Simple Fixes for Your Dated Bathroom

October 27, 2023 - By

Table of Contents

So you have a tired bathroom but you’re ignoring it because it’s not time to renovate yet. Today I’m flipping the script to help you see a dated bathroom as an opportunity to get curious and playful with colour and decorating.

Because if it’s just blah right now, what do you have to lose?

In this week’s Colour Rescue, I’m sharing ideas for creating some joy in neglected, dated bathrooms using colour and styling.

When you have a dated bathroom that needs some love, this is exactly when you can ignore what’s timeless and get creative.

Iris Apfel

Colour to the rescue

When a space is lacking charm and detail, it’s too easy to close the door and sigh, “one day”. But let’s be honest, you may have to put up with this bathroom for 5 or 10 years more, why not make it fun!

Too often my timeless advice is misinterpreted as meaning top to bottom “safe” or “correct”.

To be clear, I do think the best options for tile and flooring in bathrooms are limited. Quiet white or cream.. the end.

But the goal is to create a flexible backdrop so that the colour, walls, and details CAN be creative.

But when you have a bathroom that’s already past its expiry date, and with less than perfect finishes, you might as well get eclectic with colour and fun details.

Ok, this bathroom below has a perfect white countertop but I love the playful spirit of it.

Wall Street Journal

If you have a dated bathroom with some drab or wonky finishes, this is when you need to get creative. Like in this amazingly creative bathroom below. It’s a small bathroom with no window so she went bold with colour, really well done.

Jeweled Interiors

Over on my Youtube channel I’ll show you how I’d add more colour to this bathroom below.

Get curious

Bathrooms are compact spaces where it’s only one can of paint, a shower curtain, a small inexpensive rug. Some art and styling. It’s not a huge commitment if you draw outside the lines in a small space. You could end up with something that gives you joy, not to mention the satisfaction of creating something beautiful.

And if it doesn’t work out, chalk it up to learning and try again.

Why busy wall tile is so limiting

One of the biggest limiting elements in a bathroom is when tile that is not solid white or cream is run up the wall onto eye level. That’s when you’ll need to pull the colour palette right from the tile like the first bathroom we’ll look at below. (Because the purple is clearly NOT working).

Then we’ll look at a couple bathrooms where adding in some charming details and COLOUR is the answer.

Willey Design

Finally, I’ll show you an unusual bathroom with some existing bold tile and some ideas to with its retro potential.

4 Simple Fixes for Dated Bathrooms

So get curious with what you can do with your less than fabulous bathroom and get some inspiration from this week’s Colour Rescue here!

If you would like my ideas for your specific bathroom that isn’t slated for a renovation, but you’d like to make it look its best in the mean time, check out my new Bathroom Refresh eDesign package here.