In the current critical state of economic depression, spending another fortune on renovating your bathroom is probably the last thing you're thinking about. Having a comfortable, roomy place to decompress after a stressful day's work is never a bad idea, yet when trying to pay off your mortgage and energy bills, a new bathroom is a luxury many of us cannot afford. 

Yet a bathroom renewal does not have to be as costly as we would think. There are many economic strategies we can employ to create the bathroom of our dreams, while still managing to make ends meet. By looking at how mirrors, tiling, furniture and paint can be used in an economically viable manner, the bathroom of our dreams can, in fact, become a reality.

As many designers will tell you, mirrors are highly effective for creating an illusion of space. Placing full-length mirrors on walls and small mirrors on cabinet doors can make any small bathroom look twice as big. Lighting and tiles styles have similar effects on how spacious a room looks and feels. Using large-size tiles and large warm lamps increases the size of your bathroom significantly. Therefore, instead of spending hundreds of pounds on extending your bathroom's area, create an illusion of space.

If you do not have the physical space to place the furniture you want, there are more cost-effective ways to create the space you need. Getting specially fitted or built-in furniture is, for instance, useful for freeing up space. Instead of standing cupboards or cabinets, get smaller, yet deeper, wall cabinets that can hang overhead. Additionally, the use of wooden planks to create your own storage place for towels or beauty products is an idea to be considered - planks on the wall leave more floor space, so utilizing the space you have in an intelligent manner is a very cost-effective way to clear up the space you need in your bathroom.

Choosing the appropriate colour of wallpaper or paint is very important, because colour is the largest contributing factor for creating the desired ambience of your environment. Painting a room yourself is the most economically advantageous way to directly influence the mood and design of your new bathroom.

Seeing as there is no 'one way' to decorate, it is up to you to decide the colour scheme based on what style you are looking for:

For a largest sense of space, it is best to use soft and pale colour schemes (such as peach and beige).

To create an atmosphere marked by peace and calm, it is advised to use cool colours (i.e. green or sky blue).

Bright, warm colours (such as orange and apple green) are effective for creating a cosy, restful ambience.

As is demonstrated by the suggestions above, bathroom renewable do not have to be exceedingly pricey. With furniture replacements, the addition of mirrors, and hand-painted walls you have the potential to create the bathroom you always envisioned - and that without the help of costly professional designers.