If you have an older home with a bathroom that needs remodeling, you might be feeling a little torn. On one hand, you want to modernize the space and take advantage of some of the luxuries that modern plumbing and decor have to offer. On the other hand, you don't want to make the space look too modern and out of touch with the rest of the home. How do you achieve this balance with a bathroom remodel? Here are a few tips.

Stick with a neutral color scheme.

It can be tempting to modernize with whatever colors are trendy and popular at the time. But this tends to be a bit too modern for an older home. Instead, stick with a neutral color scheme. It may not be what was trendy at the time your home was built, but it is timeless and will never look out of fashion. Shades of gray work well in a bathroom as you can add pops of color with the towels and other small items. A black and white bathroom is also neutral and stunning.

Use some wood.

People often dismiss wood in the bathroom because they think it will mold or rot. But you can absolutely use wood in a bathroom if it is properly sealed. And wood offers the perfect balance between modern and traditional. It's a natural material, and that's definitely on-trend lately. Plus, wood has been used in homes for centuries. A wooden vanity, wood shelving, or even a wood sink can add a nice touch to your new bathroom design.

Choose simple hardware.

Cabinet hardware has a dramatic way of affecting the way a space looks. Choose one type of hardware, and your entire bathroom will look like it's from the 1900s. Choose another type, and your bathroom will look like it's from the future. The best approach, when trying to balance old and new, is to go with hardware that's as neutral as you can find. Simple, brushed nickel drawer pulls without any etching or detail work well in many cases. Or, if you have white cabinets, you can go with matching white hardware that blends in with those cabinets.

Remodeling a bathroom in an old house is a big project and not one to take lightly. You may feel like you're walking a line between modernizing and preserving the traditional look. But that line isn't that hard to walk when you follow the tips above.

Contact a local bathroom remodeling service to learn more.