Surprise! We painted the guest bathroom this weekend! The walls, the trim, and even the ceiling. And double surprise: we went with a fresh clean coat of white (Decorator’s White by Benjamin Moore). Bet you didn’t see that coming…
Why’d we go white? Well the old paint was dingy (see the difference in the pic above?), but we’ve decided to embrace the yellow tile instead of yanking it all out gut-job style or painting or reglazing it. It’s completely original 60’s tile that’s in great shape – and the color is happy and cute so we’ve decided it’s charming. Especially with our fresh white (albeit bare for now) walls – which will allow us to bring in some personality and color in other ways without overwhelming the small space.
Our hall bathroom sports original tile as well, but we were able to crisp it up and bring in some fun accessories so it flows with the rest of our house…
… so we decided to give that the ol’ college try in here before bringing in the demolition hammer, a la this…
Oh and we raised the shower rod to ceiling height and added an extra long 95″ waffle weave curtain (from target.com) about six months ago that hides inside the shower now (this is the view from inside the shower, so the rod is 100% invisible from the main part of the bathroom). It was weird to see the lower bar hanging down around 4″ below the doorway that leads to the shower.
I wish I could have shot a better picture of the other side of the shower doorway so you could get a better idea, but the room’s just too tiny. I’d have to be out the window to get the right angle…
Speaking of the window, we finally frosted it (using leftover frosting film and this method) which is nice because it lets in all the light, but doesn’t let anyone standing on the deck creepily spy on you.
If you want to see how to frost your own bathroom window, we documented this process in a different space on video – you can watch it below or here on YouTube.
Between the freshly painted walls and the glowing frosted windows, it’s definitely feeling crisper and less murky in here already.
After my little frost-job I dug out this fabric remnant from over a year ago (originally from U-Fab here in Richmond and made by Iman) to make a sweet little no-sew shade. After nixing a faux roman shade like this one I made for the kitchen (not enough fabric) and considering a simpler version like this one from the hall bath, I decided to go with something closer to the latter, but with a twist. So I dragged out my materials (a tape measure, some iron-on hem tape, a scrap piece of wood, and my staple gun) and got to work…
I measured the window width (23″), cut my scrap wood about a 1/4″ shy of that size, and cut my fabric to 25″ wide and as long as I could make it (which ended up being 30″) so I could hem it on both sides and at the bottom to end up with a 23″ x 29″ shade. See how the wood is a smidge thinner than the hemmed fabric? That’s so you don’t see it poking out on the sides.
Then I stapled the top of the fabric to the scrap piece of wood (centering the wood so the fabric was slightly longer on both sides) and screwed through it from below three times to hold it into the window.
Voila!
I opted for a cute little rolled look at the bottom thanks to a smaller piece of scrap wood (old shoe molding) that I cut to be a teeny bit wider than 23″ – that way I could roll the fabric around the molding and shove it into place so it held itself between the sides of the window, sort of like a tension rod.
Here’s the view from out in the guest room. I love how the fabric works with the polka dot curtains in there. Not too matchy, but compatible and layered. It’s also nice to see the dark teal color from the bedroom walls carried into the bathroom, so it feels less like a random yellow box without any relation to the adjoining room.
It feels good to cross a few things off the list in there, but there’s still more on the agenda.
We think three more simple upgrades will make all the difference, so here’s the plan.
paint the wallsfrost the window for privacymake a window treatment with a bold fabric remnant- paint the frame of the mirror so it stands out against the white wall
- hang some art over the toilet
- go accessory happy (if Lesley made her pink tiled bathroom cute with the right stuff, there’s hope for this old room yet)
Is anyone else embracing something old? Any painting going on? Shade-making? Did anyone else watch the Atlanta Housewives reunion and laugh at how many times they said “throwing shade”? I gotta start working that in.
Psst- See how we upgraded the light fixture almost two years ago here.
Julianne says
Your bathroom looks great! We, too, have an old bathroom that we just finished updating. Had a gross 80’s feel to it with pink paint-with-white-paint splashes, old dark oak encasements with fluorescent tube lighting, yellowed vent covers, and a one piece egg-shaped shower stall! It took a lot, but it’s certainly rewarding when your result looks fresh and new. Great job & thanks for the how-to with the homemade blind. That’ll be my last step!! :O)
angel says
Burger cracks me up! Just poking around, being Burger. A tail here, a paw there, a toilet sniffing nose …such a great personality! Oh, I’m still dying over the Song of My People photo!
