How to style a bathroom ready for Christmas guests, according to an interior stylist

Knowing how to style a bathroom for Christmas is the secret to transforming a standard everyday space into a stunning sanctuary that offers a touch of luxury. 

We’ve all been there, the year has flown by and you’ve run out of time for a full bathroom makeover but you have guests coming and you need some tips for how to make the best of the space. 

Fear not, we have lots of simple tips and tricks to take the stress out of elevating this essential room, from exploring the secrets of softening your best bath towels to deep cleaning your bathroom. 

I’ve been chatting with some brilliant interior designers to get their take on how to style a bathroom for Christmas to make the space feel more luxurious. 

How to style your bathroom for Christmas guests

Similar to styling a hallway ready for Christmas these tips on how to style your bathroom will save the day if you’ve run out of time for a full-on makeover but are keen to get the space looking its best to impress guests.

Our insights from experts are equally useful if your bathroom just needs a little festive lift to spread seasonal cheer to even the smallest room in the house with a few simple Christmas decorating ideas.

1. Don't hold back on the deep clean

This is probably an obvious first step when considering how to style your bathroom, but it’s vitally important so needs a mention. Bathrooms get a lot of use and can start to look grubby and dirty without a regular deep clean. You might not even notice some of the telltale signs that a guest will spot immediately, so it pays to up how often you clean your bathroom when you're expecting guests.

Any effort spent styling and decorating for guests will be wasted if the first thing they spot is a pug hole full of hair or a grimy shower screen and limescale all over the taps. Cleaning with baking soda is so effective here and I recommend setting aside at least half an hour to deep clean your bathroom if you can.

Karen Robinson, interior designer and owner at Ruby Red Interiors, has this advice, “Clean like you’ve never cleaned before. Go above and beyond your normal bathroom cleaning routine and make sure the sanitary ware is gleaming, the mirrors are polished and the floor is clean enough off which to eat your Christmas dinner off."

Karen Robinson

Ruby Red Interiors is a Kent-based interior design studio which works with both residential and commercial clients in Kent, London and the South East. With over 10 years' experience, its founder Karen Robinson began her interiors career in TV, producing Channel 4’s ‘Property Ladder’ before opening up her own interior design studio after leaving TV production.

2. Declutter your bathroom

Decluttering your bathroom isn’t going to involve the same heavy lifting that you might expect from a junk room to guest bedroom transformation, but it is equally important. 

Sort through all your toiletries and put them into groups – a great way to organise a small space. Anything old, empty, rarely used, or even out of date needs to go. 

Sort what’s left into neat boxes or baskets and ensure there is some free space for guests to use. If you have any unopened toiletries or make-up that you don’t want, consider donating them to beauty banks or charities that support women’s refuges, as they are always looking for these items. 

3. Bring out the best towels

Providing your guests with clean, fresh towels is a non-negotiable, but taking the time to fold and present them beautifully is an extra touch that can make a bathroom look expensive on a budget. 

You might opt to leave bath towels in your festive guest bedroom but you’ll also need hand towels in the bathroom so have a plan for how to store them. Some people like to roll towels up and stack them, either in a basket or a wall-mounted towel holder. Folding is an alternative to rolling and folder towels can be neatly placed over a towel rail or radiator.

On the subject of towels, Karen Robinson has these tips, “Coordinate your towels with a solitary Christmas trinket.  For example, if you want to hang a fabulous gold star, team this with white towels with gold hems,” and “Last, but not least, always make sure your towels are fluffy and soft…guests always seem to remember the softness of their towel!”

Emma Capron, interior designer and creative director at Bean Interiors Ltd. had these top tips to share, "Do your towels need replacing? Nothing beats warm fluffy, fresh-smelling matching towels for when you step out of the shower or bath. So make sure your towel radiators are turned on and your towels are freshly washed and soft. 

"Whilst I’m not a fan of using ‘fabric softeners’, I do love adding the ‘Scent Booster’ beads when washing towels and bedding, they make such a difference."

Emma Capron

Bean Interiors provides a bespoke residential interior design service, from concept through to completion in and around the South East. Creating elegant, considered spaces which truly reflect their clients' personality delivered with meticulous attention to detail, from start to finish. Emma has over 25 years experience in the industry, having initially worked for several award winning international design consultancies in London before setting up independantly. 

4. Refresh grubby grout

I recently shared this little bathroom upgrade on my Instagram as it’s super simple yet effective and again doesn’t require any tools. You can use grout pens for this task, but I find them a bit fiddly so I prefer to use a tube of grout reviver with a sponge applicator. 

Clean the grout and dry the surface first, then squeeze a layer of grout reviver over the grout lines and leave for an hour. Wipe off any excess on the tile edges and leave until the grout lines have fully set and your white tile grout is sparkling like new again, ready to welcome your guests. I used the Unibond Grout Reviver Pen priced at £4 at Amazon.

