10 ways to upgrade your bathroom in an hour or less

July 16, 2024

Declutter countertops in style

In the middle of the expansive Chicago double vanity she shares with her husband, designer Laura Tribbet added a shallow, sleek acrylic tray. "Between my husband and I, there's a lot of different products that are going to be on the countertop, and it's just a parking spot," she says. "It's signifier to us both that 'this is where the toothpaste goes." With two young children, "anything that can be seen as intentional is a luxury."

Place a plant

"The use of plants in bathrooms is very underrated and very under used in general," says Lubin, who recommends pothos, snake plants, monstera and calathea, all of which tend to thrive in humid, lowlight spaces. "I kill everything and I've managed to keep all of my bathroom plants alive," she says. Tribbet adds that a bud vase with cut flowers can have a similar effect. "We call it mojo: moment of joy for others." And yourself.