GAFF Goals: 6 Steps To Creating The Perfect Bathroom

The bathroom can be one of those forgotten rooms – the space you leave ’til last when redecorating and barely notice when it starts to look a little sad and forgotten. But it’s a space that is really easily made special, with a few little tricks and details, and it’s totally worth the effort because, let’s face it, you use it all of the time and it’s something your guests see (and notice), too. So, here we’ve got it – the GAFF guide to creating the perfect John, restroom, water closet. You get the drill.

1.Declutter and make space

Every bathroom has a butt load (sorry) of toiletries, towels and general stuff that accumulates. Get smart with how you store – think mirrored cabinets, handy multi-tray storage units and conceal as much as you can in drawers and boxes to give the illusion of more space.

We absolutely love this mirrored cabinet from IKEA with built in lighting, €150.

Storage unit, €99.99 at Argos.

We love this bamboo rack from Meadows & Byrne, €129.

2. Mat matters

We are constantly annoyed by how hard it is to find a decent bath mat. Usually, we end up settling for something in a disgusting colour with a weird, fluffy texture that gathers moisture and feels as unpleasant to stand on aprés shower as it does to look at. Ew. Since it’s a pretty defining feature in a bathroom, we’ve gone and eeked out a few gorg ones for you. So you have no excuse to keep that manky beige one anymore.

€27.99 at Littlewoods.

€12 at TK Maxx

Ben de Lisi Home bath mat €30 at Debenhams.

Organic cotton bath mat in Coastal Stripe, €80 at Biome.

3. Colour codes

When it comes to painting your bathroom, mood is key. There’s nothing like a dark, cosy bathroom lit with candles if that’s your home’s vibe – try a turquoise or a navy blue if you have a small space and use the furnishings to add colour. If you’re a traditionalist and like things clean and bright, try a grey or off-white to add a little warmth.

4. Tile style

OK, so we MAY have fallen down a Pinterest black hole while looking at these tiled bathroom beauties, but bear with us: tiling your bathroom is actually a brilliant idea. It’s an expense, for sure, but once those babies are laid they are so easy to keep clean. If yo can’t afford to go the whole hog, try a border. And shop around for cheap tiles, too. You can get great bargains online. We like tilehaven.ie’s Isole tiles, below. Obsessed.

5. Towels and towel holders

Ah, we all end up just piling them on top of the bath or shower rail, but a pretty towel rack is worth mounting. Check out these beauties. They’ll add a little something to your bathroom, whatever size it is. As for towels, colour and quality are key. Arnotts have pretty much every budget, size and colour you could want, and TK Maxx always have amazing bargains on high-quality towels. Invest now and be cosy forever.

Wooden towel rack, €80 at cuckooland.com.

Copper Towel Rack, €32 + shipping at ESTY.

Industrial towel rack, €94 at Etsy.

6. Make scents

It’s a no-braner but the candles, fragrances and had washes and lotions are the affordable, simple, finishing touches in your bathroom that’ll really make the difference. We cannot get enough of a good candle. It can, quite literally, change the mood of a room in an instant, and that goes for bathrooms, too. Right now, we are loving the & Other Stories selection of bathroom goodies at the moment, they’re inexpensive and smell amazing. For an Irish candle brand, we love Cloon Keen Atelier (based in Galway, VERY fancy).

Miami Muse hand wash, €7 at & Other Stories.