apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I'd say that you have to just own the blue and go with it - anything you do to hide it will look bad. Is that picture of the actual bathroom? If so, I'd say that the problems have more to do with the reddish wood, wall color and yellow/brown tile than with the toilet. If the woodwork was white and the walls were a cool gray color (and something was done with the tile), then the blue fixtures would work with the room instead of against it.

A blue toilet and sink wouldn't be so horrible (they could be attractive, even!) without all that dark wood and awful yellowy-brown flooring. Is it vinyl? Would you be allowed to replace it? Even just pulling it up and putting down new, white vinyl self-stick tiles would be a VAST improvement. Painting over the dark wood with white would be even better still, and neither would cost you very much in time or money.

I agree with the above posters - you gotta embrace the blue! What you can do is change the wood toilet paper spool and remove the wood trim along the walls and floor (save it if you have to put it back). I'd then paint the walls a bright white and put down vinyl tile stickers - presto you've got a retro loo.

What the hell is wrong with a blue toilet? I love blue! I'd do the whole bathroom blue and white if it were my blue toilet. IMHO it's the yellowish floor and the UGLY brown wood windowframe and paper holder that ruin the place (judging from that picture). And what is that, a wine red-brown shower curtain? Eek. Paint all the wood white and embrace the blue!

I agree about the flooring...when we moved into our apt the bathroom had awful stick on floor tiles in a goose kissing goose country pattern. We tore them up and replaced them with some nice plain grey marbly looking vinyl sticky floor tiles. They're still sticky floor tiles, but it made a WORLD of difference, was cheap (the landlord actually paid for the materials since it was such a vast improvement), and took one weekend day.

I also encourage you to embrace the blue. In fact from the picture it looks like it's not such a bad shade of blue. I would go for some bright white accessories. These from CB2 are pretty nice, but I saw some somewhere else that were very high gloss that would be nice, I just can't remember where. http://www.cb2.com/family.aspx?c=477&f=4053&viewall=1

I should add that if you aren't allowed (or aren't inclined) to change the floor, you might try putting down a big bath mat to at least cover it up a bit. It looks like the bathroom isn't that big, and I'm assuming the sink is right in front of the toilet there? There are a whole bunch at Anthropologie that come in different sizes and they have some blueish ones that might work, unless you wanted to go with a stark white one (which might be ridiculous to keep clean). Good luck, here's the link for Anthro: http://tinyurl.com/yqt4hd

5 for 5. It's the tile not the toilet.

I just bought a house and it came with a blue tub and sink. The toilet must have been replaced recently because, sadly, it's white. I agree - do whatever you can to make the rest of the room go with the blue. Now if you'd said pink - that would have been a different story.

The woman at Making It Lovely is dealing with the same thing:
http://blog.makingitlovely.com/search/label/bathroom

Yep, the blue toilet isn't that bad. If it's really killing you even after you try the suggestions above, replace the toilet seat with a white one, which might be amusing or might look not so hot. You can't change the color of the toilet, though, and it really is the tile and wood that make it look dingy.

I'll bet it you offered to pay for a new one and install it yourself the owner might go for it. Have you asked? While you're at it you might offer to replace that wooden paper holder.

I agree with everyone above. Kill the blue with kindness. White floor and trim, a softer paler version of the blue (not too sweet) on the wall, white towels and shower curtain and nickel or chrome toilet paper spool, and it will feel more clean and spa-like and still suit the period of the room.

I agree with the above comments. That floor is horrible; the toilet, though, is not so bad.

Hey Kelly
this is a rental so be at one with what you have. If I were you I would play up the color. Play up the blue by going for a Miami vibe or Caribbean thang. For inspiration check out http://www.definitivecaribbean.com/accommodation/Destiny.aspx. Those colors are in those settings- you have the reddish wood, that color brown of the dingy floor tiles and the bright blue of the water and that bright blue people paint houses ( also those vibrant yellows and pinks).

I would buy some sort of natural fiber rug or those dark wood rugs to cover the flooring. Then I would paint the walls some really bright color and get a simple graphic but bright shower curtain. Another alternative would be to paint the walls a crisp bright white and go big with bright accessories (towels, bath mat etc) and have a muted shower curtain in some interesting texture. I think there is lots of possiblity here. If I can remember where I saw this Caribbean thing done well in a bathroom I will post it here.

