How does your bathroom measure up?

I have to start this by saying that I really am not obsessed with bathrooms, although looking back over my past posts you may think I am. Now that I've said that, here's another bath/restroom-related post!

I recently spent a great weekend in NYC—specifically in Brooklyn. (On a side note, if you've never been to Brooklyn make it part of your next trip to NYC—it's a wonderful Borough, full of great restaurants, shops, a farmer's market and a beautiful park.) While there we dined at many great restaurants. As you all know by now, I notice things like decor. All of the restaurants were beautiful and unique—until I made it to the ladies restroom.

I left a beautifully-decorated seating area and once in the ladies room (of one restaurant in particular) entered what looked like a roadside rest stop bathroom! Ewww. I'm talking below average. It was like night and day. The friends we were visiting live in NYC and shared in my observations. I couldn't understand why the restaurant had stopped decorating at the bathroom door!

In all fairness, most restaurants we visited had LOVELY bathrooms and this made me very happy. I feel that a bathroom should match the rest of the building. It should not be an afterthought, but a factor in the overall design plan.

This got me thinking about our homes and bathrooms—specifically do they "match" the rest of our home's decor? They are such small spaces (even when they are big, they are small compared to living spaces) they can be overlooked OR that can make them an easy choice for a makeover.

I recently worked with a client on her master bed and bathroom. Through paint and a few accessories I was able to transform her bathroom to match the bedroom (which also received a slight update). 

I've included some before and after pictures here. It's now a room they enjoy versus just a room they have to use first thing in the morning and last thing at night. Don't you deserve a room like that?

How does your bathroom measure up? Would a fresh coat of paint and new window treatments breath new life into it? Should you retire the mats on the floor? Add art, a new mirror and a colorful shower curtain. Who knows, it might just become your favorite room in the house!