A dated bathroom gets a new look
Turn a dated bathroom into something fresh and different by pairing it with fresh fabric and complementary colours.
An outdated tile colour doesn't have to muddy the design of your bathroom. Instead, use it as a springboard.
This bathroom makeover began witth a fruit-motif fabric that had just enough warm yellow to tie in with the tile and tub; the pattern also brought periwinkle, berry red, purple, and green into the bath.
Berry-red paint and new, clean-lined cabinet doors and knobs refresh the formerly brown vanity, and varying shades of green appear in the bath mat, hamper liner, and shower curtain. The periwinkle wall colour also scoops the gold tile out of its murkiness and gives it a fresh look.
White sheers, trimmed with the fruity fabric, frame the tub and cover the window, and they're airy enough to lighten the heavy tile.
Brighten a dated vanity
To repaint a wood vanity, remove all hardware and hinges.
- Fill any chips or gouges with wood
filler; let dry and sand smooth.
- Brush on a coat of primer and let dry.
Apply paint in the desired colour
(choose a high-humidity paint such as
Prominent Paints UltraGloss that
withstands bath moisture). Let dry
and then apply a second coat if needed.
When it's dry, reinstall knobs and hinges.
Grab a can of Rust-Oleum 2X Painter's Touch in high gloss Colonial Red to transform a dated cabinet.
Bright colours and patterns liven the shower curtain
Because this bath does not include a shower head, a full-size shower curtain is unnecessary. Instead, narrow ceiling-mounted fabric panels flank the gold tub to screen it and add luminous softness to the room.
- Sew simple panels like these using lightweight fabric, or cut strips from a full-size shower curtain or drapery; hem raw edges, tack ties to the top, and tie them to the hooks.
- Tie your panels to eyebolts that are screwed into the ceiling; you can also tie the fabric straps through plant hooks.
Note: To attach a heavier curtain, drill pilot holes for plastic anchors, insert the plant hooks' screw shanks into the anchors, and screw the hooks into the ceiling.