The powder room is often the most overlooked room in the house when homeowners are considering home improvements or renovations. That’s completely understandable considering your half bath isn’t necessarily going to translate into dollars when you sell your home. In fact, bathrooms are often the least likely rooms to add value to a home.

However, that doesn’t mean that you should completely neglect that downstairs lavatory when freshening your home. Instead, it means that you have to get creative so you can provide a welcoming space for you and your guests. The good thing about these DIY decor ideas is that they won’t force you to break open your piggy bank and they are all easily undone if you change your mind (or decide to sell your home and want to create a more neutral space)!

7 Powder Room DIY Decor Ideas

1. Paint the Ceiling

One super easy (and cheap) way to pump up the volume on your decor in the bathroom is to paint the ceiling a bold color. For extra points, paint wide stripes to make a smaller room appear larger.

2. Metallic Touches

Metallic accents can easily add visual interest to a drab powder room. Some simple ways to add metallic flourishes include adding metal accessories (like metal baskets and curio shelves), stenciling metallic designs on the walls, or creating wall art using metallic paints. 

3. Clever Vanity

If you are super handy, visit thrift shops or estate sales to source a cool cabinet to repurpose as a vanity. An antique or vintage cabinet can really add some character to an otherwise boring bathroom.

4. Statement Wallpaper

While statement wallpaper can overwhelm a small half bath, covering one accent wall with a bold-patterned wallpaper can take a room from mundane to insanely awesome in no time (and for very little money).

5. Mirrored Wall

By the same token, create drama that is easily removed if you decide to move, by artfully creating a mirrored wall. Instead of one mirror above the vanity, add mirrors to fill the entire space behind the vanity up to the ceiling.

6. Black and White

What if you rent your home and can’t paint the walls, drill holes in the wall, or make other semi-permanent to permanent changes? Go for a dramatic look and add black and accessories and accents. Why have white towels, when you can go with black ones?

7. Interesting Artwork

Are you a collector of art, knickknacks, and other curios? Consider displaying them in the bathroom. Why display your postcard, snow globe, or art print collection in the living room when you can put them on show in the bathroom? It’s a sure way to make certain your artwork and collections will be noticed.

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The post 7 DIY Decor Ideas for the Most Overlooked Room in the House appeared first on EcoSalon.

If you’re looking for apartment decorating ideas that will inject more personality into your space, why not give kitsch a try?

There are two types of people in the world: Those who are kitsch-obsessed, and those who… well, aren’t. Kitsch is thought to be cheap, tacky, and over-the-top, which can be true – if you use it wrong. Done wrong, your home will look like a carnival. But done right, it’s the perfect way to add character and whimsy at a super-reasonable price.

If you want to kitsch and tell, go for it! It’s very “Gilmore Girls” (Remember Lorelai’s fuzzy alarm clock? Those were the days.) Here are apartment decorating ideas to keep in mind before you take the plunge:

Keep collections together
This is true of all apartment decorating ideas, whether you use kitsch or not: Collections always look best in clusters, as opposed to being scattered throughout your home. And if they’re a collection of complementary colors, even better.

Display in unlikely places
Use kitsch as a hint of surprise in each room. For example, use kitschy items as bookends, or retro bowls instead of planters. A friend of mine used a roll of ticket stubs as a pedestal for one of her plants, and it looked ah-mazing.

Mix old with new
Also, use kitsch from different eras so it doesn’t look like you’ve stepped into a time machine.

Make sure it suits your personality
Don’t buy kitsch for the sake of it – only buy kitschy items that really suit your personality. For example, when brainstorming apartment decorating ideas for my own, I decided against vintage advertisements. As much as I love them, they don’t suit my personality. Vintage movie posters on the other hand – bam, perfection.

If you’re looking for inspiration, here are 13 pieces of kitsch that will never get old (at least, I hope not):

1. Hello Kitty
You’re never too old for Hello Kitty.

2. Dogs Playing Poker
The first thing that goes into every man cave.

3. Kit-Cat Clocks
They’re so ugly they’re adorable. According to their official website, someone has bought a Kit-Cat clock every three minutes for the last 50 years!

