Soft light from a fragrant candle flickers off of polished tile.
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Warm soapy water soothes your skin.
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Soft music and dimmed lights quiet your mind.
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A glass of wine glimmers on an organic wood table beside the tub.
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Fluffy white towels look soft enough to rest your head on.
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No, this is not my attempt at being a romance writer….
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You’ve just entered the luxurious world of the spa bathroom.
A spa bath gently evokes all of your senses, creates an immersive experience and relaxes both your mind and body. We all want that sanctuary where all the stresses of life simply fade away.
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Here are 8 tips you can easily do to create the look and feel of a spa bathroom with a few small changes and no need for a remodel.
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If you are able to remodel or renovate, there are many behind the scenes details to bring more ‘must haves’ spa experiences into your home. Look for my blog post, The Details Behind a Bathroom Remodel.
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Tip #1: Choose calming, serene colors.
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Humans are visual beings. Our bodies and minds are affected by color. Calming colors include neutrals, creams, soft creamy yellows, soft blues and greens, and light greys. Believe it or not, even black can be calming and grounding when used sparingly.
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If you want a huge immediately impact on your spa bathroom, repaint the walls a calming color. Use eggshell or satin instead of flat or matte so the light flickers off of the walls and glows. Repaint the cabinets and trim as well in a satin finish. Close your eyes and picture a crisp white trim with a soft creamy wall.
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Wallpaper is also a gorgeous way to bring serene beauty and texture onto your walls.
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There are so many amazing vinyl wallpapers that are safe for the even the most humid of showers.
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You can even use peel and stick wallpapers if you want to change it up more often or if you rent your home.
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Tip #2: Dim all the lights.
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Put your bathroom lighting on dimmers. If you do one thing, do this, you will thank me. Some of you might be thinking, “Yikes, electricity! That’s scary!”
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As long as the power to the switch is turned off at the breaker box and you follow the simple directions, putting in dimmers switches with a helper is completely do-able.
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If you get nervous or you don’t find the directions simple, you can bring in a local electrician to do it.
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Tip #3: Your skin wants the touch of a softer fluffy towel
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Throw out those scratchy old towels.
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Our skin is our largest organ. We need to treat it kindly.
Soft fluffy towels are a must in a spa bathroom. White is my personal favorite.
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There is nothing more spa-like than a soft white fluffy towel.
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And while you are at it, get rid of that old bathrobe. Treat yourself to a new silkier feeling one. You will feel loved and appreciated by yourself every time you feel it against your skin.
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Tip #4: Music calms the savage beast
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Listen to relaxing music while you are in the bathroom. A favorite bath music genre is French café or classical piano. If you are in the tub, put your phone and/or speaker across the room and set the phone on do not disturb.
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Tip #5: Light a beautifully packaged, fragrant candle
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Stanley Victor Paskavich said it perfectly in his poetry, “There is nothing more beautiful than the light of a candle and the aroma of its heart”.
A delicious candle in a pretty jar can transform your bathroom. Choose a light scent that relaxes you. The first candle fragrance in the Donna Brann Interiors candle line is used at one of the Ritz Carlton beach resorts, Sweet Pea, Apple and Jasmine. You can purchase it here.
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Tip #6: Tidy up messy countertops.
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In order to relax in our spa bathtub, our eyes must be allowed to relax.
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There is nothing more disturbing to your visual sense than a countertop filled with disorder.
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Place a pretty tray on the counter in which you can organize your bottles and creams.
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Better yet, the best place for them would be in your drawers or cabinets organized into baskets. Add a pretty bottle, soaps, a wooden hairbrush, and a flower or plant to the tray.
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If you have time, throw out any make-up, cosmetics and beauty aids that you haven’t used in the past 6 months. Don’t buy anything new until you’ve used your existing items.
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Tip #7: Bring in beauty, art and nature.
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The bathroom deserves gorgeous art, not those leftover art pieces you don’t want to hang in the other areas of the house.
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Get rid of any art that you do not absolutely love. Add black and white photographs of people and places you love or of a stack of beautiful pebbles on the beach. The art you choose should rouse a sense of calm in you.
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Think about adding texture with organic elements. Consider a stone buddha statue in the corner or on the countertop, or a wood bathtub tray for wine, a book, or your phone for playing your mediation app. Place a small teak root table next to the bathtub. A natural woven bathmat or a jute basket for those fluffy white towels.
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Tip #8: Replace showerhead, cabinet hardware and fixtures.
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Larger spa shower heads keep your body luxuriating in warm water, and it can be just as relaxing as a lounge in the tub.
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Fixtures and cabinet hardware are like the jewelry of the bathroom. Go ahead and mix metals. Gold with chrome. Brass with iron. Have fun and make it gorgeous.
With a few of these changes, you can easily create the look and feel of a spa bathroom over a single weekend. Get your loved ones to help in this worthwhile project!
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And….always know that I am only a Zoom consultation call away if you get stuck and want some expert advice.
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Hugs and love,
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Donna
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