Hi there :)
As you may have read in previous posts (like this one) I have recently moved into an apartment with my boyfriend. It took some time for our apartment to start to get together but I absolutely love how it looks at the moment. Some details are still missing and we have some issues with loud neighbours sometimes, but apart from that, it's just perfect.
As promised on my Instagram story (if you don't follow me yet, you can follow me here!) I will give you some tips on how to create a serene looking, minimalist bathroom, since this is one of my favourite parts of our apartment. I hope to show you that you can make any bathroom - tiny or large, old or new - a lovely place by just a few thoughtfully chosen details!
1. Minimalist packaging
I have been in love with this kind of amber glass bottles for such a long time and I finally got us some on Etsy from a little shop called Kuishi (here). These apothecary style bottles come with a black plastic dispenser but you can also get them in metal. I like the black ones the most. I also had some customized labels made for most of the bottles I ordered. For every bottle I bought I got one for free because they were slightly scratched, but I would definitely recommend getting these as it's a great deal because you can hardly see the scratches!
You can fill these up with all of your favourite liquid products. It makes your bathroom look calm and minimalist because most shampoo and showergel bottles are quite ugly (the color, the shape, the brand logo, the font, oh god, it hurts my eyes). If you are tired of all the different products that just stand there on the side of the bath, like a small army of un-matched, brightly colored plastic things, you can choose to buy a few of these bottles and limit yourself to using only one showergel, one conditioner, and so on. I have a showergel, an intimate soap and a face wash that I use, and I also got a bottle for liquid conditioner but that one is still empty as I'm using my solid Lush conditioner that I will tell you all about soon! I didn't get a bottle for shampoo as we use a solid shampoo bar as well. The other two bottles (without labels) I'm using for hand soap on our toilet, and micellar water for my face.
Luckily, Lush has beautiful minimalist recycled packaging so their products look nice anyway. I will tell you all about my favourite Lush products in another blogpost soon!
2. The right shower curtain(s)
This may sound funny, but using two shower curtains actually has a few benefits. Originally, I decided to put two curtains because we kept getting attacked by our single curtain everytime we showered and I'd read online that hanging a second one on the outside of the bath tub is the only thing that helps on a straight curtain rod (you could also get a curved curtain rod if you have the choice, this is supposed to keep the curtain away from you as well). The other benefit is that it looks so much more luxurious to have two curtains hanging next to your bath tub!
Our inner curtain is just plain white fabric (we got it here), the outer curtain has a beautiful watercolor eucalyptus print. I got it from H&M Home but it's sold out. I found some other, similar looking curtains (this one which is quite similar, this one with only one branch, this one with blooming eucalyptus, this one, this more abstract one, this beautiful botanical one) or other beautiful curtains that have the same style of plant prints (this one with flowers, this one or this one which are both with cacti, this other one with flowers, this one with a vintage floral look, or this one with different kinds of watercolor leaves).
3. Go natural
I really love the combination of this watercolor plant printed shower curtain with a contrasting, printed cotton rug and the natural look of the wicker basket that is our laundry basket. Our basket is from Sissy Boy (this one).
Adding natural materials like cotton and wicker into your bathroom gives a little warmth to its interior, as many bathrooms tend to look a bit cool with their white tiles and shiny metallic faucets.
You can use a simple, pretty cotton rug instead of a regular bath mat, as long as you don't let it get drenched in water without giving it the chance to dry, but in fact, this also counts for regular bath mats. Our rug is from La Redoute and is sold out, but these are some other beautiful cotton rugs: this striped one in grey or pink, this one with a beautiful dotted print, or this smaller one with a geometric print.
I also got these three little wicker baskets at Ikea to store small things. They're another warm, natural touch to our overall white bathroom.
4. Tone it down
Of course it doesn't make sense to get amber glass bottles to make your products look less chaotic if everything else is still messy. Try to use only a few products that you really love and need. Don't buy unnecessary products that you're not going to finish anyway and that will only linger around in your bathroom until they have expired one year from now. This way you will have a peaceful, neat bathroom filled with stuff you like.
Another way to interpret 'toning down' is: reducing your waste. Try buying washable makeup remover pads like these ones I got from Sebio (here). I got them in the material 'eucalyptus' because this is extra soft on the skin.
After you used them you can just let them dry and throw them in the laundry. You can wash them in a little bag (like a lingerie washing bag) with your towels and reuse them endlessly. It's an easy and lovely way to reduce waste in your house. It also makes a beautiful gift if you buy this one with a beautiful storage bag and a washing bag included.
5. Add an accent
Even though most of the stuff in our bathroom is naturally colored, I like to add some accents. I love pastel pink, so our second, smaller rug has pink stripes and our little bin is pale pink as well.
I love how the pale pink stands out against the dark floor and the natural colors around it. By picking one accent color, you can still have some color in your bathroom and it will pop out so much more.
Hopefully these tips may help you turn your bathroom into a place that you love as much as the other rooms in your house!
Lots of love
Manon