4. Pink Flamingos
But just one.

5. Vintage Advertisements
The more ridiculous the advertisement, the better.

6. Typewriters
Nothing tugs at a writer’s heartstrings more, am I right?

7. Fuzzy Dice
They’re practically a rite of passage when you get your license.

8. Lava Lamps
I know, I know, but I just can’t help myself.

9. Polaroids
I don’t care how fancy schmancy cameras become – nothing beats a retro Polaroid pic.

10. Coffee Mugs
It’s crazy, but true: Your entire personality can be defined by your favorite coffee mug.

11. Telephones
Could you imagine the week it would take to call someone using a rotary dial? Sigh.

12. Perfume Bottles
Use the atomizer to feel like a 1950s starlet. And don’t forget the tassels! There must be tassels.

13. Tin Signs
These are basically the only way you’ll get your guy to board the kitsch train.

Do you love kitsch? What apartment decorating ideas would you recommend to newbies?

Related on EcoSalon

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Image: Ted Eytan

The post 13 Kitsch-Inspired Apartment Decorating Ideas that Will Never Get Old appeared first on EcoSalon.

1. Reface Rather Than Replace Cabinets

Innovative companies can work with your existing wood and reface those cabinet doors with sustainable woods rather than trashing and starting anew. Read this post for more tips for the kitchen cabinet facelift.

2. Swap Decor with Family and Friends

You don’t need a piano and I don’t need that daybed in the TV nook, so let’s trade and recycle our stuff and get what we really need. It’s a match made in eco heaven when it doesn’t cost you a dime to swap decor, especially with people who have a good eye like you do, and are low on storage space. It’s how they did it in the olden days before widespread consumer waste and climate change. Here’s more.

3. Baby Steps Can Equal Full Grown Changes in a Room

Rearrange the furniture, buy a few new pillow covers, paint a wall. These easy fixes will refresh your pad without sinking lots of cash. As you’ll discover in this handy how-to post, it can all be done for under $30.

4. Repurpose Excess Upholstery Materials

Those fabric rolls are not doing anyone any good just sitting in the closet. Cut them up and redirect them to your interiors for pillow covers, framed art, bedding, even wall coverage like the picture shown above, if you have enough for adequate padding. See these great ideas for repurposing your excess.

5. Clean Before You Replace

Perhaps that rug can come clean with eco spot remover techniques. Why rip it out if it’s still useful? Another option is to cover a damaged section of the carpet by layering with a small, affordable area rug, one made of eco fibers that won’t cost the same as new carpeting or a large are rug. Go shagging for answers here.

6. Seasonal Accents Make Great Distractions

A collection of seasonal organic blooms and greens from your garden, lanterns, greeting cards, photos and tablecloths – they all can act as happy distractions in a room that is begging for a redux. Don’t have a garden? Head to the farmers’ market, the flea shop, the vintage shop in your hood, and spend little to stage your spaces with renewed charm. Head over here for inspiration.

7. Paint can Perk it Up

Even a dingy clawfoot tub can look ultra modern and cool by finding the right low VOC paints and giving the bath a new coat. You will find sprucing up furniture with paint can be a great cheap fix that refreshes your spaces.

8. Be a Thrift Shopper

It’s no wonder second hand shops in cities nationwide do well during hard times. These are outlets that actually offer discounts while more upscale sights like 1st Dibs are peddling vintage treasures that cater to those with lots of spare cash. Do some research and check out the shops in various neighborhoods to find out where nifty castaways are being parked.

9. A Room of Her Own

Sometimes just carving out one room of your own in your dwelling can suffice until you have a bigger budget to fix up the place. Are you craving that Project Runway sewing room? How about a closeted dressing room out of a spare bedroom? Having a blast doing just one space for yourself can be very rewarding, even if it is a multi-use corner for working, painting and reading. Own it with visuals on the walls and a fun rug that speaks to you. Experts say you will accomplish the most in a space you gravitate towards.