Ninjanun says
Yes, so glad you kept the original tile! With the white paint, it looks so fresh and hip, and just a tad retro.
I have a suggestion for the mirror, should you decide to keep it: paint it that darker blue, like your curtain, and then add an overlay design in yellow, with subtle hints of sparkly gold, perhaps in a leafy or crosshatch pattern, or maybe even dots. It would make a fabulous “bridge piece” to tie all the colors together, especially since it’s the natural focal point in the room. Cheers!
Ashley says
I’m so glad you decided to keep the tile! There’s nothing more green than keeping things “as is” when it’s salvageable!
Angie Maseman says
Hi,
Love the shade. I am doing blues in our bathroom and thinking about a white waffle weave shower curtain. What rugs have you done?
Thanks,
Angie
YoungHouseLove says
We just have a white bath mat in there with a brown stripe around the edge. Keeping it simple since the floor tile is fun (it’s like scrabble tiles, haha!).
xo
s
Jess says
But where’s the before and after pics in the same angle so we can oh ahh over the difference
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, those will come with the big reveal :)
xo,
s
Charlene says
The yellow and blue look fun together… I’m excited to see any accessories that you and your family pick out.
We are in the middle of our first major kitchen renovation and I can DEFINITELY see why you wouldn’t want to start tearing things out and begin from scratch. So lucky that the tile is classy enough to keep!
Sandra says
Wow what a big difference a fresh coat of white paint makes! Love how the fabric ties in with the guest room’s palette!
Linda says
I loved seeing a post on how to update that era’s tile. It looks great and certainly less cash and labor intensive than gutting the room. Paint and a good eye for coordinating colors can really spruce a place up! You did great!
Elizabeth @ Real Inspired says
Very nice! I love how you worked with the existing tile. I am facing a similar dilemma in our upstairs bathroom. Our 60’s-70’s tile is a bright light blue. It isn’t bad but the top band of tile is white, not blue. We can’t repaint our bathroom right now because the ceiling needs redone(water damage) and the white paint on the walls is bubbling(suspect latex paint over oil), but when we do, I’m not sure what color to paint it. Find a white that matches the band of old white tile, or a contrasting color like gray? Decisions, decisions…and lots of elbow grease.
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh that sounds scary but exciting! Lots of luck Elizabeth!
xo
s
Jennifer says
Have you ever re-glazed a bathroom in all your home renovating? We had our 1950’s bath done almost 10 years ago and it still looks great. Not sure I would attempt it myself though.
YoungHouseLove says
We didn’t do it ourselves, but we hired a licensed and insured guy to do the tub in our first house and were really happy with it! It lasted nicely and looked great. He had awesome high tech equipment to keep it fume-free for himself too :)
xo
s
Kelli says
Aww I really like the old tile! And you’re right, why remove it when it’s in such good shape? I wish I could see the shower in the room.. would you please just open the window, go out on the deck, peek in and take a pic? for me? huh? haha! jk –
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! I actually thought about that! Don’t know if the narrow window will allow me to get a very wide shot but it’s worth a try! Haha!
xo
s
Pam the Goatherd says
I love yellow because it is so bright and cheery and I love white because it is so clean and goes with everything. It’s amazing how much better this bathroom looks with the fresh, white paint! Good choice!
My suggestion for painting the mirror frame would be to colormatch the yellow tile so that the frame stands out from the walls but isn’t so dark that it chops up the teeny-tiny wall any more than it already is.
Emily B says
I have the same kind of tile in my bathroom that you have in your hall bath (the black and white) but the grout in between the tiles is so old and dingy that is makes the whole room feel gross. Do you have any trick for sprucing it up? I want to embrace the vintage tile but finding it hard in its current condition.
Jen says
Emily,
I’ve never tried this, but I recently read that steam is amazing for cleaning old, grungy grout. It might be possible to rent a steam gun somewhere. There is also grout paint, but if your grout is crumby as well as dingy, that’s not the best. If you’re feeling really hard core, you can buy a grout scraping tool to remove the grout, and then re-grout. That’s really labor intensive, though.
Rayna says
Oh, happy day!!I live in an older home as well and we have the same yellow tiles, but without the charming floor tiles. Our flooring is what I can only describe as vinyl cobblestone pattern with actual gold flake/sparkle in it. I’m serious! Was this really a great design in the 70’s? Anywho…I’ve thought about just laying new flooring and embracing the yellow tile on the walls and on the countertops as well. I just get stuck with how to pull it all together. I really should take a picture, it’s a decorating challenge for sure!