Check out what Making It Lovely is doing with her eerily similar bathroom. Lots of opinions by commenters over there: http://blog.makingitlovely.com/search/label/bathroom

Trying again with the link
http://www.definitivecaribbean.com/accommodation/Destiny.aspx

Yup, it's the rest of the room, not the toilet and sink. I think that's so cool that the bathroom has something other than white for it's fixtures. I'm fortunate in that my apt's bathroom still has it's blue tub and sink, sadly, the toilet got replaced at some point and it's a much newer white one. Oh well, at least they choose some decent flooring with a navy blue accent to put down so it really does look good. :-)

I'll add my voice to all the others, work with the blue!

i love the blue. i'm jealous. you don't deserve the blue toilet :) give the house to me!

It's a toilet.

You can buy a shiny new one for about $150.00-$200.00. If the landlord doesn't like it, you simply put the blue bomber back when you move.

It's one of the easiest things you can do: Turn off the water. Flush the toilet. Remove the water line, unbolt the toilet and move it. Scrape the old wax ring off the flange with a putty knife, gently dump a new wax ring in on the flange, and plop the new crapper right back on the bolts in the floor and sit on the throne to seat it on the wax ring, hand tighten the bolts, re-attach the water line and turn the water back on, profit!.

It uses less water per flush and saves you money if you pay for the water. I don't see you not getting your security deposit back back because you improved the place with a new toilet.

I don't want to sound like a broken record but, I love the blue toilet! There are so many pretty accessories available today in shades of that blue that it shouldn't be a problem. Pick out some things you love and create a color scheme, then:

1. Rip out the wood trim
2. DIY tiling the floor - it's a small bathroom, I am assuming only toilet and sink? It should cost very little to tile, even if you went with more expensive tile.
3. Paint the wall
4. Buy another toilet paper holder (stainless steel), I am sure there are cheap options available at Target or something
5. Used that weird raised floor to your benefit. Display a quirky collection, line up books or candles.

Good luck!

Landlords can be tricky even about minor renovations. Check with yours before you take up the tiles or change the fixture - after all, changing the toilet won't fix the blue sink. Then everything will just be mismatched.

I'd paint the walls a complementary color, cover the tiles with a nice coordinating rug (maybe get one you can cut up to fit around the base of the offensive toilet?) and get some matching sets of towels in bright colors to play off the blue.

I agree that you should go for a Carribbean theme. I was lucky when I moved into the house I'm renting because the bathrooms were recently rennovated (no odd-colored toilets), but the walls are a bright light blue. My first thought was, let's make this look tropical!

I went to Target and bought bathroom rugs in a shade of yellow that looks like sand. They had bright pink shower curtains on sale for $9.99 so I got one of those. Then, a few towels in assorted sizes and bright colors, and a blue trashcan. I was able to find a toilet seat with a palm tree on it too. It was fun to shop for all those things and it wasn't that expensive.

I still plan on adding some more tropical touches (ideas, anyone?) but the room looks great so far and all the bursts of color are very energizing.

i agree with everyone..keep the blue toilet....change the floor and paint.
i wish i had a blue toilet...

just another POV (as i think the blue is not all that bad either) - my first thought is that if the blue really kills you, you can always buy a new toilet cover and create a tank cozy :)

and if you wanted to go all-out, white contact paper around the bottom of the toilet could do it.

but as things stand, i agree with everyone above. just presenting options!

obviously my suggestions are geared more towards a cheap, temp solution for kelly, versus something more permanent.

If you paint the walls blue, the way you should select the blue is find a paint chip that matches your toilet as exactly as possible, and then go down a few shades lighter, and that's the best way for your toilet to not clash with that blue.

If you don't, you might find that one of the blue looks slightly too green, or too purple or something.

If it's completely impossible to change the flooring or anything... then look for a painting or a print that brings the colors together.

