Thursday

The power of paint can give dramatic results to any room.  About a year ago I designed an outdated bathroom for an employee (check journal archives for December 2006).  When you work on a tight budget your best friend is paint.

I was cleaning out my desk today and came across this photo of the bathroom in my first house here in Los Angeles.  There must have been a surplus of pink tile back when the house was built because I still encounter the same bathroom in many homes today.  The home was a rental that I shared with 3 friends near the beach and my rent was $340 a month.  What a bargain it seems now, although at the time I would dream of having extra money to paint the pink tiled bathroom.

To keep my design skills in check I spent a few hours today toying with ways I could have improved the bathroom.  It’s a fun exercise to re-visit the rooms of my past and apply different looks to them. 

When I moved to Los Angeles 12 years ago, this was the bathroom in a house I shared with 3 friends. I wonder if it still looks the same

A little paint can go a long way - I played with the idea of glazing over the pink tile with a neutral color and created a contrasting band of color that acts as a chair-rail and crown moulding.  Going with a softer look, I thought an old fashioned school house lantern and simple roman shade would complete the look. 

As many of you know, I like to push the envelope. In this scenario I opted for dramatic black, red and grey color scheme.  Again, changing out the window treatment, mirror and light fixture help to complete the look.  I also thought the painted boarder on the wall added a punch of the unexpected. It’s good to play on paper - hope you enjoyed- KB