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Sometime over the coming winter I would like to redecorate our guest bath. I am tired of it the way it is currently decorated.

I need some suggestions because when it comes to choosing a color I am just blank.

one color I keep comng to is maybe chartreuse. A pale shade. I like that a lot.

I also like the bright turquoise, lime and fuschia combos, but I just seem to see those as color and decor schemes for young girls rooms. Don't even know if I could pull that off in an adult space and I don't want a theme in there like I have now, only a pretty room.

I also thought about brown/ turquoise or pale blue/black. But I'm not sold on any of them yet.

If anyone has any inpsiration pics they would like to share here, that would be great!

Just so you know, I am not into contemporary/modern at all.

TIA!

One strategy for laying out color in a bathroom is to create a soft, natural, neutral back ground and then add in color in art and accessories.

One reason I do this often, is that bathrooms tend to be smaller rooms, and light can carry color reflections very easily through that amount of space. If you use a color like chartreuse, even if pale, it will reflect onto your face when looking in the mirror, making applying make up almost impossible. So for bathrooms color can change how practical they are to use.

If you set up a nice soft beige, white,or light gray, kind of environment then you can add in any kind of color accents you want, and even change them when the mood strikes.

The only time I vary from this thinking is for powder rooms, because usually make up and grooming doesn't happen there. Powder rooms can be more dramatic without effecting their function.

It's just an average sized bathroom with no-none- natural lighting- it has no window.

I thought about a neutral color like beige and changing out the accessories, that way I can get away with very different color schemes. The only thing is- that is the color it is right now and it has been for the past 10 years so I am kind of bored with it. But what I have done is change out accessories once- I went from tan and sage to navy & red which is where I've been for about 7 years and I'm ready to change it out. The only time this room is used is when we have overnight guests a few times a year.

One thing to consider is that there are, for instance about 200 or so different colors of white paint on the market. There are many many versions of beige and gray also. They are all just as much a "color" as any blue, green, red etc. Going from one neutral to another can be a very big change.

But of course, it is your room. Do what you want.

One little piece of advice though, is that even if the room is only used a few times a year - for the persons using it, the color situation is going to matter. Looking like a ghoul in the mirror because the color from deep red walls or black walls, or green walls, or whatever, is reflecting onto your face, especially with no natural light....will make it very, very hard to do make up.

I will definitely keep that in mind as I had no idea until you posted it.

My house is so predictible. I use pretty much the same color scheme throughout and that is why I was wanting something a little more drastic in this room.

We painted it at the height of the popularity of sponging.2 shades of beige. So I really want to paint the room even if it goes to a different shade of neutral as you suggested! It is time!

Personally, I'd stay clear of any green particularly in a chartreuse or lime family as it's not flattering when you apply makeup.

Draw scheme inspiration from a print...be it a patterned shower curtain, window curtain, art or rug. IF the bathroom is small and dark, factor these things in too.

The suggestion cocok posed re. keeping it neutral and using accent colors via accessories is always a good idea. Whatever you do, opt for sophisticated colors/patterns that are gender neutral and suit the space. Do not go the theme route, but rather focus on the "feel". Browse websites for pics of bathrooms for inspiration.

Here's a link to get you started:

http://www.houzz.com/photos/bathroom

I also was going to suggest looking for a jumping off point - shower curtain, picture, towels.....I don't do neutrals except in white curtains.

I've been browsing when shopping- looking for a shower curtain as an inspiration piece. Haven't found one yet that does that for me. I suppose I need to do some serious looking soon.

I have some definite thoughts in mind.

I go for a farmhouse look/feel throughout my house.

We'll probably be adding some beadboard in there. We just finished the kitchen and did that. We love it and it really transformed the room too.

I've had some time to think about it and decided that I will go with a creamy off white for the walls with white trim. I do know we will be adding some beadboard-we just did that in our kitche and love it!

That will keep the basic color and bones of the bath in line with the rest of the house, and I can change out the accessories to whatever color scheme I want.

I posted a while back about our kitchen redo and will be making a new thread with pics later this week.

I appreciate the feedback- its nice to get ideas from someone that knows more about color and decor than I do!

quote:

Personally, I'd stay clear of any green particularly in a chartreuse or lime family as it's not flattering when you apply makeup.

this is the current color of our bathroom and frankly it never occurred to me to consider the color in putting on makeup. My makeup (not much) regimen is the same regardless of where I am. I do not do my makeup in response to the space I am in. I am not a makeup artist that would be concerned with the reflected light from the paint color.

Why would anyone do that?

LOS, very pretty and remember, there's a vast array of greens and this is only a decorator's rule of thumb. ROT's are not set in stone.

Hey, Froo

I love this website you keep posting:
http://www.houzz.com/

Do you know where to get the answers to the questions people post under the pictures?

Very pretty LOS.

Even though our bathroom isn't used often, when it is used, it is by my DsIL and of course, they have to do make up and hair, so I do want to keep it as friendly for them as possible....well, I don't know if friendly is the right word-just want the light to be good for them when doing their make up.

Greens are really tricky in bathrooms. The reflection of the color onto your skin as you check yourself in the mirror can make you look sick. Acidy/lemony yellows can do this too.

