Statistics estimate that the average American adult spends about an hour a day in the bathroom, or nearly 14 days over the course of a year. And that’s not including the time you lock yourself away to escape your kids, talk on the phone, or read a good book.

Since you likely spend more time in your restroom than you do on vacation, why not make your bathroom your own private oasis or spa?

With the following changes, you can transform your bathroom while staying within a reasonable budget.

1. Be Bold with Your Border

Many bathrooms stick to the standard white paint, white tile, and white sinks to match their white toilets and tubs. This happens because white creates a feeling of cleanliness, and many white fixtures and bathroom accessories come at an affordable price.

However, all this white can make your bathroom feel a bit bland. You could install a tile mosaic on your wall to create a colorful contrast, but glass mosaic tiles often cost between $20 and $40 per square foot, making it an expensive way to upgrade.

To freshen your décor, add a decorative tile border along your bathtub or underneath your vanity. It will still create the visual interest and texture of a mosaic tile but for a fraction of the price.

2. Make Your Floor Your Focal Point

Tile borders can accent your paint and bring out the color in your cabinets. But for a truly eye-catching focal point, use your floor as your canvas. Your bathroom floor often has less square footage than your walls, so you can easily splurge on the tile without breaking the bank.

For a unique look, opt for a crisp black and white basket weave or a marbled herringbone tile. These intricate patterns can trick the eye into making a small bathroom look larger. No need to spend a fortune knocking down walls for a few extra inches.

3. Add Class with Glass

While shower curtains can make a bathroom look cozy and colorful, they can also make a bathroom feel cramped and claustrophobic. Some curtains are so dense that they cut off natural lighting, so your otherwise bright and welcoming restroom feels gloomy rather than cheery.

If you want to increase your visual space and make the most of your lighting, install glass shower doors. They’ll catch the water more effectively than curtains while giving your bathroom a more modern and open feel. And they don’t cost much more than your typical shower and tub combo.

Worried about the transparency? Have an expert etch or frost the glass to cover specific areas of your shower. You can even choose your own patterns to complement your design.

4. Stylize Your Storage

From styling gel and hair dryers to toothbrushes and towels, your bathroom needs to supply you with a lot of personal items. But an abundance of these items can leave your small bathroom looking cluttered and small, even if you regularly tidy your sink and cabinets.

To make your bathroom feel more elegant, you’ll want to use a variety of storage methods help cut the clutter. For example, toilet paper and tissues look attractive if displayed in a stylish metal basket. Instead of stacking your towels on top of the toilet, roll them up and place them on a sophisticated wine rack on your wall.

If you’d rather hide your personal items, purchase stackable storage boxes or wicker baskets that you can stash under your sink or on your shelves. These baskets and boxes can help you stay more organized and make the most of your limited bathroom space.

5.  Feel Fancy with New Fixtures

Your faucets, handles, knobs, and holders might not look like much at first, but a few small switches here and there can completely upgrade your bathroom’s look and feel.

Wall-mounted faucets with a chrome finish can give your bathroom an urban chic appearance. In contrast, single-handled faucets with a brushed copper finish can make your bathroom feel more earthy and natural.

Once you’ve chosen a faucet, swap your other fixtures to create a unified and collected theme. In general, you’ll want to use the same metal finish on your handles and knobs as you do your faucet, but mixing metals can create an eclectic look if that’s what you prefer.

Don’t Let Your Budget Limit Your Creativity

Your bathroom doesn’t need a gold-plated toilet to feel luxurious. As you can see, a few simple changes can help your bathroom feel larger and more refined without breaking the bank.

Use these tips and tricks when you want to remodel your bathroom, or use your own creativity to design a room fit to house your porcelain throne.

If you need more ideas, keep reading our posts and check out some of our latest decorative projects.

You love the gorgeous aesthetic that windows give to your home. They let natural light flood in, where it illuminates all the best parts of your décor. If you could add more windows, you would.

