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Many modern homeowners find themselves faced with a problem. They want a modern bathroom renovation, but need to stay on a strict budget. Is there a way to achieve one without sacrificing the other? Certainly. Here’s is a foolproof plan to get you started.

Choose only 1 item to spend the most money on. For many people, when they think of a modern bathroom, they see a glass enclosed shower stall, a separate soaking tub, a beautiful vanity—I could go on and on. Don’t worry, for the sake of time and your sanity—I won’t.

To tear out and replace all of these fixtures to create this look, for most, is way out of their budget’s reach. If what you are starting with is a smaller, simpler bathroom that won’t allow for all of these changes, choose one item to drop the most money on. Take a mental inventory of what you like and what you can’t stand in your current bathroom. If your vanity saw better days in the 1960’s, then this would be a good place to start. If your shower enclosure used to be ivory and now appears yellowed—then here is another option to change. Remember, you can decorate around this one item to modernize the entire look of your bathroom. After you’ve decided on what’s got to go—go shopping. To stick with a modern bent, you’ll want to find something with clean lines and simple design.  Give yourself a lot of options. This is the one big ticket item you’ll be using—so make your choice count!

Modernize the rest of your fixtures to match. If your vanity was the piece that went, start modernizing the rest of your room around it. Simple and inexpensive switches abound here. A good place to start is with a fresh coat of paint. A new color or often–just another coat—can really breathe a new feeling to a space. Next, you’ll want to check into getting new hardware to match that of your vanity. You’ll find a wide variety of towel bars, door handles, or light fixtures, for example, at any Home Depot or Lowes. In addition, try changing out your old medicine cabinet for a funky new mirror. Most modern bathroom vanities allow for a good amount of storage. Utilizing this space will allow you to add a great accent right above your vanity—making it even more the central focal point of your bathroom!

Should you have decided that the shower was the piece to be updated, no worries here either! You can always update your vanity by sanding it down and adding a new finish to it. This is labor intensive, but certainly worth the effort. Another option would be to paint it. If you’re going for a clean, white look, try sanding your vanity down and adding a bright white coat of paint. You’ll find it may appear that you did get a new vanity altogether! (Remember to use a paint that is suitable for bathroom conditions—nothing looks worse than chipped or peeling surface.) Fixtures can still be replaced but now can include the vanity faucets as well.  In addition, if you’re feeling really ambitious, you can even change out the tile!

There are tons of ways you can update the look of your bathroom without breaking your budget. Start first with choosing one expensive item to replace. Once you’ve got that installed, pull together the inexpensive items to complete the transformation. You’ll be happy with the cost and the completed project! Good luck!

Hillary Hansen is a featured author for the site www.UniqueVanities.com, where you can find a large selection of beautiful modern vanities for every style, size, and budget!