by Jacqueline Dodd

Created on: September 16, 2008

There is no right or wrong way to decorate your bathroom - or any other room in your home, for that matter - because interior decorating comes down to your individual taste. Since I don't have a window in the bathroom of my apartment, I chose to decorate it in lively colours to brighten it up. My girlfriend who lives upstairs, on the other hand, allowed her fiance to choose the theme - which ended up being the Arctic - for their bathroom. But whether you want a nautical theme, a floral motif or simply to decorate your bathroom in shades of a specific colour, there are a few design rules that should be adhered to to ensure that your bathroom looks the best that it can and to make the most out of any and all available space.

Perhaps the most important decorating tip is to keep it simple. There is no reason to have a shelf full of knick knacks in your bathroom, especially if it happens to be on the small side. No one wants to worry about knocking picture frames or tiny crystal animal shaped ornaments into the sink when they're washing their face or brushing their teeth in the morning. These things have no function - thus, should have no place - in a bathroom. If you do want a little something to jazz up your countertop, a dish full of river rocks, bath bombs or decorative soaps always looks nice, as does a pretty jewelry box, candles of varying sizes or a matching soap dispenser and toothbrush holder set. Another thing to remember is that a lot of the time, less is more. Instead of worrying about hanging a painting or print on every wall (which only makes a small space look even tinier), why not buy one large piece of artwork to hang over the towel bar? Having less on the walls of your space means that the piece that is displayed there will make that much bolder a statement.

Your bathroom should also be functional as well as stylish since this is likely the room in which you are going to be doing the majority of your grooming. Apartment bathrooms - like mine - are particularly frustrating to organize, as you always seem to end up having more stuff than you do space. If you don't have a lot of square footage in your bathroom to work with, store and organize your things upwards. Shelving units quickly became my best friends when I moved into my place and they are by far the best way to wrangle all your bottles, jars, soaps and sponges effectively and stylishly when you're low on space. A stainless or brushed steel shelf in the corner of your bathtub and a two or three

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