I always take the changing of seasons as an opportunity to give our place a good refresh, and moving into our new apartment took it to an entirely new level. Initially, the cleaning and organizing bug hit our space right after we moved. But, after some very general unpacking, I admit that I quickly lost steam.

One of the rooms in our new space that I desperately needed to tackle was our bathroom. When we had the first walk-through of the apartment, I was immediately sold on the fireplace, high ceilings, big windows, and wood floors. But when we got to the bathroom, I was pretty disappointed. I knew the bathroom would take some elbow grease to clean up. Since it had good bones, I knew just making a few key changes that were renter friendly would create a big impact.

Today’s post is sponsored by the lovely folks at C Studio Home on five different ways we refreshed our bathroom space and you can too!

5 Ways to Refresh Your Bathroom Space

01. Give it a Good Scrub & Declutter

Seems obvious, but sometimes a bathroom just needs a good deep clean. I took a toothbrush to ours and scrubbed it from top to bottom. All the baseboards and corners were packed with dirt. Refreshing caulk can also do wonders for the shower. Improving the cleanliness of details in a bathroom significantly adds to the overall feeling of a space. We also gave the walls a coat of paint and went with a white that instantly refreshed the space. I am always amazed at the impact of a fresh coat of paint!

BEFORE | AFTER

I went through all of our products and decluttered anything that was expired or we hadn’t used in a few months. I also simplified our linen stash and upgraded to these organic towels from the Company Store. We now have two towels each and simply run them through the wash more often. Laundry is done on a very regular basis around here with a toddler, so I don’t mind throwing them into the wash more often and reaping the benefits of a streamlined linen closet.

02. Transfer Soaps and Products

I love to transfer products into cute jars or decorative bottles. There is something about opening your medicine cabinet or glancing at your shower caddy and seeing everything beautifully organized without colorful, crazy labels screaming at you. I love these Apothecary Canisters that I used to organized Q-tips and makeup remover wipes. They make the awkward cupboard space above the toilet seem more streamlined and purposeful. Mixing and matching different glassware is fun and an easy way to refresh your space and make it feel organized.

BEFORE | AFTER

03. Update Lighting and Hardware

We live in a rental, so we can’t replace our entire lighting fixture at the moment. But a quick fix for us was to update the light cover and stash away the original one that was dated to place back once we move out. We changed out all of the hardware with inexpensive hooks instead of the old towel bars, and removed the grimey toothbrush holder. We even replaced the knob for the medicine cabinet with a white porcelain one to match the rest of the new hardware. All of these can easily be put back once we move out, and the impact of these little changes makes the space feel so much nicer to use everyday.

BEFORE | AFTER

SHOP: Cotton Twill Bath Rug | Legends® Sterling Shower Curtain

04. Create a Cohesive Color Palette

My goal for our bathroom was to feel clean, simple, and relaxing. Like a spa. In all our rentals, we have had smaller bathrooms. One of the biggest things I noticed, was how something as simple as swapping out our shower curtain created a big impact. If you think about it, the shower/bathtub area typically takes up the most space in a bathroom. So for me, having a loud print or bold color on our shower curtain, a mix-match set of colored towels, and a printed bath mat, all contributed to the visual clutter and made the space feel claustrophobic and busy. Sticking with neutrals in all our towels, bathmat, and shower curtain created a cohesive color palette that allows the eye to rest and relax. I went with whites and soft neutrals to brighten up the space and make it feel calm - again, anything to make it feel like a spa!

SHOP: Cubed Bath Tray | Illume® Mineral Thyme Julia Jar Candle

05. Add Some Greenery & Light a Candle

This is my motto for decorating any space. Sometimes, you just need a nice scent and a pretty plant. Maybe that’s my attempt at making any space to feel like a spa - in my opinion, no room is complete without them. I love using this tray to corral a candle and matches for when I take a bath. I picked up a viney plant a few weeks ago for a pop of green and have my fingers crossed that it will survive in this space!

And that’s our bathroom refresh! I hope it inspired you if you’re looking for ways to update your bathroom space for the summertime. Walking into such a calm, clean, organized space is a treat for the start and end of my day. All of the updates we made were simple and yet made such a huge impact!