However, you also know that windows pose a safety risk. For burglars, windows represent the home’s easiest access point. They can shatter the glass and climb in, or they could jiggle the latch open and enter your home that way.

This fact may make you want to have fewer windows. But don’t let the threat of burglars keep you from enjoying your natural light. You can keep your windows (and even install more of them) if you know how to make them more secure. We’ll tell you more about this below.

1. Repair Your Windows

Burglars don’t have to do much work to enter through an already broken window. If any of the windows in your home have shattered glass, inoperable locks, or broken frames, call a window expert in your area for repairs.

This relatively inexpensive strategy adds more security to your home than you might think. Burglars tend to choose the most accessible home in the community as their target. If you have broken glass, burglars know they can quickly get in and out of your home, even with heavy valuables in tow. By the time anyone notices their presence, they’ll have more than enough time to escape.

But if you repair your windows, you don’t look like the easiest target anymore. Burglars may move on to homes with a less secure appearance instead.

2. Attach a Security Film

You don’t necessarily have to replace your windows to boost their security. You can also add security films. These clear films adhere to your window’s surface, so you’ll probably forget their presence after you install them.

If a burglar manages to shatter your window, the film will hold the shattered pieces together. Burglars will have to spend even more time trying to puncture and rip the film, so most of them will give up and leave your home alone. Theft makes criminals stressed, and they want maximum speed and convenience so they don’t face capture. If you deny them speed, they’ll often run away.

3. Install Window Bars

You can keep intruders from ever touching your windows in the first place if you use window bars. Many homeowners worry that this feature will make their homes look like a prison, but you can buy elegant, European options that make your home look like a manor or castle instead of a dungeon.

4. Purchase a Shatter Alarm

Many security companies can install shatter alarms on your windows. If a burglar breaks the window, the alarm will go off, startling him or her. This will make most thieves run away. However, even if thieves don’t run away, your alarm will contact the police, who will arrive shortly to arrest the intruder.

5. Invest in a Screen Removal Alarm

While shatter alarms can prove helpful, wouldn’t you rather deter intruders before they cause damage? A screen removal alarm gives you this convenience. Sensors on the screen detect when intruders try to break in, and they go off. This produces the same effect as a shatter alarm. It scares most intruders away.

6. Clear Shrubs Away from Your Home

Burglars like to work in private, dark conditions. If they can hide behind shrubs, trees, bushes, garbage cans, sheds, and other items, then your home looks like an easy target. Make your windows visible from all sides of your home. Then burglars will feel nervous because you or your neighbors could potentially spot them.

7. Install Additional Exterior Lighting

Exterior lighting—especially when attached to motion detectors—can keep burglars away from your windows as well. They don’t want anyone to catch them, so they stay hidden as long as possible. Exterior lighting denies them that.

Your windows don’t have to be the easiest access point inside your home. For more information on reinforcing your windows, contact your local window specialist.

If you’re tired of expensive utility bills and are looking for ways to save money, consider installing energy efficient windows. These windows can help you save money year-round, no matter how hot or cold it gets. Here are some facts to help you decide if replacing your windows with energy efficient ones would benefit you.

Unbeatable Energy Savings

Out of the energy used in your home, up to 50% goes to cooling and heating. This means you can save a fair amount on your energy bill by reducing heating and cooling consumption. In fact, energy efficient windows keep you cool in the summer by blocking 70% of solar heat gain.

In total, energy efficient windows can save you up to 30% on your average annual energy costs. Within a year, you can save on tax credit, home value, and energy savings. Imagine saving up between $5,600 and $7,700 within the first year of using energy efficient windows. Furthermore, it only takes as little as three years to recover your initial investment.

Lower utility bills is just one benefit of energy efficient windows. You’ll also be able to experience 75% less carpet, furniture, and fabric fading.

Get Started Today

If you want to reduce your utility bill, call Ken Caryl Glass. We can help you install energy efficient windows or window films. We also offer window repair service in Colorado Springs, CO.

Call us at 877-6-GLASS-6 (877-645-2776) to get a quote for our window services.