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh yes, what about pairing the wall tile with pretty white hex tile or something similar to tile from that era?
xo
s
Sarah Gilbert says
Hooray for keeping the 60’s yellow tile! Good decision, especially for sustainability. Why send perfectly good tile to the landfill simply to trade in for what’s trendy? Thanks for inspriing others to do the same!
Tiffany says
I was totally going to say u should paint the mirror trim yellow. Can’t wait for the update.
Jaime says
I can’t wait to see how it comes together! You’ve totally inspired me to throw up some curtains at my house!
Now, can we please talk about the Real Housewives reunion?! I think Kenya has lost her mind. Loved watching Peter call her out. And the way Nene laughed every time Kenya waved her fan or started to twirl/sing/etc. I’m definitely planning on working “throwing some shade” into my vocab, too!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! Kenya = hilarious to me. Oh my gosh THE FAN! It sounded like pigeons were dive-boming the stage every time she thwacked it open.
xo
s
Jaime says
Haha! Yes! I thought Kandi was going to lose an eye!
YoungHouseLove says
Seriously! I loved how at one point she was like “can you hold that thing in your other hand?!” – HILARIOUS!
xo
s
Kay says
I’m an apartment dweller so I have to work with what I have. In the past, I’ve lived in apartments with beige bathrooms: beige walls, beige tile, beige sinks, etc. Then, about a year and a half ago, I moved into an apartment with a green tiled floor (three different shades of green) and a floor to ceiling tiled shower with a different (clashing) shade of green. I bought four different shower curtains to try to either complement or mute the tile and they all looked ridiculous. On a whim, I bought this shower curtain: http://www.target.com/p/tree-shower-curtain-and-shower-hook-set-brown/-/A-10731587#?lnk=sc_qi_detaillink
And it’s the only thing you notice when you look at the bathroom. And it kind of makes the tiles look almost sort of cool? (Or at least that’s what I’m telling myself :D) It was either going to look great or look horrible and it looks pretty darn good. I’m actually moving in a month and I’m almost going to miss my four shades of green tile bathroom!
YoungHouseLove says
So cool! Love the silhouette of the trees!
xo
s
emily says
a great little makeover for earth day! love the yellow and white…i have been adding yellow to my own home this season, and it makes me so happy. it would be hard to start a day in a bad mood in a bathroom full of yellow tile!
Joan says
Hi guys, love the play of blue, yellow and white in your guest bathroom!
My question is about the shower curtain inside the shower. Since part of that curtain always rests against a wall, do you expect to have problems with mildew?
Granted the guest bathroom isn’t used that often, but I was wondering if there’s some way to pre-treat the shower curtain for mildew just in case?
YoungHouseLove says
Great question! I have no idea if more regular use would be an issue, but we get fabric liners too (they’re washable) so that helps keep them white :)
xo
s
Christina says
I’m SO glad that you decided to keep the yellow tile! When we were house shopping we were sad to see so few original bathrooms from that era.
Necole @seriouslysassymama says
I am so happy you are keeping the yellow tile. It is one of my favorite things about your house!
Lauren says
we have the same bathroom! I have a small yellow and black bathroom that I love the tile floor and want to paint the walls white to show off the floor, so thanks for helping me see my vision without having completed my own project yet ;-)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, tell your yellow bathroom that ours says hi!
xo
s
deb says
SO glad you saved the original tile (in BOTH bathrooms). Being of 50’s vintage (born in ’51), I clearly remember tile bathrooms of varying colors. I love them all! Pam (retro renovation) also has a website (savethepinkbathrooms.com) that explains a lot of the reasoning behind these bathrooms. So…thanks!
Susanna B says
I just have to let you know how much I enjoy your blog! On my blog must read list – your would have to be my number one. It just has all of the interior design, decorating and all stuff home that I desperately need to feel satisfied. And the amount of creativity that you guys have seems to be never ending. I know that I can always go to YHL and learn something new, get inspired and just happy. Thank you!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Susanna, that’s so sweet of you to say :)
xo
s
lisa says
are you guys getting ready to sell your house? just wondering since you painted the bathroom white. i painted our bathrooms white right before i sold our last house to get it ready to sell.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! We honestly just thought white would look best with the tile since it’s yellow but has white grout (we held up some grays and blues and even some yellows but nothing grabbed us like the crisp white swatch we had on the wall). We don’t usually repaint rooms for resale or anything since we figure that some folks like color and some folks like white – so we tend to just try to pick the best color for the space :)
xo
s
Kelly says
I’m sure you’ve already thought about this, but with the yellow bathroom, you could totally bring out some of your bee items for in there! That would be fun!
