I would love to have a bathroom that looks that nice!

Hi there,

Here are some suggestions:

1.  It looks as though the walls are covered in tiles that are dated.   You can actually paint tiles with Melamine (paint)! - you can have it tinted to many many different shades.   I used it once in an older home I owned, on the backsplash tiles -- it made a world of difference!   Then to keep them waterproof, you can buy a type of Silicone Spray to seal them.   If you have a large, reputable hardware or building supply store (Home Depot, Rona, Totem, etc), ask someone in the paint department for some help; explain that you're wanting to paint over your bathroom tiles and seal them afterward.   Oh, also..........before I painted the tiles with the Melamine, I primed them with a type of product that you use on glossy surfaces, so that paint or Melamine adheres better.   Sorry, I don't remember the name but someone at the above stores should be able to help you.

2.  I'd paint the cabinets and trim around the medicine cabinet; white.   If you did your tiles a nice taupe or soft moss green or pale blue, the contrast with the white would be very sharp.  

3.  I'd then paint the walls above the tiles, white.......they'll contrast nicely with the painted tiles below them.

4.  Change the hardware on your cabinets.   I just changed the hardware on my kitchen cabinets to the following: they're very contemporary and affordable, you can get them at Home Depot, etc.   OOPS! Guess I can't post website URLs so do a search on Google for: Brushed Stainless Steel bar pull and you'll see them sold all over.

5.  Not sure what kind of light fixture you have but updating it wouldn't cost that much and can make a huge difference.

6.  If you can, change your sink tap fixture to something a little more contemporary (I had this kind in my bathroom and I changed it to something a little more updated; looked very sharp, didn't cost that much, I was able to change it myself).

7.  Instead of piling your towels in the wicker basket, try rolling them up and standing them in the basket.   If you want to have a contrast color (say you do your tiles moss green, whiles and cabinets white and then you want another color - you could spray paint your wicker basket - maybe a nice chocolate brown?)

Hope this helps :-)

Lisa

To add to my above suggestions, I just re-read what you wrote and you mentioned that your toilet and countertop are a champagne color; sorry, thought they were white.  

Well, to be honest, if you can, I'd suggest you replace the toilet and countertop.   Toilets are pretty cheap, particularly at big box stores - seriously............and for the countertop, I know laminate sounds cheesy perhaps but there's some really really nice laminate out there....with funky patterns and speckles.   Go look @ Home Depot.   You'd need such a small piece of laminate.   It truly wouldn't cost you that much to have it installed.  

Also, as for my suggestion to paint your wall tiles Melamine, due to the fact that the tiles flow directly into your shower, if you're at all concerned about Melamine (sealed) holding up in a shower (frequently subjected to water) -- if nothing else you could paint the tiles throughout the bathroom, going into the shower opening but just as far as necessary, for the rest (inside the shower) would at least be hidden by your nice white curtain.    In my old house I mentioned, that I used Melamine on the backsplash tiles all around the kitchen - I actually did it in the bathroom around the tub.   It was an old house, it didn't have a shower -- just a tub........with 2 feet high of tiles around the walls surrounding the tub.   I used Melamine on them (white) and then did every odd tile a nice teal green/blue (hey, this was in the early 90s and teal gree/blue was in... haha).   So when splashing around in the tub, they did get water on them and it wasn't a problem......................but in your case, I wouldn't do the interior of the shower because you'll want to wash the shower walls periodically and I would be worried about how cleaners might impact the melamine in the tiles.

Lisa

Great suggestion. As a Feng Shui consultant, I also like to introduce the color green into a bathroom because of the high water element that is represented with the sink, toilet and bathtub/ shower. I also like to sometimes add a plant on the top of a toilet to replace what many have on the toilet already - candles. Seems to bring the bathroom in harmony.

Lisa, I'm seriously going to consider your thorough suggestions, and Ken, green is a great idea... I kinda like green - like a nice light, warm green, no?

Elana, once you make the changes, be sure to post some "after" pictures if you can, will be exciting to see the changes!  Oh, one other suggestion...........not sure what type of flooring you have in there; probably older lino?   You can buy really nice and affordable 'peel and stick' vinyl floor tiles.   Easy to cut, easy to install.    New flooring itself can make a world of difference in the look and mood of a room.

