apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I rent too - in fact my bathroom looks a lot like yours. That double angle you get in the morning when you're between the medicine cabinet and the mirror is just not fun. I attacked mine with a colorful stripped shower curtain, some vintage maps - and some cute containers on the counter. The mirror was aging around the edges which gave me the idea to use some mercury glass accessories and work towards a french flea-market feel. My proudest accomplishment is my dish-towels cum-curtains below the counter where there was an awkward place, i guess, for pulling up a chair and making a little vanity space - only the most important chair in the bathroom is in the way, so that's actually impossible. The dwell studio dishtowels at target came in coordinating sets of two, so I bought 2 pair and used one as curtains and the spares as coordinating hand towels!
Good luck - and hey -
at least it's only for a year....

I'm wondering if contact paper would work? I'm sure there's something you could use to seal it that wouldn't be permanent.

One of my friends did an amazing contact paper job over her old apartment's counters! She couldn't paint, but she did choose some nice art to hang. Flowers on the counter would also add some nice color.

I have this bathroom too!
You should try to improve everything else you can change.
I took down the medicine cabinet and put up a shelf in it's place. I then purchased a "over the toilet" storage unit (you know the kind... they actually make nice ones now) in a matching wood tone as the shelf (i choose a dark espresso color). Then I added a plant. I don't have a window but it hasn't died yet! I also found some nicely coloured bowls and canisters to hold my bathroom stuff like cotton balls, q-tips and my jewelry. I changed out all the nobs and pulls for sparkly old fashioned ones. Then I hung some art on the wall above the towel bar (which is opposite of the sink wall) and the look was complete. I still have an ugly counter, but you hardly notice anymore because all the other elements look so great!

This might sound like a bit of a plug, howver I dont mind if you use our products or someone else's, but what you could do is stick some nice wall stickers/vinyl graphics to the mirror and maybe even leading down onto the worktop area. Then with the colour in mind get some matching towels the odd coloured translucent glass vase/bowl.

And if it was me I might also cover the front of the doors in a vinyl or sticky-back-plastic and maybe even the top surface with a nice clean white vinyl......as I design and sell vinyl graphics everything in our house is covered in it. :)
So if you did want to do that you could find your perfect decal and then ask the company to sell you a couple of metres of the macthing colour uncut.

The beauty of vinyl is its removable so no having to repaint the whole bathroom before you leave. At best you peel it off the day you go and at worst (if putting it on a emulsioned wall) you have to do a little touch up.

Check out my very quick photoshop job here.
http://www.wallglamour.com/2008/03/how-to-brighten-up-bathroon-when-its.html

Just paint the walls and the cabinet - replace the mirror and medicine cabinet and the light fixture.

Just keep all the old things in storage until its time to move - then put them back (or offer to let the landlord purchase them from you when you move out)

Paint the bathroom a beautiful color. Add great towels and other items that make it feel personal. I have seen way worse. Yours seems like a nice blank slate.

Sounds silly, but change the clear round bulbs to frosted. Makes a HUGE difference. More than you think it would.

Hang art. Accessorize.

I just finished rehabbing the bathroom in my 550 sq. ft. rental. I changed out all of the hardware for decorative "oil rubbed bronze" finishes, including the door hinges. I have a shower door, but I still put up a shower curtain so I can easily change the color scheme without doing anything permanent. I repainted the bathroom from Navajo White to Swiss Coffee and added floor molding and painted it bright white to show the small contrast in color with the walls. Don't forget to apply a thin caulk beading to prevent moisture from getting down between the wall and the molding; and since my walls are uneven, the caulk helped hide the gaps between the wall and the molding. I also changed out the light fixture and replaced the switches and the switchplates. It was a couple hundred bucks, and well worth it.

I like wallguys idea - that was my first thought (wall decals!)

I'd use a placemat or similar in a pattern or color you like to obsure most of the counter top (the big, square area on the left), and add a plant or flowers. I love flowers in the bathroom.

Instead of black, use towels in a color/pattern that works with the other items in your bathroom. Don't try to match everything exactly, use pieces that coordinate.

The other thing is to use the largest possible throw rug in the bathroom that will fit - typically a 3x5 or 4x6 rug will fit - instead of the small 1.5-2' bath mat. Allows you to add some color, hides an ugly floor, but is still removable and washable.

Between the textiles, (towels, rug, something on the counter), any wall graphics you use, and hardware updates, you probably won't even notice the counter. And, that doesn't even require painting! (I know I'm not allowed to paint in my rental.)

