I have one of those 1950’s houses with the original sugar almond pastel bathrooms. Mine are a blue one and a pink one. When we bought the house, my boyfriend and I never did anything to it. Saving the pink bathroom was always the plan. But the sink stand and the multicolored paint job with wallpaper border around the ceiling? Ugh. Here are a few pictures (I was so excited to get started I forgot to take “Before” pics until I had already begun!).
In order to get a clean fresh look without spending much money I decided to go to Home Depot with my Cheap & Ch’i- ful checklist:
*Embrace the Pink: The wall color is Behr Pink Ginger. By keeping the walls and the ceiling monotone with the tile, it feels like a more spacious bathroom.
*The sink stand was refreshed by attaching stainless steel peel off tiles to the sides and partial detail on the front. Martha Stewart Living Specialty Metallic Paint in “Thundercloud” was used to match the Aspect Peel & Stick Matted Tiles in Square/Stainless pattern.
*The window had plenty of ug-factor, too. Not seen here are the home made “old lady curtains” and the chrome towel bar that kept falling down. I removed those and found a paper folded “Redi-Shade” for under $5 at Home Depot. (Yes,it will probably unfold with the bathroom humidity—that remains to be seen!—but for now it gives me the look I want until I can replace it with a really nice shade or blind. Plus, I can always take baths in my pink bathtub to avoid steaming up the room!). I painted the trim in the same metallic paint.
*I searched my own art collection for pieces that would fit into the Art Deco-ish space. These may evolve into other art work but for now I think it looks okay.
All for less than $200. Here are the pics:
STILL TO DO:
I have painted the inside of the door Pink Ginger, too. The current trim is white but I plan to paint it metallic silver to match the window. The toilet seat is white. I searched around the internet and found Bemis has over 95 retro shades at their website. There are 4 possible matches to my commode so I ordered samples ($1 each) and will order the $85 seat that goes best. I need to replace the caulk around my pink bathtub and scrub up the chrome sliding doors, too. I may rethink my towels but for now these’ll do.
I realize this ‘renovation’ is the equivalent of buying a new lipstick instead of getting a facelift. But have I improved the feng shui? Yes! By transforming something ugly into something vibrant and fresh I have created lots of happy energy. And for now, I can live with that.
PS: Sorry the photographs are not the greatest. My beloved partner/photographer passed away in September. Find out what happened at the Going to Goa Blog.
(May not be used or copied commercially without the permission of ©Po Ping T’so Lo.)
Feng Shui By Fishgirl 