Paint Ideas For Your Bathroom

Stuck with a blah bathroom? You don't have to sigh and shrug as you flip through your magazine, gazing at glamorous celebrity bathrooms. Even for the less than wealthy, there are ways and means to go from functional to fabulous.

Decorator Wannabes

Take paint, for instance. These days, all of us interior decorator wannabes are turning to paint to breathe life back into boring home spaces. That's because a clever color scheme can make a room come alive without breaking the bank.

But using paint to perk up a bathroom isn't all about money. Bathrooms tend to be small spaces. That limits bathroom furnishings by type, number and size. Color is the smart creative medium that can be used to decorate a room of any dimensions.

Paint colors can be used to make a room look more spacious. You can use faux finishes to soften the appearance of utilitarian bathroom fittings. The coldest room can become a warm cozy space with the help of some paint color, artfully applied. Here's how to cleverly use paint in the bathroom:

*Want a tall bathroom? Paint the walls with earth-toned vertical stripes.

Look Up

*Anything that draws the eyes up will add height to a cramped space and make it seem larger. One way to do this is to stencil a colorful border just below ceiling level, all around the room.

*For a romantic, aged look, use a porcelain crackle technique on your bathroom walls. This technique creates an antique appearance that mimics the fine lines seen in delicate old cracked porcelain.

*If you want a comfy, relaxed look, go for a faux crackle glass finish on your walls and woodwork. You can apply this technique to woodwork or walls and it's not at all difficult to achieve.

A Drag

*Another faux finish that works well in the bathroom is dragging. The trick is in choosing the colors to use. The color combinations must be subtle to really work well.

*Sponge painting is a technique often favored by interior designers for use in a bathroom, but is easy enough for a homeowner to tackle as a DYI project. Sponging lends drama to a room.

*Rag rolling gives you a great deal of texture for maximum impact. Dip a rag into colored glaze. Twist the rag and roll it over a dry top coat of paint.

Natural Refinement

*If you want art nouveau elegance, try a faux finish like marbling. Marbling can give your bathroom a natural look of refinement and distinction.