apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time


Inspiration:Chloe's Bathroom Before and After

042309_paint2.jpgWhen it comes right down to it, if you're renting, it's all about putting the least amount of work in for the maximum gain. Then there's the tiny issue of very often not really being able to do anything permanent. In our last apartment we lamented that the tile in the bathroom was....gross and didn't at all match the charm of the rest of the apartment. It would have been the first thing we would have changed had we owned the place, alas, we lived with it and tried to distract by adding a coat of paint. We wish it had had as huge an impact as Chloe's paint job:

 
 

042309-paint.jpgWhat we love about Chloe's before and after is that very little changed except for the paint color. Yes she put in a chrome towel bar and it looks like they swapped out the light fixture above the sink, but the real change came in the form of mimosa walls with a stripe and a flourish in the corner. For a renter this is a jackpot since a coat of paint is reversible and fairly easy to do in a weekend. Check out some of these other reversible renter solutions:
11 DIY Backsplash Ideas for Renters
How TO: Make Removeable Fabric Wallpaper
Renters Removable Duct Tape Flooring
5 Ways to Cover up your A/C Unit

Images from Kate Shepard's Flickr

Tags

bathroom, bathroom, paint, renter solution

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Comments (25)

well done but the floating head is a bit creepy

posted by loverlee on April 24th 2009 at 4:20pm
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Whoa! Love the color and the silhouetted "Bathroom Goddess"

I wonder what her inspiration for that was - Charlie's Angels or Princess Cruises "Sea Goddess" logo?

posted by bepsf on April 24th 2009 at 4:30pm
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Gorgeous! Great job Chloe! Window treatments; yes or no?

posted by quiltmaster on April 24th 2009 at 4:30pm
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I don't know, I kind of liked it before.

posted by adiaphane on April 24th 2009 at 5:17pm
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The yellow colour is terrific, but (in this picture at least) the white "stripe" just looks like they missed a bit

posted by idontdobeige on April 24th 2009 at 5:34pm
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Nice color! It's a huge improvement. But I liked the old light fixture better, and I would have stuck with plain yellow and hung some prints... the bathroom goddess scares me too.

posted by marie516 on April 24th 2009 at 6:09pm
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Six comments, 4 criticisms? Scares you!? x2!? The old brass light fixture and floral wall paper is BETTER?
Jokes, right?

This is a huge, bold, and beautiful change. Wonderful.

posted by peekay on April 24th 2009 at 7:26pm
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Whoever created that original light fixture (which is so omnipresent in almost every place I've ever looked to rent or buy) has some real repenting to do.

posted by Indy Jeffrey on April 24th 2009 at 7:33pm
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looks cool but the cabinet is all i see. it sticks out like a sore thumb because it's too dark for the space maybe? maybe painting it white too would brighten it up and make it look fresh and clean? cool paint job by the way.

posted by pniccole on April 24th 2009 at 7:55pm
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I love it. I think the stripe breaks up the yellow in a really positive way. Job well done!

posted by melanie8 on April 24th 2009 at 9:07pm
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I'm with Peek. It may not be to everyone's taste, but it certainly is a dramatic change (and I happen to think it was a lovely one).

Painting the vanity is generally not reversible, which is why renters usually don't do it.

posted by enmnm on April 25th 2009 at 12:06am
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I'm with "peekay." Creeped out by a silhouette on a wall?! I find this reaction puzzling and excessive. Personally, not crazy about the color (prefer cooler hues to warm...maybe a nice blue or green); however, bold is beautiful. And I think the comment about the cabinet is correct. I have the identical sink in my apartment, and I cannot paint it. Even thought about taking off the doors till I move and skirting it all the way around, but I'd have to drill or poke holes to attach fabric. It's the elephant in the room everyone tries to ignore.

posted by 39520expat on April 25th 2009 at 9:25am
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I can't believe that people preferred the before! Especially that hideous light fixture.

I think this is seriously awesome. I loooove the details in the corner, and the silhouette isn't creepy, it's interesting and a bit subtle. It took me a minute to see her. I'd love to find out how they did that detail work, it's fantastic.

posted by BambiJo on April 25th 2009 at 9:45am
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Excellent color choice, Chloe! Almost all of us have been there. Nothing feels better than a great home remedy to something awful!

posted by Vincent B. on April 25th 2009 at 1:05pm
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Though not my style, i can appreciate the imagination put forth in this project.

It's a nice change to see a bold move, as oppose to the safe blue colored bathroom makeovers one usually sees.

I'd just add:

-cafe curtain panel for the window
-a framed mirror
-paint job for the cabinets
-shelves (make use of that wall space on the side of the window there, although you already have plenty of space with a large sink countertop...i'd just add some shelves as a place for plants (an nice airplant would do awesome in bathrooms as they love humidity), or other eye candy objects like candles, pretty soap bars, etc.).

posted by callbob on April 25th 2009 at 11:46pm
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I'm not that fond of the Pacific Princess logo either, and the before wasn't THAT hideous, just a bit Laura Ashley-1983 dated looking.
But I like the yellow colour and light fixture.

posted by Daniel Poitiers on April 26th 2009 at 7:10am
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woah! It looks great!

posted by Nikukyu on April 26th 2009 at 7:19am
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very nice job, even though it's not my color (I just don't like yellow and orange). Great improvement, and adds a lot of individuality with the silhouette.

posted by Offtza on April 26th 2009 at 8:43am
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I think the cabinet is more noticeable because there's nothing really in the bathroom. There's a towel rack above the toilet, I would keep a towel hung, even just for decorating purposes because it seems a bit bare there. And I agree some nice curtains eventually would look pretty by the window. Love the color, I don't think the "bathroom goddess" is creepy but I don't really like murals with people in them personally, but I like the swirls around her. Great transformation! The bathroom was too boring before, although I actually liked the first light fixtures better? Call me crazy.. They seem more bold than the ones you put in which I think would have looked nice with your paint. I find it weird when people on AT like boring rooms, AT is usually pretty bold. I've always just wondered, why use the website if you like the boring everyday? The only thing you really changed was the ugly wall paper and the weird towel rack. Great job!

posted by Lafferteezy on April 26th 2009 at 3:08pm
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I love yellow and I love the vibrancy of this colour. Congrats, Chloe! Looks fabulous!

posted by wc_canuck on April 26th 2009 at 4:05pm
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Nice transformation, definitely a color that would wake me up in the morning!!

posted by RosaLily on April 27th 2009 at 7:33am
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Lovely transformtion! Great job!

posted by jessimarie33 on April 27th 2009 at 9:23am
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redo that floor!

posted by JenJen on April 27th 2009 at 2:51pm
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Love the color!
Mimosa...haha...

posted by Lilli K. on April 27th 2009 at 4:06pm
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KER-POW! It certainly packs a punch.

The white stripe is inspired - without it there would just be a lot of unbroken mimosa and the room would feel like a late-70s leftover. The Floating Head (does she have a name?) gives the room personality without being overbearing.

My only suggestion would be to get some cool designer containers for the counter. Those little bowls of lip balms and cosmetics let the room down.

posted by Blandwagon on April 27th 2009 at 10:31pm
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