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh that’s a cute idea!
xo,
s
Annie R says
Love how crisp and clean it feels now! I think lining the curtain would be nice but l like it the way it is too.
I don’t want to make you jealous or anything, but I have a bright orange cast iron kitchen sink. I hated it, but we were gutting our 2nd floor so replacing the sink got put on the back burner. Now I kinda love it…
YoungHouseLove says
Haha consider me jealous!
xo
s
Juliet says
I dig that retro tile!!! I love yellow, and can’t wait to see what other colors you bring in to make it spicy.
Theresa says
My bathroom is all pink, I live in SF so vintage tile is big, and pink bathrooms are popular! I actually love the vintage look, but I am trying to find a way to tone down the pink so my bf feels a little more at home in there! haha
White seems to make it feel too washed out, so I’m thinking maybe blue as an accent color.
Megan says
What about a navy blue? I love the contrast between a dark navy and a light pink. I’m thinking of doing it if my baby turns out to be a girl (too soon to tell but I’m doing navy either way… navy and pink or navy and green!).
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh that sounds pretty!
xo
s
Jenna says
So fresh and so clean! (I’m singing Outkast in my head lolz. It always amazes me how a coat of paint can transform a room.
Jenna
wifeinprogressblog.com
Megan says
I love the original tile! I wish my house had that instead of the unglazed, not installed correctly, dingy white tile (can you tell I hate it?!). And maybe someone has mentioned this, but what if you painted the mirror frame the same color as the guest bedroom? It would tie the two rooms together more and it would look great with the yellow. Plus, I’m guessing you may have enough on hand so that it would be free and at least worth a try, right? ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Megan! We definitely think that paint color could work for the mirror. Can’t wait to see where we end up :)
xo,
s
Krystle @ Color Transformed Family says
The only old thing we are working with is our house. This past weekend Birmingham had an awesome Parade of Homes event. My husband and I went and toured tons of new homes. They were all gorgeous and packed with tons of inspiration. Now we are back at home brainstorming ways to work we saw into our house. Nothing like bringing new life to an old house.
YoungHouseLove says
Amen! I love looking at other places to get my “helium house tank” refilled. Keeps me hyper and vigilant to keep going. Haha!
xo
s
Mary | lemongroveblog says
Hey – if the tile is still in good condition, I’m all about it! It is really amazing how those tiles can stand up to the test of time!
Danielle says
Hi guys,
Your bathroom looks fabulous. I had to laugh because I have the same yellow tiles but in my kitchen. Good thing I love yellow because for now, they are staying. We recently finished revamping our kitchen and giving it a budget friendly facelift. Check out how we are living with the yellow tiles now at: http://lifeoncircleavenue.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-evolution-of-our-kitchen.html
YoungHouseLove says
Cute!
xo
s
Kayla says
When I first started reading this post, I thought I read that you painted the guest BEDROOM white! I was like whaaaaaaat? :) Quickly realized I was wrong. I think it’s great you’re sticking with the yellow tile, I think it’s cheery too!
YoungHouseLove says
Hahah! No way! We love that dark teal :)
xo
s
Morgan says
What color of white did you end up painting the trim and ceiling in? And what sheen for the trim, ceiling and walls?
Tackling a similar project but oddly enough the ‘white on white’ we have for the nursery is awkward because the trim (also the same color throughout the house) doesn’t look just right with the white walls. Thanks guys!
YoungHouseLove says
We did satin Decorators White for the trim, the walls, and the ceiling! It all holds up nicely to moisture/bathroom stuff, and looks nice and seamless and open too :)
xo
s
Lally says
You might have already answered this–sorry didn’t read all comments. {I love the fresh white paint}
Is decorator’s white an actual color or a type of paint? I am confused because decorator’s white doesn’t sound like the name of a paint color, more like a type of paint.
Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, it’s oddly enough just a color name. Hope it helps!
xo
s
GreenInOC says
So glad you are Tim Gunning it (“make it work!”), in the yellow tiled bathroom!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, thanks Green!
xo
s
Kelsey Noll says
We just painted our kitchen tile back splash and the walls! We had the old 50s tile in bright bright yellow and black border. The walls were a dingy white that hadn’t been painted in years. We painted the tiles white and added three coasts of Acrylic Polyurethane and we painted the walls Honey Pot Yellow. I am so in love!
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds cute!
xo
s
Natalie says
Did you use a special white paint for bathrooms/humidity? I haven’t done enough research about it but my bathroom steams up and my white paint has suffered, despite the ventilation fan. I’ve considered painting over it with special paint but wanted to know if you had any experience with it? Thanks in advance!
YoungHouseLove says
I think as long as you use current satin or semi-gloss paint made by most companies, they don’t have a formula that’s necessary for bathrooms or anything, so they’re made to hold up to humidity and moisture as long as they’re not in a flat finish. Some companies still make a bathroom version of the paint though, although most paint pros have told us it’s the same as just choosing good paint in a satin finish :)
xo
s
Caitlin says
Loving the window treatment! I was browsing fabrics for a window shade during my lunch break today. I’ve only made a couple before – both out of duck cloth. I can’t seem to find duck cloth swatches I like for our kitchen though. What types of fabric do you use for shades/curtains? I was afraid to use anything thinner than a canvasy fabric, but I really like how yours looks with the light peeking through. Since I’m by no means a DIY expert, I’d like to know what to look at outside the duck-cloth box!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Caitlin! We love to let the light pass through, so any fabric that’s not too super light/silky (ex: satin, gauzy sheer, etc) is usually easiest to work with (so something thicker and cotton, poly, or “upholstery grade” can work out well in most cases). I’d avoid anything super thick like corduroy or denim, just because it might block lots of light :)
xo
s
Chrissie says
That room looks really sweet with the yellow and white. I can’t wait to see where it ends up.
Also, you have mosaic tiles on the floor! It must be a sixties thing, our bathroom and toilet (at the other end of the house to the bathroom) both have those too. Are you going to keep the floor as is? It actually looks pretty cute in the yellow!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, those little scrabble-ish floor tiles are our favorite part :)
xo
s
Chrissie says
Haha mine have always been a sore point, but then they are dark reddish-brown (toilet), a mix of goldy-brown and larger white tiles thrown down with no semblance of pattern whatsoever (laundry) and white and grey, again thrown down with no pattern. Having standard sizes, properly laid and all in one, nice colour makes a really big difference! I am now cured of my bias against mosaic tiles – just not the ones that I have :-)
Angie says
Love the yellow, navy, and white combo. It’s such a nice, classic color scheme.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Angie!
xo
s
Kim says
I normally don’t chime in because I love to just wait and see where y’all end up but I think a sink skirt would be adorable in there! And you could probably make one that wouldn’t be up against the toilet like one commenter suggested with smaller/fewer pleats and/or setting it on the inside. I had one in my old bathroom and it made a great impact. Anyway looking forward to seeing more I know whatever yall do will look great!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s always a possibility Kim, thanks so much for the tip! Can’t wait to see where we end up :)
xo
s
Laura (& the Shell) says
I love this! I never would have thought to work with the existing tile in this case, but the white walls and that curtain completely make it work. It does look clean and fresh. I vote that one of you try to get that shot from outside though – I gotta see the shower! :)
Tori says
Just wondering, how could this project work for folks with blinds in the windows?
YoungHouseLove says
Well, you could remove the blinds if you’d rather frost the windows and hang some fabric in an inside mounted position or you could use a curtain rod hanging on an outside mounted position and just use ring clip hooks to hold the fabric up (or sew a small pocket for the curtain rod). Hope it helps!
xo
s
oh Holland says
How about replacing the small mirror with one large on that spans above both sink and toilet (and skip the art-above-toilet idea)?
YoungHouseLove says
That could be fun too! We’ll have to see what we find :)
xo
s
Karin says
Hi guys,
Amazing what a few simple changes can do to a room.
I am digging (is that a correct American phrase?) the white!
I just got my new curtains for our bedroom yesterday and they are…white. Just like the walls and the floor. But it is o so pretty.
I got my blog online now and published the post with my favorite blogs a couple of days ago. Like I said of course you are mentioned.
Keep up the inspiration.
Greetz from overseas.
Karin