During the day, the existing room wasn’t terrible, but at night it was pretty unappealing. We used cut-and-snap drape grommets and a tension bar; a second, waterproof curtain is mounted behind our fabric curtain. The result is plenty of space for towels without adding clutter to the tiny room. We started by painting the walls and ceiling a bold blue. Should a tile get damaged, replacing it is effortless and costs just 76 cents. Black and white ticking is one of our go-to patterns for The Grey House, so it was a natural fit. We used 1/2-inch pre-threaded galvanized pipe for the project, combining one long run with two 90-degree elbows, short nipples, and two floor flanges fastened to the wall. The uncommon size demanded a custom curtain. Project by: Roger + Chris Location: Sharon Springs, New York
The drab downstairs bathroom in our 160-old Italianate Victorian was in desperate need of a style infusion. Roger applied industrial strength adhesive-backed Velcro beneath the sink, and Chris sewed the other half of the Velcro into the skirt. This is the bathroom most of our guests will use, so it needed to wow, whether day or night. We’re not fond of most towel bars and hooks. We found inexpensive replacements at one of the big box stores, but they were too shabby chic for us. Mixing white and black tiles in a diamond arrangement and adding white painted baseboard moulding to create clean edges make the bathroom so much more pleasant. Other little touches include a black toilet seat to play on the black-and-white floor, a funky toilet paper holder that was created by painting a wood sculpture white, a vintage oil portrait, and a black Shaker ladder-back chair that we use as a towel stand. Make it fun. We fell in love with the little pedestal sink, but were less enamored with the exposed drain pipe and chipped base. The downstairs bathroom of our home may not be big, but its bold, cheeky style leaves our guests — and us — smiling. Our goals for this project:
Spend as little as possible. On the plus side, the large window brought plenty of sunlight into the space. They look terrific during the day and provide a cozy glow in the evening. A little bit British boutique hotel, a little bit Minnie Mouse, a lot of fun. All mounted at different levels and spread around the room. (Image credits: Chris Stout-Hazard) Get rid of the floor. We kept the tab low by working with what we had. We wanted to replace the utilitarian sconces, but needed to keep the location. The bath was utilitarian, but we wanted something everyone could love. With so much of the wall space covered with tile, carrying the color to the ceiling avoided chopping up the small space any further. • Are you interested in sharing a decorating or renovating project with Apartment Therapy readers? That meant no plumbing or electrical changes. We made a matching bar for drapes, and hung the white drapes using small metal ring clips. We covered the floor with the cheapest product we could find: vinyl peel-and-stick tile. Roger revitalized the existing medicine cabinet, taking off decades of flaking paint and repainting it in a bold red. Our low-budget solution was to create one long bar that could hold everything, including a soap-on-a-rope over the sink.
