How you style a bathroom depends on a number of factors. First, there is the general style of your home. If everything in your home has a classic country sort of feel, having an ocean theme in your bathroom may seem out of place. Second, there's the concept of the feel you want to create with the bathroom. For kids, you may choose a fun, cartoon theme; for those who are looking for a relaxing atmosphere, a place where it's possible to fully unwind at the end of a long day, peaceful colors like those in a spa would be ideal.
Similarly, the types of colors that you're like - along with the overall brightness of your bathroom - can determine whether you look for brightly colored accessories or those that are muted in color. Finally, there's your personality, or the personality of the person who will be using the bathroom the most.
In general, there are four styles that are commonly used when accessorizing the bathroom - classy, muted, bright and fun.
In a classy bathroom, you may find yourself choosing bath accessories in muted colors, perhaps with a subtle floral tone. Toilet seat covers, towels, bath mats as wall as bath accessories for the counter - a soap dish or soap pump, a toothbrush holder and such - can all be coordinated with the shower curtain. You may start with a shower curtain that is a neutral color like beige with a rose colored embellishment and match the other bath accessories to the rose shade.
If instead you were trying to create a muted look in your bathroom, you're likely to choose soft tones as well, but rather than a floral look, you may choose slightly more modern bath accessories like those that you might find at a spa retreat. Muted shades of green or blue, natural colors that resemble stone or clay are all good base colors for your bathroom. Consider a solid color shower curtain or one that is patchwork - squares of complementary colors. Choose a matching bath rug, bath towels, a toilet seat to match and simple chrome plated bath accessories.
Alternately, if bright, modern colors appeal to you, you'll find that bright, single colored shower curtains, window dressings, bath towels and shower mats can create a crisp, modern look. From using a number of different bright, solid colors in your bathroom to choosing the same pieces that feature bright colors in geometric patters or simple stripes, you'll find that you are able to bring the look of your bathroom together, to create a bright theme even if the items don't necessarily match.
Using blocks of color can be fun, but for some it's just not fun enough. Whether you're accessorizing the bathroom for kids or just for those who are young at heart, sometimes you just feel playful. You may make the choice to use a bright, aquarium theme for your bathroom - tropical fish on the shower curtain, bright towels with a wave-like geometric pattern, a fish shaped bath mat or even an acrylic toilet seat designed to look like a fish bowl (complete with colorful fish). You might choose dolphins, or even cartoon characters as the central theme for your bathroom.
For example, someone who still carries a fondness for Betty Boop may decide to use the character as a theme for his or her bathroom. A Betty Boop shower curtain and bath accessories set with a toothbrush holder, a trash can and a soap dish could be used with red or black towels and a red or black bath mat and toilet seat.
Of course, these aren't the only four styles for a bathroom; whatever your interests are, whatever inspires you, that's going to be the foundation for decorating your bathroom. Whether you choose colorful flowers, solid colors, muted tones or something altogether different - a clean, modern look using all white for example - it's the small details that bring it all together. Choosing bath towels that don't quite fit in with your chosen color scheme, combining an aquarium theme toilet seat with a bamboo shower curtain: these things simply don't create a cohesive look.
Fortunately, it's easy to find bath accessories that will allow you to bring the whole look together - that is, once you decide what kind of look and feel you are looking to create.