5. Add flowers or festive foliage

A vase of festive foliage can look and smell amazing and create a welcoming feature. If your bathroom is about as far from a luxury hotel as can be, you can strategically place a beautiful festive bouquet to distract from your bathroom’s weak points. 

Interior designer Rukmini Patel has these great suggestions, "Create a small bouquet of fresh bunch of eucalyptus, pine leaves and some thistle. The smell from the eucalyptus will feel fresh and inviting whilst the pine leaves will smell festive. If you’re feeling brave you can hang a bunch of eucalyptus upside down in the shower too!"

If festive foliage doesn't appeal, perhaps a plant might be the answer. Interior designer Emma Capron has this great suggestion, "If you have the space, a freestanding moisture-loving plant can make a huge difference, the practice of Biophilic design, essentially means bringing nature into the home to create a restorative atmosphere. If you don’t have the floor space, could you hang a couple from the ceiling?"  

Rukmini Patel

Rukmini Patel is an interior designer who specialises in renovating character properties in and around London. She has an eye for beauty, creates show stopping colourful designs and completes projects to a high end finish.

6. Treat your guests to seasonal toiletries

Many of us like to save ‘the good stuff’ for special occasions, but what better occasion than welcoming guests into your home? Break out the Molten Brown, the Aesop and the L'occitane.

Emma Capron had this top tip, "Treat your guests to luxurious new hand wash and hand cream; there are some great ones available in simple pump dispenser packaging," adding, "Make sure there are plenty of products available, just in case your guests have forgotten anything, even if its miniatures; shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, bath oils, toothpaste, cotton wool etc." 

Don’t panic if you don’t have a stash of luxury handwash on standby as I can personally recommend these excellent value and superbly scented alternatives:  

7. Scentscape your bathroom

The idea of scent-scaping your home comes up a lot because it is a great way to elevate your mood and enjoy a more sensory experience in your home. This principle can be extended to involve your guests in making their stay more relaxing and enjoyable. We recommend checking to see if there are any scents they are not keen on beforehand, as filling the air with these will have the opposite effect. 

Providing a way to improve the fragrance of a bathroom is a good idea to ensure your guests can make themselves at home. Lavender and citrus scents are good for bathrooms and create a welcoming spa-like experience during your guests' stay. “Add a festive-scented candle to a shelf, such as an orange and cinnamon fragrance or a nutmeg and ginger scent,” says Karen. 

Why not combine fragrance methods, here are Emma Capron's top tips, "Additional ways to add layers of scent to the bathroom is to combine your best scented candles, perfect for bathing and reed diffusers are great for continuous scent; just remember to rotate the reeds every week or so."

8. Buy a new bathmat

Investing in a fresh new bathmat is a great way to give your bathroom a lift. Choose a colour that’s in keeping with the room’s colour palette and make sure it’s freshly laundered and inviting when your guests arrive. 

It’s a good idea to have a spare if the house is quite full, as stepping out onto a soggy bathmat isn't pleasant. When not in use, you could fold your pristine bathmat and drape it over the bath edge or hang it neatly on a towel rail. Bathmats can be used to zone the bathroom and don't have to be limited to the bath or shower area, consider adding a little mat to your sink area for extra comfort for your guests. 

9. Give your shower screen an upgrade

Even if after cleaning your glass shower doors they still look like they have seen better days, but you don’t want the hassle or expense of replacing them, a handy hack that I love to do is to add reeded glass film to the screen which instantly uplifts it’s look. 

Glass film is super easy to apply and only requires a spray bottle of water and a squeegee, so anyone can do it. I recommend the Reeded Glass Film with 25mm Flutes at Pulfrost.

This styling hack will help your bathroom look its best self in no time. If this feels like a bit too much effort consider hanging a bunch of eucalyptus on it to distract from the surface. 

10. Styling is all in the details

There are fewer opportunities for festive touches in the bathroom than in other rooms, but it’s not impossible to create a stylishly dressed, festive-feeling space. 

You’ll want to avoid paper decorations that won’t enjoy a humid environment and there’s no need to go over the top, but a few thoughtful pieces can work well. “When it comes to decorating your guest bathroom, subtlety is the key and less is most definitely more!” is Karen’s advice. 

If you have a windowsill or shelves in the bathroom, these can be adorned with festive trinkets like tealight houses or mini Christmas tree decorations. Lots of plants thrive in a humid environment, so consider adding a festive plant such as a poinsettia or amaryllis in a beautiful pot.  Adding well-kept and flourishing plants is a great way to make a home look expensive on a budget.

“Add a vase full of battery-operated fairy lights to the window sill to create a festive glow,” says Karen. 

Rukmini had this to add, "Add simple touches such as velvet bows on wall sconces or door handles, if you have the space add a miniature Christmas tree to the countertop or end of a bathtub, gift some festive face towels that guests can use and take home with them."