I'm always falling in love with different wallpapers and wall treatments, but I can never seem to actually take the leap and go with bold walls in my own home... except in the bathrooms. We have two crazy bathrooms, one with a bright green mosaic and the other with dark metallic floral wallpaper. Uh-huh. Somehow the bathroom seems like safe ground for experiments, don't you think?

Check out these bold-patterned bathroom walls from House Beautiful, pictured above.

Striped walls have a fun, circus-y effect, while a floral wallpaper feels ultra-feminine and luxurious. A wallpaper like Hinson's Spatter (last photo) is a little bit whimsical but also edgy. And a bathroom wall decked out in an elaborate mosaic, be it a traditional tile pattern or an unexpected stripe, comes across as artful and creative.

There's something to be said, of course, for the idea of a bathroom as a calming sanctuary, where swathes of white or pale colors encourage relaxation. What do you think? Do you prefer a bathroom with bold strokes or one that's functional and spare?

(Images: House Beautiful)