Hi - you are lucky that the room looks good enough to improve, I have just done my kitchen on no money so Im thrilled.  I just read cover to cover the Home Heist book and Colin and Jason have some excellentt ideas for saving cash so that might help.  And the magazines are all great at the moment as well,

Brenda

I agree, Colin and Justins book is the best book out there at the moment.  I bought it at a signing at Chapters last week! They have great ideas and its seems a great idea to do a book for all of us who want to create million dollar looks without spending heavily.

Very best wishes, Brea and James Miller, Danforth x

Will do Lisa!  And the floor is the same Champagne tile you see on the walls... Unfortunately.  I think I'm going to start with painting out the wood.  Thanks for your comments everyone!

Hi,

Painting the woodwork white will make an immediate impact--you never know what it'll do to the "champagne".  Your basket of towels is quite large and overflowing (overpowers the room).  I like the suggestion of rolling the towels, however change the basket to a different size and colour (white? pale green?) Is that a medicine cabinet/mirror? Can it be changed?  Hardware on cabinets can be updated.  And some pretty fingertip/handtowels on the sink in the same pale green as basket?

I wonder if you could add some curtains to flank each side of the window and as long as the ledge?  I personally like to dress up my washrooms with some candles too.

Please post your "after" pics.  

You may even want to concider a smaller vanity they are pretty cheep. It might gain you some space. Also a newer smaller toilet would really help gain you some space.

If you do replace the toliet why not have the bathtub refinished white?  We just did it and for $325 it looks fantastic!

Good luck

Hey there's an idea!  Refinishing the bathtub in another colour???   I didn't think it was that affordable.  Nadia, would you mind posting a quick description of how it was done? And what type of company it was that did it, and whether it is a common thing to ask for of certain trades people?  Great tip!

Thanks!

Hi Elana; I agree with the others comments, paint the walls and the vanity and frame of the medicine cabinet.  Add some updated hardware to both the vanity and something slick to the medicine cabinet.  For the paint colour i would go with a shade of white tinted slightly to go with the champagne colour of the fixtures.  Keep in the palest section of the fan deck to stay bright.  

One other suggestion you might consider is that flat of wall space above the toilet.  Put some art work up there to draw the eye up and away from the toilet.  It is the first thing that catches the eye so why not make the area next to your great Restoration Hardware canisters pop and be the focal point instead of the champagne toilet.

I have the same towel storage issue that you have.  What I did was sew some thick gross grain ribbon (about 1in x 3in) on the sides of each towel and we hang them on hooks from the walls.  it actually works out well because they dry better and no one has an excuse for leaving them on the floor!  You don't have much space but maybe the back of the door and you can put one on the tiles where the tub starts for easy access when exiting the shower.  If you do not want to do this then change the basket to a smaller scale and as the others suggested roll them up.

Please post after pictures for us!  Good luck.

I don't know how old your house is or what style you are going for but a friend of mine has tile 3/4 of the way up the walls in the kitchen (old home) and I covered them with beadboard and painted it white for her (you could use cream or off white). This would solve the problem of trying to paint them and is a really nice look. You could leave the tiles in the tub area as they are and keep the shower curtain drawn.  

The first thing I would do is change to a pedestal sink to open up the whole space, romove the medicne cabinet and measure your wall and apply a mirror that covers the entire wall up to the ceiling above the sink and tiling. To allow storage get a tall, white cupboards that fit pn either side of the window.  Try to keep the room clutter free by only having what you really need in the bathroom. Towels can be hung on the back of the door with two towel bars instead of one. If you can get a good deal on ceramic tiles I would get all white tiles and re-do the floor and all the walls. Change your shower curtain to something with contrast, to add flair to the room and add a small accent rug to pick up the color of the shower curtain.

Marine Boat paint will also withstand the water concerns on tile!

I don't think it looks that bad.  I think you've done a good job so far.  From what I can see in the pictures it's the mirror and clutter that bother me the most.  I like the basket on the toilet because it repeats the color of the cabinet and the white containers you chose from Restoration Hardware.  If you don't want to spend a lot of money just change out the mirror for something more interesting/contemporary (maybe a round brushed stainless from IKEA?) add hardware, faucet and light fixture to match and be done with it until you can afford a full remodel.  Lastly, if you have the light, add a  green plant on the window ledge.        

Give please. If we fall, we don't need self-recrimination or blame or anger - we need a reawakening of our intention and a willingness to recommit, to be whole-hearted once again.

I am from Botswana and too poorly know English, tell me right I wrote the following sentence: "Even being reported in the following months also, these do normally appear in the early stages."

Thanks :(. Vivi.