(I don't care for over the toilet storage units -- I've never seen one I like. If you must add something, I do a wall mounted cabinet rather than those over the toilet units with legs on either side of the toilet.)

a few options
-I love the idea of doing a wall cling on the small mirror
-Contact paper on the counter may not stand up to steam
-Instead of covering your counter, personalize it by displaying old pictures of family members swimming or naked in the tub.
-Definitely put some color and richness into your linens.
-Make your shower curtain unusual and either really fun or really fancy, depending on your style.
-Use all that wall space to display a collection that won't be damaged in a wet space, like glass or shells or mirrors

Contact Paper! i love the metallic/aluminum/stainless steel variety, and have covered so many ugly rental surfaces in it. By the time i discovered it at my last rental, it only had to last a couple months before i moved, but it seemed to hold up pretty well in that time. The aluminum/steel looking paper has a fairly shiny surface that resists moisture, provided you don't leave wet things lying on it too long. Plus, it looks like your fixtures/hardware would coordinate with it.

Also - i really like your mirror frame, it's beautiful!

I agree with switching to frosted light bulbs. They really do make a difference

http://www.roomandboard.com/rnb/category.do?method=get&id=35
above is a link for the simplest $5 knobs to replace yours.....at room and board.
as suggested by others, swap out the medicine cabinet for shelves and find another framed mirror(with a simple frame). choose a mirror that is smaller, and hang it so that there is space between the top of the counter backsplash and the bottom of the mirror frame. cut out imperfect circles from contact paper, and place them in a horizontal row under the mirror and continue around the bathroom. paint the walls a soft aqua(roll right over the contact paper circles) and then remove the contact paper. fill in those circles with a color that matches the counter-top......it will pull the room together. if you have the energy and a steady hand, you could paint a contrasting band just inside the circle. bamboo accessories on the counter.......i would also pull out the towel holder, and spackle the hole before painting. i agree, frosted bulbs.

Lots of great suggestions here! Contact paper with a coat of acrylic polyurethane is an easy way to cover the countertop. It's easy to remove when you move and the top coat makes it glossy and durable.

why bother permanently changing it, if you rent?

I once covered a hideous counter with large ripped pieces of leopard print tissue paper that I crinkled up and "glued" on with liquid starch then polyurethaned making sure not to overdo the edges so it could easily be peeled off when I moved. Soap and water took off the liquid starch residue. I always got alot of compliments on my solution and I didn't overdo it. I used alot of beige and black in my towels and accessories. There are some cool patterns of gift wrap tissue available. Just an alternative solution to think about in covering ugly surfaces.

It is possible to have the color of the bathroom counter changed without replacing it. The process is called reglazing. It might be worth the cost if you plan on staying in your apartment for a while.

http://www.miraclemethod.com/

I recommend a nice neutral paint color. (I know 'thank you Capt. Obvious') I like Pratt and Lamberts "Muffin Tan". It's subtle and tones down the brightness of the stark white. Plus, it will balance the color of the sink. I agree with the Vinyl clings but try it on the side of the large mirror. Finally, I am a huge fan of trays. Try a medium size vintage aluminum or mirrored tray for accessories or sundries. This will cover some of the counter.

Get a large laquer tray to place on the vanity, a plant in a nice pot (bamboo in glass with glass stones in the bottom?). As p-too says, accessorize, the fug counter underneath will fade away. Thought the decal idea sounds fun too.....

Definitely add some color! I think by adding some, you will detract from the color of the countertops. I might go with the contact paper, or if you can, remove the door and rig a pretty curtain, or even just use some interesting organization boxes of glass jars as a display. Nice towels and art will help too.

Maybe you could get this colour to work by changing other things? Is it possible to take the doors off the hinges? Instead of doors: put some stylish cardboard boxes on the shelves inside the cabinet. They could be coffee brown, black or dark red. I did the same thing in my bathroom, and it changed the room completely.

Accessories: Details like towels and ceramics could be black, brown, neutral-coloured or dark red, and the effect would become quite Japanese/Zen. To freshen up: Clairepetrol's bamboo woluld fit right into this! Get some pebbles as well=)

The counter is showing up so much because it is gold/yellow-toned and everything else in the room is bright white or silver. Add some gold/yellow tones and it will calm down (as others are suggesting).

patrick (the other one)-

What a great idea to replace the bulbs with frosted ones. I have the same lighting situation in my bathroom, and I bet it would make a world of difference. I'm going to try it.