A reader posed this question: “I am bored with my seaside themed guest bathroom and want something fresh and updated. It is a tiny room with a sink, toilet and shower – about 5′x5′ not including the shower.
I have a can of “acid” green paint; I love the color and I’m thinking about using it as the inspiration for my bath. I’m guessing that I would need to offset the brightness with black and white, so maybe using a black framed mirror and white shower curtain. But I’m not sure how to use the paint and what kind of treatment to use for the walls. I want something modern but a total “mod” look wouldn’t really go with the rest of my home. Any suggestions to get me started?” Kathy -Everett, WA
COLOR COMPANIONS FOR VIVID GREEN
First, I don’t think you have to be limited to black/white as the other colors, especially since that combo seems quite contemporary to me. If you want to calm the bright yellowy green, I would suggest a rich chocolate brown for the mirror and art frames so the contrast wouldn’t be quite as stark as with black. Another couple of options would be navy blue or purple, either of which would be more unexpected. If you want something other than white for your overall color, I’d go with a light khaki – you’d still get the punch of the vivid green, but the overall effect would be softer.
The accent color could then appear in a stripe or floral in the shower curtain which would bring some pattern into the room. Or, buy an inexpensive white shower curtain and add a band at the bottom of at least 12″ wide in your accent color. It’ll add the color, spice up the curtain and use less than a yard of fabric. If you don’t sew, use iron-on stitch witchery.
CREATIVE PAINT IDEAS
It sounds like you don’t have much uninterrupted wall space for a focal wall so I’d suggest one bold element. Horizontal stripes are still a popular treatment, but how about taking it a step further? On your white walls, paint a wide stripe (24-30″) about 30-36″ from the ceiling or wherever it has the least interference with tiles and fixtures. Then “trim” the stripe with a 2″ band top and bottom with your accent color – a sharp navy or dramatic purple.
Another option would be to paint an updated checkerboard. Again, start with the wide stripe. When it’s dry, tape out your standard checkerboard design. For something a little more updated, use a subway tile style which is rectangular 3×6″ or 4×8″, whichever fits your stripe evenly. Using the same acid green color, but in flat, paint the alternating squares. Interest will be created in the subtle shading of different paint finishes. If that’s too tame, while the tape is still up, use it as a guide to freehand a narrow (1/4″) line to outline the checkerboard, like grout. Don’t worry about the freehand aspect, you want it to look handpainted. If you want something more organic, try outlining great big leaves – an oversize, graphic leaf shape. Again, not solid, but just the outline – and maybe have a piece of the leaf break the plane of the stripe slightly.
MORE WALL TREATMENT IDEAS
Depending upon how dramatic you want to be, think about painting the whole room a medium, greyed out purple. If not purple, then the light khaki. Using round templates of varying diameters or a compass, draw a series of overlapping circles from huge (maybe 3 ft diameter) to small (10-12″). Again, just use the outlines traced in your acid green. The freehand variation in thickness and uneveness of the edges will create interest and movement in a room of squares. Maybe even draw one circle so it ‘bends’ onto the ceiling and breaks that plane.
Painting oversize circles makes a big statement.
HOW TO PAINT PERFECT STRIPES
When taping to paint stripes, measurement is critical to keep the tape lines straight. I usually put a mark every 6-8 inches or so to increase my chances of keeping the tape straight. Then lay a level along the marks and lightly draw a line. Then tape. To keep the paint from seeping under the tape, (always a major problem) try this: use untinted glaze and paint with a brush right along the edge of the tape and it will seal the edge. Instead of glaze use the base wall color. So if your base wall color is khaki, tape your design and paint the edges of the tape with khaki – then if it seeps it won’t show but it will seal the tape to the wall. When it’s dry, paint your stripe color. Although either of these techniques add another step of drying time, it’s well worth it in the long run to have those crisp stripe edges.
Hope this helps, Kathy. Enjoy your new room – and send us a picture!
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Do you have a suggestion of how to get started on my bathroom? I don’t like to shop, so I don’t get excited about running around looking for an inspiration piece. I usually start with something I stumble across, my can of acid green paint, for example – that means a room can wait for years for the right inspiration and I would like to speed up the process of creating a home environment that makes me smile room to room!
It sounds like for my bathroom, I would be better off starting with an item that has the green and the blue (to tie in with my blue counter top), ’cause the paint will be the easiest item to find while the towels/shower curtain/bath rugs etc will be more challenging.
Would it be easiest to start at the fabric store in order to find the trim/stripe fabrics to go with the white shower curtain (which I assume should be easy to find). I stopped by TJ Max to see if I might happen across an inspiration piece to get me started, but na da. I can wait to get started with the painting techniques – I think I’m going to give the big circle outlines a try – I love the look and it is something I’ve not seen before. And I love that I don’t have to mess with the countertop!!
Inspiration can come from anything at any time and you already have your beginning point. You have the paint color and paint idea so I’d start there. Paint. It’s going to have the largest overall impact in the room and once it’s in place it will be easier to determine your next step. Then add the white shower curtain -it’s bright and neutral and will work until you find the right fabric to trim it. Start keeping your eyes open for the right fabric or piece of art (if you don’t like roaming the stores, roam online – there are some great inexpensive art sites). When looking for a blue/green combo in the fabric or art, it’s important to remember you don’t have to exactly match either of the colors in your room. Sometimes people get too hung up on finding the perfect match. A successful blend is what you want – keeping it in the same family (yellow green). Rooms evolve – it’s the rare person that has the time or money to create a whole new look in a day (unlike on TV) but if you start with the dramatic wall treatment, you’ll feel the reward of major progress quickly. The details will follow.
I’m excited to get started. I love having choices so I can make the look my own. I think that is what I don’t like about magazines; I can’t see beyond the one photo and/or suggestion. I love all the paint treatment suggestions but I especially like the circles. Now I have the urge to use all the ideas in different locations in my home.
I forgot about my light blue counter top, but it is so small maybe I could use a paint treatment of some type to keep the cost down – any suggestions for that?
Thank you for all the inspiration!
Blue countertop, huh? Almost every surface can be painted with the proper prep and paint. I don’t really recommend painting kitchen or bathroom countertops because of the high use – high moisture factor. However, if you want to give it a shot – for laminate you’ll need to sand and paint – I think there’s a special paint for melamine that would be best, but check with your paint store professional. If it’s tile, it’s the same basic steps with a primer step in there as well. There are DIY sites that will give specific instructions. Personally, I’d either tile the top or try to work the blue into my scheme. Blue will work with the bright green – just make one circle in the series a light blue one, put a narrow blue stripe in the shower curain somewhere, hang blue towels over the green stripe/circles, hang art that has both green & blue……lots of options to work with it. Thank goodness it’s not a pink countertop!