10 Ideas to Style Your Bathroom Basin Area Beautifully

How you style your bathroom basin area is becoming a point of competition for those who take pride of their home presentation. With the advent of so many skilled interior stylists, Instagram decor enthusiasts and tasteful homewares being far more accessible these days, its no wonder that the bar is set super high.

But we don’t all possess the styling knack, so we’d like to lend a helping hand to give you inspiration aplenty and get you trying your hand at a little basin styling. Whether its to elevate your daily handwashing hygiene or make an impression on your guests, finding the right styling to complement? your hardware 

How to complement your choice of hardware, whether you want to elevate your daily handwashing hygiene or make an impression on your guests. 

1. For standalone basins, a minimal shelf above the tapware makes for the perfect styling opportunity 

Image: @maxmademedoit

We all understand that sometimes, space restrictions mean that only a small-scale basin will work in your bathroom. That absolutely doesn’t mean you can’t make it look stunning though. A small shelf above the basin creates a little platform for your basin essentials and any other decor you can accompany it with. 

2. Fresh flowers never fail to impress

Image: @maxmademedoit

Whether it's in a living room, bedroom, guest bathroom or even dining table, you can never go wrong with fresh flowers. They effortlessly add the golden trio of colour, shape and scent and can often creates a talking point for guests. Flowers can make quite a big splash on your basin styling so keep everything else minimal in terms of size and within the colour palette. For smaller bathrooms, consider just a few wildflowers in a small, slim vase. It can make a big difference asthetically.

3. When in doubt, add a cute animal!

Image: @macandmaxwell

We joke! But not entirely. Animals can really make a house a home so if your bathroom is utterly stunning and already speaks for itself (like the lovely one shown here) then sometimes the only thing you can do to make it look even better is to add a super cute pet! This fluffy kitty just so happens to coordinate with the sky blue shade of the herringbone tiles and those gorgeous eyes highlight the brass tapware too. What a stylish cat!

4. Verdant greenery in the form of houseplants

Image: @annastathakiphoto

Houseplants continue to soar in popularity on the interiors scene as essential home decor, not only for their stunning aesthetics but also for their health benefits. A bathroom just so happens to be an ideal home for many plant varieties, with warm moisture and plenty of light so using plants as basin styling props works wonderfully. For small washstands, a desktop-sized plant can make a colourful addition and lends curious shapes and textures to the overall scheme and for larger bathrooms, make a big impact with a floor-standing plant and allow foliage to overhand the basin area to emphasise the natural element. It adds something really quite unique. 

5. Elevate your hand towel

Image: @rvk_loves

Sometimes, the best key to making your bathroom look like a styled masterpiece is using obvious, everyday objects. Using a hand towel as aesthetic decor just makes sense when you consider how versatile it can be. Picking a hand towel in a rustic organic kind of fabric can set the tone for your entire bathroom and means you can make a casual scrunch-and-lay-down look like high-end styling. Adapt this idea to your own style through a fitting choice of hand towel material, colour and whether you go for a neat fold and lay-down or a casual scrunched up finish. 

Find this wall mounted tap here. 

6. Coordinate your hardware and accessories

Image: @surreyfamilyhome

One of the most versatile features of brass is its ability to lend itself to so many different decor styles. If you really want to highlight the lustre of genuine brass, consider coordinating your tapware with brass or gold-effect accessories. In doing this, you’re taking your styling cue from a solid part of the basin so your finished look has flow and coherence. The key to achieving this kind of look is not going overboard with the metallics, so choose some key pieces in the desired finish and if they’re practical (such as a toothbrush holder or soap dish) then all the better. 

7. Vintage apothecary style in line with your period property

Image: @monochrome.maison

For those of you who are lucky enough to call a period property home (or even those who replicate the styling in a newer property), basin decor is a great opportunity to pay homage to the era of your property and have some fun with your pieces, too. This home is clearly channeling the cool design of bathroom products to tie between the more modern bathroom and the age of the property. Luckily, both flow seamlessly with modern-look brass taps. These kinds of apothecary-inspired bottles have become increasingly popular so its easier to get your hands on something similar. If not, use a brown glass bottle with a simple label to create your own.

8. Make a style feature with soap

Image: @home_with_victoria

Some styling additions are super simple but make waves in the overall impression of your bathroom. So many soap brands are selling products in stunning bottles, especially those that are also environmentally friendly and more sustainable. By spending a little extra time finding a bathroom hand soap in a bottle designed to be visually pleasing too (or by choosing your own refillably bottle paired with your favourite refill product), you can add something beautiful and absolutely essential at the same time. The key is to consider everything in your bathroom a styling opportunity!

9. Footstools are practical and add new levels

Image: @makingspacesnet

If your basin area is rather minimal then play around with different heights for your styling. A footstool like in this lovely bathroom is a casual little space to place both pretty and practical objects but it also comes in super handy, particularly if you have little ones using the bathroom and want to avoid unsightly plastic steps. Find a stool to suit your decor and if you’re lucky, you can find a salvaged piece to add bags of character to the room as well as extra surface space. 

You can find this wall mounted mixer tap here.

10. Fit a wall shelf your decor 

Image: @thepalm_residence

It pays to be realistic when it comes to organising your bathroom and some basins simply look better without adding too much to the surfaces. Think outside the box a little and opt for wall-mounted shelves or wall furniture to add the essentials such as mirrors and the prettier things like room spray and little trinkets. The surfaces themselves aren’t imposing but can create the perfect canvas for a styling session without making the area too visually busy.