10. Spa Makeover

So you can’t afford to tear out the old tile and tired tub to make way for stone and steam. Use zen decor touches and nurturing elements to turn your blah bath into spa bath: Ideas include indulgent, organic towels; sensuous beeswax candles in an array of holders; yummy creams and oils displayed in a vintage tray; and my favorite Nob Hill Day Spa element – a large pitcher of spring water filled with sliced cucumbers or lemons and a pretty glass.

Each week here at EcoSalon, the editors choose a post from the archives that we think you’ll love. The original post can be found here.

Image: Elle Decor

The post 10 Easy & Inexpensive Decorating Tips appeared first on EcoSalon.

1. Reface Rather Than Replace Cabinets

Innovative companies can work with your existing wood and reface those cabinet doors with sustainable woods rather than trashing and starting anew. Read this post for more tips for the kitchen cabinet facelift.

2. Swap Decor with Family and Friends

You don’t need a piano and I don’t need that daybed in the TV nook, so let’s trade and recycle our stuff and get what we really need. It’s a match made in eco heaven when it doesn’t cost you a dime to swap decor, especially with people who have a good eye like you do, and are low on storage space. It’s how they did it in the olden days before widespread consumer waste and climate change. Here’s more.

3. Baby Steps Can Equal Full Grown Changes in a Room

Rearrange the furniture, buy a few new pillow covers, paint a wall. These easy fixes will refresh your pad without sinking lots of cash. As you’ll discover in this handy how-to post, it can all be done for under $30.

4. Repurpose Excess Upholstery Materials

Those fabric rolls are not doing anyone any good just sitting in the closet. Cut them up and redirect them to your interiors for pillow covers, framed art, bedding, even wall coverage like the picture shown above, if you have enough for adequate padding. See these great ideas for repurposing your excess.

5. Clean Before You Replace

Perhaps that rug can come clean with eco spot remover techniques. Why rip it out if it’s still useful? Another option is to cover a damaged section of the carpet by layering with a small, affordable area rug, one made of eco fibers that won’t cost the same as new carpeting or a large are rug. Go shagging for answers here.

6. Seasonal Accents Make Great Distractions

A collection of seasonal organic blooms and greens from your garden, lanterns, greeting cards, photos and tablecloths – they all can act as happy distractions in a room that is begging for a redux. Don’t have a garden? Head to the farmers’ market, the flea shop, the vintage shop in your hood, and spend little to stage your spaces with renewed charm. Head over here for inspiration.

7. Paint can Perk it Up

Even a dingy clawfoot tub can look ultra modern and cool by finding the right low VOC paints and giving the bath a new coat. You will find sprucing up furniture with paint can be a great cheap fix that refreshes your spaces.

8. Be a Thrift Shopper

It’s no wonder second hand shops in cities nationwide do well during hard times. These are outlets that actually offer discounts while more upscale sights like 1st Dibs are peddling vintage treasures that cater to those with lots of spare cash. Do some research and check out the shops in various neighborhoods to find out where nifty castaways are being parked.

9. A Room of Her Own

Sometimes just carving out one room of your own in your dwelling can suffice until you have a bigger budget to fix up the place. Are you craving that Project Runway sewing room? How about a closeted dressing room out of a spare bedroom? Having a blast doing just one space for yourself can be very rewarding, even if it is a multi-use corner for working, painting and reading. Own it with visuals on the walls and a fun rug that speaks to you. Experts say you will accomplish the most in a space you gravitate towards.

10. Spa Makeover

So you can’t afford to tear out the old tile and tired tub to make way for stone and steam. Use zen decor touches and nurturing elements to turn your blah bath into spa bath: Ideas include indulgent, organic towels; sensuous beeswax candles in an array of holders; yummy creams and oils displayed in a vintage tray; and my favorite Nob Hill Day Spa element – a large pitcher of spring water filled with sliced cucumbers or lemons and a pretty glass.

Image: Elle Decor

The post 10 DIY Tips for Redecorating on the Cheap appeared first on EcoSalon.