The right amount of lighting and the right type of lighting, like sidelights close to the mirror, can mitigate any possible ill effects of the color green.

quote:

Originally posted by aychihuahua:
The right amount of lighting and the right type of lighting, like sidelights close to the mirror, can mitigate any possible ill effects of the color green.

See, now that's good to know. As a guy, I just need to floss and shave, so overhead lighting is good enough for me.Professionally I've only had to deal with powder rooms.Usually an instance where there were sconces and maybe a chandelier, and no "specialty" lighting.So I have avoided green.(like the plague.)

quote:

Originally posted by Charles D:

See, now that's good to know. As a guy, I just need to floss and shave, so overhead lighting is good enough for me.Professionally I've only had to deal with powder rooms.Usually an instance where there were sconces and maybe a chandelier, and no "specialty" lighting.So I have avoided green.(like the plague.)

LOL! This advice comes from not only being a gal who loves putting on makeup, but also from years behind the scenes in the Green Room and prepping guests for interviews as they are getting made up by the makeup artist. There's a reason why those Hollywood dressing room bulb lights are so popular. They really work!

quote:

Originally posted by lady of shallot
this is the current color of our bathroom and frankly it never occurred to me to consider the color in putting on makeup. My makeup (not much) regimen is the same regardless of where I am. I do not do my makeup in response to the space I am in. I am not a makeup artist that would be concerned with the reflected light from the paint color.

Why would anyone do that?

You can tell when someone has done their make up in bad lighting, or in a brightly painted room. My husband's grandmother had those unfortunate conditions. She would look in the mirror and see herself looking greenish and sickly from the reflected color of the bathroom walls hitting her face. So, of course she added more foundation, and more blush until she looked a little better when she looked in the mirror. What looked good in the distorted light and color in the small bathroom, looked a little hideous in the light of day.

So, knowing that color is contained in light, and that light waves bounce off of surfaces, and reflect onto other surfaces carrying color with them, can help us to create spaces for applying make up that at least give us a chance to get it right, and look like we think we look. The deeper and richer the wall color is in the space you do your make up, (which is likely to be your bathroom), the more you are going to have to deal with reflected color on your face when you look in the mirror. Lighting can help, but I have always felt that the best solution is to choose something other than strong wall color for make up application areas.

My son and his wife were home to visit this week. He is so into decorating and she is too. I was talking about colors and mentioned wanting to use the chartreuse and he said you have to be very careful with it. I was surprised that even he knew...I guess my wish for that color in the bath and one of the guest rooms will go unfullfilled.

I copied the blue in the bathroom In the movie Something's Gotta Give. A soft blue, and it is gorgeous.

I would go with the neutral color and bright accessories. I painted my bedroom a bright yellow a few years back that really should only be meant for a small child's room, and have been kicking myself over it ever since. Go with a neutral interior paint color (such as gray or tan) then accessorize with turquoise or fuchsia.

quote:

So, knowing that color is contained in light, and that light waves bounce off of surfaces, and reflect onto other surfaces carrying color with them, can help us to create spaces for applying make up that at least give us a chance to get it right, and look like we think we look. The deeper and richer the wall color is in the space you do your make up, (which is likely to be your bathroom),

I certainly understand what you are saying,
Cocok, but following that line of reasoning; as one goes about one's day, one would encounter all kinds of lighting conditions which certainly would affect the appearance of makeup. Isn't that correct?

For myself I use so little makeup. . . lipstick, eyeliner, rouge (which I put a dite of on my nose) that it doesn't matter where I put it on.

Other situations, like aychihuahua describes or say a movie set are controlled lighting.

Its true we do have a deep color on our walls but as you see in the pic we also have light reflected from a fairly large window which is across from the sink.

Hadn't seen this thread before so am wondering how you like your new bathroom Becky - did you repaint a neutral?

I've always liked lime green so painted the powder room on my main floor and my laundry room BM Rain Forest Dew a few years ago. I had to replace the CF bulbs with incandescent as my skin color did look unhealthy! Even in other bathrooms those bulbs tend to distort one's color. Since I only use lipstick and blush I could almost do it without a mirror anyhow.

quote:

Originally posted by aychihuahua:
The right amount of lighting and the right type of lighting, like sidelights close to the mirror, can mitigate any possible ill effects of the color green.

Totally agree!

I'm so over choosing colors based on the 'Neutral is Best' theory. Makes me happy to use colors I love and hope others will do the same.

LOL I had no idea this thread was back!
I have made up my minds to go with the butter color on top and white bead board on the bottom. I'll use bright towels and accessories and of course can change them out for other colors too.

We haven't done the bathroom yet. This will be our "winter" project.We'll start in January when things settle down. DH is working through the end of the year at his job he retired from and I am super busy with my home based job getting ready for Christmas(kids boutique clothes), I barely stick my head out of the sewing room these days! I'll be back with before and after pics.

Becky: I recently painted my powder room a neutral pale gray (interior room without a window). I am now trying to come up with a ceiling color that will give a little personality to the room. Currently under consideration: deep eggplant, pale pink or something in between. After that decision, a few accessories to tir it together and it will be complete!

Either one sounds good...I'm kind of partial to the eggplant.