another art piece you should probably avoid in the bathroom is wallpaper. Wallpaper is very prone to peeling and cracking when exposed to humidity.
Another great option for art is something glass or ceramic, like a sculpture. Personally, I love this direction because it is more unique and personal than a lot of other art you’ll often see in bathrooms. They’re fun, interesting to look at, and they aren’t as susceptible to humidity. If you’re unsure where to begin with these alternative art options, our blog about Wabi-Sabi design has some great tips about minimalism and design with more natural influences.
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If you’re not really into the idea of paintings and sculptures, you can always go with plants! Plants are awesome to have in your bathroom for a bunch of different reasons, check out our blog post about some of the best plants to keep in your bathroom.
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Where to Hang Your Art?
This is kind of a tough one because, at the end of the day, it really depends on your personal preference. Here’s a few do’s and dont’s to get you started. We don’t recommend putting art anywhere that will ruin your “bathroom flow”. You don’t want a clay sculpture in between the sink and the soap, or your toothbrush. You’re going to end up knocking that over.
Another area you might want to avoid is hanging art on any tile walls. Drilling through tile or any other similar surface is a huge pain and probably not worth your time. A great place to hang or place art is opposite a mirror. This means you can enjoy your artwork even when facing away from it! If you have a double vanity, placing art between the two mirrors is another fun little spot to hang your art.
What size?
The size of the art you choose if more important than you would think. If you’re working with a smaller space, you don’t want to have a huge piece of art overpowering the space. On the flip side, filling a large space with lots of little pieces is going to make it feel too cluttered and claustrophobic. If you decide to go with multiple pieces of art, try to find some that are medium sized and work together as a group. This is similar to sticking with a theme as we mentioned earlier.
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If you’re choosing to go with a bigger piece, you’ll have to make sure it fits in with the rest of your space, and commit to making it a focal piece. Focal pieces are a great way to personalize your bathroom and give yourself and guests a more enjoyable bathroom experience. At the end of the way, if something looks a little off to you, it probably is.
Pricing
Pricing for bathroom art can be all over the place, it’s really up to you. There are plenty of basic prints you can find anywhere from $20-$200. If you have some homemade art that you get framed and properly covered, it’ll be practically free! On the flip side, if you spend hundreds of dollars on bathroom art, more power to yah.