Color Changes
Making a splash in bathroom design
Color evokes emotion in people. You can persuade passion, induce happiness or create calm with a few simple strokes of a paintbrush or the quick placement of a wall hanging. The whole feel of your bathroom can change in the space of a couple of hours with the right tools. It’s important to plan the feel you want before you choose your colors, though. Also, there are many ways to apply those colors in the bathroom, but some colors and applications work better in some bathrooms than in others.
Fun and Bubbly Kid’s Loos
Kids suffer a lot of tension in the bathroom. From potty training to hair-pulling brushings to teenage dye disasters, there’s enough calamity awaiting a child in the bathroom to last a lifetime, so a kid’s bathroom should be made as cheery as possible. Think of the yellows and limes of sunshiny summer days, or the bright blues and turquoises that may also help to calm them. In a kid’s bathroom, the most important thing to remember when you’re changing wall colors is to use a wipeable or washable paint that will make cleanup a breeze. This is definitely not the place for suede-finished paints or decoupage dreams. And if you’re inclined to use wallpaper, make sure it’s vinyl coated!
Bold and Manly Johns
If the bathroom you’re designing is going to be used mainly by men, you might appeal to their burly side. The suede finish might work here (but I’d keep it above the chair-rail line!) and deep, bold colors will be appreciated. Think of the last fine steakhouse you visited and try to recreate the look and feel of the walls there. Rough textures will lend a rustic feel, and deep colors will evoke a sense of manly luxury. You can lighten the feel of the room by adding light-colored accessories and mute-toned wall hangings.
Exotic and Luxurious Spas
Most professional spas put lots of thought and effort into creating a surrounding you can really relax in. Pure, calming colors and luxurious fabrics put clients at ease and keep them coming back for more. You can create your own spa at home by putting neutral colors on the walls and adding clean, crisp white trim. Layering neutral tones in the form of wainscoting or striping will add to the feeling of luxury. And neutral colors are not just browns and beiges, by the way. As long as your tones are somewhat muted, you can make blues or greens or even grays your neutral base. Finishing the spa feel with natural wall hangings like Chinese tapestries or roughly-hewn wood frames will help make you feel at one with the natural world and may even get you in touch with your inner Zen.
Color can bring out so much feeling that you have to choose carefully. The best color for your bathroom is really just a color you love. There’s a reason it evokes pleasure in you, and since it’s your oasis, the only hard rule is that you have to like the color you choose.
