Refurb decor advice..

January 29, 2008 5:30 PM

Modern/contemporary bathroom refurb ideas?

I've stripped carpet, linoleum, medicine cabinets, wall-size mirror and lighting fixtures from my upstairs bathroom. What remains is the toilet, shower stall and sinks/vanity. The vanity is a light oak topped with white tile/sinks which still look good, and new brushed silver hardware. I removed a 5" strip of tile down the middle of the vanity and replaced it with Daltile Camoflage glass tiles (mix of red, green and cream) to "modernize" the look.

What I'm looking for: suggestions for the flooring (tile/marble) that'll go well with the colored tile, wall color and some hanging mirror ideas.

Daltile camo pattern

posted by bakertim to home & garden (6 comments total)

What color are the toilet and shower stall? Bright white or cream colored?

Any way you can take some photos of the area? How big is the bathroom? I sometimes base wall color selections based on room size. For instance, a bigger room, you could do an accent wall but it might crowd a smaller room.

Are you doing a medicine cabinet or just a hanging mirror? What kind of space do you have for a mirror? (sub-question: How wide is the vanity? I only ask because if the mirror/cabinet is going over the vanity, it may make a difference)
posted by jerseygirl at 7:25 PM on January 29

Everything is white except the vanity (light oak), so my color options are pretty open. The bathroom is actually two small rooms; the outer has twin sinks/vanity, and the inner has the toilet and shower stall. The wall behind the sinks/vanity had a full length mirror (approx. 5x4 feet) so I'll likely hang a dark-framed traditional mirror in its place. I'm most curious about picking a tile color & material for the floor and a color combo that will match it well alongside the pre-existing white. My first idea was some sort of earth tone for the walls and a dark natural stone for the floor...
posted by bakertim at 8:15 PM on January 29

Porcelin hex tile... sometimes called subway tiles. I had it in my last bathroom, and I will get it again for the next remodel. These are bright, but I found a mottled tan/off white that I still dream about. My world is small.
posted by answergrape at 8:53 PM on January 29

I think generally subway tile refers to medium-sized rectangular glazed tiles in a running bond pattern. I'd just say "hex tile" to avoid confusion.

Huh. Steel tile is decidedly modern.
posted by mumkin at 10:13 PM on January 29

I like the idea of a dark natural stone for the floor, maybe something that has a bit of that blue grey color that's in the daltile sample. Something like this picks up the blue and tan from countertop accent. It also comes in a 1x3 smaller tile, which is kind of an interesting smaller take on a subway tile.

For the walls, pick up that tan/sand color in the daltile sample and see how it does in the room. I'm a big fan of doing a good 18x18" paint sample swatch in the room and checking it out over the course of a few days - see how it looks in different lights, see if you can live with it. If your local paint store doesn't have the pre-made samples for sale, maybe just get a quart so you don't make too much of an initial investment only to end up hating the paint.

For the mirror, since you've got dual sinks and are painting the walls behind the former giant mirror, consider putting two of the same mirrors up - one over each sink. It frees up a little wall space if you want to hang something decorative or even run the wiring to put some brushed silver sconces.

To bring it all together, replace all the hardware like towel/toilet paper holders, door knobs and vanity knobs to brushed silver and throw in some towels and bath rugs that bring out the colors in the daltile sample that you really want to accent against the neutral palette of the wall and the dark color of the floor.

Unrelated: Did you use SouthCypress for your tile? How were they?
posted by jerseygirl at 10:50 PM on January 29

For what it's worth, I am currently laying dark green slate tile in my bathroom, with taupe walls.

Dark walls (of which my taupe is not) are traditionally not recommended in small spaces, but I've really liked the look personally when I've seen it in small bathrooms--pretty cosy.

Consider a dark, flattish paint. Stone's not bad for the floors, if you don't mind the price and the inconsistency of a natural product. Porcelain will be more uniform and can be found in any color/texture you can think of and many you hadn't, and will be generally more uniform. Possibly, man-made products may conform to your modern/contemporary aesthetic better.
posted by RikiTikiTavi at 10:10 AM on January 30