Bathroom Basics

The sky was bright azure punctuated by white puffs of clouds that looked like cotton balls here, there and everywhere. Green gulf waters met the sky in the horizon as I approached the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. This magnificent bridge is made up of cables at the center that fan out like sails on a grand yacht, and there I was floating above this water and this view, driving to decorate a guest bathroom in a home on Longboat Key. I reached my destination and as I stepped out of the van my feet crunched on the shell driveway beneath me. I breathed in the ocean air and felt the wind whip around me as I crunched my way to the front door. My job very rarely feels like work and on days at ocean side homes where the salt breezes are always a step outside, I feel like I am so lucky it takes my breath away. In the world of decorating, the application of basic concepts always works no matter the geography of the guest bathroom. Let’s take a peek into two guest baths in which basic concepts were applied and they are now holiday ready somewhere in the Heart of The Villages.

• Paint
Painting is a must in a guest bathroom. You will need a warm canvas to show all the beautiful things you will place in your bathroom. A word of caution; pick a color that seems to look good on most people since it is a space that others will be getting ready for the day. I stay away from green in a bathroom since it does tend to make most people look a little green! The way to demonstrate this to yourself is paint whatever color you are considering on a large poster board, then hold it behind you and look in the mirror. Often you will see how some colors make you look bad, really bad.

• Elongate the shower curtain
This is something I have been doing as a budget minded effort to get a custom look in the bathroom without the custom prices. We buy two shower curtains and we sew them together to hang a few inches from the ceiling. When they are sewn together we cover the seams with some type of coordinating ribbon that ties into the colors that are already in the curtain. Also, I like to have more ribbon added at the very top to mimic what is lower at the seam. This visually ties the entire thing together, for very little money! I like to have a new rod attached to the wall and hang the curtain from that. The curved rod adds space to the shower area but a straight rod is fine to. A rod attached to the wall is stable with no worries of falling. Finally, when you make the shower curtain longer, it draws the eye up thereby creating the illusion of space, within a small space.

• Art
With a tall shower curtain you should have tall art! I like to take the towel bar down over the toilet and put up one large picture or two smaller pictures that coordinate. Stacking art can be visually powerful and work well with the drama of the shower curtain. Usually, there is a towel bar on the wall opposing the toilet, and it should not be left out. I usually hang towels on the towel bar and then a picture above the towel rack. Again, don’t be afraid to go big or go home!

• Towels, Towels, Towels
I like to use lots of towels to tie it all together because they are inexpensive, and functional. Whatever the colors that are being highlighted, such as, blue and white, then I would use lots of blue and white towels. I put wash clothes rolled up on the back of the toilet and usually a basket on the ground with large rolled up towels and I hang a towel group over the towel bar.

• Plush Rug
Place a nice size plush rug in a color that is being highlighted on the ground and everything will be tied together. Always make sure the rug is washable as they need to be washed often.

• Basket size
If you have a small bathroom, the floor basket should be thin and small, maybe enough to hold three towels. If you have a large bathroom, don’t be afraid to go large on things. In all baths, big or small, raise the shower curtain!
Remember, these concepts are really easy to apply, but you may have to step outside your comfort zone. I promise you, it will be worth it!

P.S. –Attention all club presidents! We give free decorating seminars. It is lots of fun and very informative. Call and schedule your club today. Also, we are on-line check out our web-site at www.ruthdyer.com and you can always e-mail us at ruth@finishingtouchfl.com or Call Ruth your full service decorator at352-804-2056.

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