My friend had to deal with the same problem and she made it work buy going with lots of whites and a few cool potted plants.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/allabouteve/442709765/in/set-72157600041176482/

Hi Kelly,
I think the real problem is in thinking that you can't change anything because you are renting. Renters sometimes take on these restrictions when they don't really exist. If you ask the landlord to change the sink and toilet to white - offer to pay for the fixtures - maybe he/she will take on the labor cost. A quick trip to Home Depot with $200-$250 will go a long way. The conversation with your lanlord might get them thinking about raising the value of their property. Whatever the answer, I think it is unacceptable to pay these crazy rents for a space that you can't make your own.
Viva la Renter

Hi~
I would buy one of those acrylic transparent seats that have something weird frozen in them, like plastic flowers, barbed wire or other silly things. They are horrible but at least it would distract from the rest of the room ;)

I would definitely suggest asking your landlord about the renovations. Chances are he realized how dated the place is and he would agree to the changes.

However, is he is a jerk about it, I would still carefully remove the molding, and the wooden accessories and store them in a closet or something.

Then cover the entire floor, cutting out where the toilet and sink are with Flor tiles in a nice cream or gray. Or if you want a pop you could go wild and do an orange or something.

http://www.florcatalog.com/service/flor/shop_detail.html?mv_arg=8KR4252500%2d8B0364_01

Normally I wouldn't recommend carpeting in a bathroom, but since I gather you technically don't shower in there it should be ok, and look leagues better than what you have now. Also not as bulky as rug.

For the raised area, you could create a cover for it out of wood or MDF, I am sure there is something at Home Depot or the likes that you could work with. Paint it a nice white or any other color of your choosing. If you are feeling adventurous you could also try something for the heater there too. ;) Again utilize the raised area, for some nice bottle or a small collection.

Then paint (you can always paint it back), hang up some shelves above the toilet area, hang a picture or two on the side wall and I am sure you will be loving it in no time.

yeah, i agree with "embrace the blue." it looks like a gentle robin's-egg in the picture. make the walls the exact shade, and change other things to blend if possible. if not, find something interesting to hang on the wall which incorporates both the blue and the other disparate colors - a print or hanging of some sort.

Oops missed that you have a window on the side wall the first time around. Well then maybe not pictures, made some nice curtains then.

you can tone down the blue with a new toilet seat. they make some fairly decorative ones now, and you could probably find a nice finish for fairly cheap (nywhere from 15-50, I imagine).

they are cheap as hell, and very easy to install.

we're renters, and my husband is the kind of guy who wants a new toilet seat when he moves into a place.

here's the selection from target, ideal if you're going "fun" with it:
http://www.target.com/gp/browse.html/ref=in_se_pagelist/602-7504873-7728650?ie=UTF8&node=15744331&index=tgt-mf-mv&field-browse=15744331&rank=%2Bpmrank&size=57&page=1
home depot or someplace like that probably has some more traditional styles

forgot to add, but should go without saying: you can put the old seat back when you leave.

I am with those who like the blue toilet. When I saw the picture, I thought the question was going to be about the rest of the room. If the landlord allows, I'd change the floors and walls so that the toilet is an accent, rather than jarring against the rest of the room.

Ha! Ten years ago, my husband and I rented a house (which we still live in) that had exactly the same problem. Our solution was to paint the bathroom a darker shade of blue, and it really worked. As a result, you hardly even notice the toilet and tub. I agree with the previous posters: you've got to just embrace the blue. It could always be worse... I have friends who rent a house with BLACK bathroom fixtures.

Now that so many years have passed, we need to refresh the paint (we did this about five years ago with the same colour we used originally), and after reading these posts, I'm intrigued by the idea of going with a lighter shade of blue...

We have a mauve toilet tile and tub/shower. The toliet is cheap to replace, but I doubt you want to do that because you are renting.

What we had to do was paint the bathroom a color that complemented the mauve, and kind of drew your eye away. We also painted all the trim in our house white, as it made every room look alot darker. Next up is pulling up the vinyl and putting down tile.

As it's a rental, I would not throw any more cash into it than you have to, but would instead go to a fabric store, find a fabric that you like that incorporates the colors of the toilet and of the tile, and make a shower curtain and window curtain to pull it together. I once had the same problem with a gray toilet and sink and green tile.......I managed to make it work. It wasn't easy to find the right fabric, but once it was done it made the bathroom look decent enough to live with.

No, no, no carpet in the bathroom. It is just wrong, germs people, germs.