apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I think black and white and dark brown are a classy combination. So maybe chocolate brown walls with white towels, shower curtain, etc.

I say run with it! Go completely black and white with everything you bring in. Whether graphic stripes or polka dots, or something more subtle by way of a black and white toile.

But if you crave color, either grass green (in small amounts) or a more chartreuse-y green (in slightly more liberal dosage) are fresh colors to bring in. Sky blue or a PALE aqua, too.

If you want to go crazy, I'd go coral red.

Test drive expanses of color with shower curtain experiments before you commit to paint.

Do exactly what p(too) said, and if you can stand toile, definitely go with the toile, as it says "classic" rather than kitsch. If you can't stand wallpaper, there used to be toile shower curtains at Gracious Home.

Either go with it or get rid of it. Like putting lipstick on a monkey, you're not going to fool anyone trying to make it something it's not.

Either add one strong accent color and go retro (turquoise, pink, yellow, florescent orange), otherwise tear it out and do something completely different.

> ..."classic" rather than kitsch...

Um, it's linoleum... just stick with kitsch.

Embrace it or replace it.

I like kitsch, and bathrooms are perfect because they are small, and therefore you can't really go over the top. I have the same floor, paired with Dirty Linens Gay Toile shower curtain and a red heart rug. And I love it.

Lori--
I LOVE that Dirty Linen Toile!!! (um, was that "needless to say" material?!)

i concur with the choice of a toile or bold color choice.

another option might be just to go white on white. keep the walls white, the shower curtain and mat white. paint the walls a really pure white if it isn't already (hard to tell whether that's a cream or a really white white you have there).

either way, i think if you stay away from kitschy or retro accessories, it shouldn't be too much of a problem to avoid that 50's feel.

I think yuo have so many possibilities with that - I would just add a bright green or red or orange. Also, nice toilet - looks like a Kohler Memoirs Classic. Can you add a pic of the rest of the bathroom? I am jsut curious, I just did a partial reno of my batrhoom so I am somewhat obsessed!

As you aren't stuck with any wacky tile colours or anything, it should be easy to avoid a retro or kitsch feel. Black and white are good neutrals as a backdrop for any colour you like.... some good ones like yellow, red, turquoise, etc have already been suggested. You could also just stick with black and white and maybe hang some framed b&w photos or graphic b&w prints for a sophisticated look. Add a potted white orchid and you're stylish.

Zip over here to see six pictures I did for someone else using big checkered linoleum and various wall colors/patterns and window treatments...yeah, it's a kitchen, but you'll have the built-in white too, via tub, toilet, sink:

http://dgroups.bhg.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?nav=messages&tsn=1&tid=1369&webtag=kitchenbath

Click on each of the first six pictures to see a larger view and more detail. You can't see the toile in "ToileComeBackNow" until you look at the larger picture. Check out also "MidasTouch".

Neither one of those look kitschy. And they've been suggested by other folks here, just that you can get a basic idea of how some colors would look in your bath. You can play at the same place I did using the links in the post over there.

Scene7 used to be Good Home and they had oodles of rooms to play in. They also did the great Design Center at Home Depot, before Home Depot took it down (probably because too many people got great ideas and didn't bother coming into their store to pay consultants).

You can try out some combinations at Armstrong.com too. I am pretty sure you can not only pick out the checkered floor but change the wall color. I haven't been there in awhile.

I like black and white and pink. I'd paint the walls a pale pink and it would look Parisian chic. Keep everything else in the room white.

Margaret

Margaret, that sounds de-lovely. I was thinking pink and black tends to look too poodle-skirt, but a subtle blush color could be just right)

I think pale aqua with gold accents (mirror, etc.) and black and white towels could be great. Maybe monogrammed towels.

And a great vintage ceiling light with gold accents, a variety of styles would look good, but make it a real showstopper!

Add some milk glass containers from a thrift store for your soap, and other little toiletries and you'll be in business.

Good luck!

You can definitely keep if from looking kitschy. Pick a color and stick with it. Royal blue is nice, or red. Basically, any color will work. Just be careful to not introduce patterns or other colors- they'll just compete. My kitchen in San Franscisco was checkered. The cabinets and walls had been painted bright yellow, turquoise and white. The place looked like alice in wonderland. eck.

Keep it simple. Good luck!

Whie everything except, for one strong wall color on the walls (white ceiling). I'd go with chili red, but Tiffany blue would work well, too. That looks like a tiny bathroom, so the floor is easy to tone down. Get a thick, fluffy, white rug for in front of the shower (it looks like the swinging door would make a larger rug a problem). Buy some spa-quality, white towels. Put black and white art in black frames on the walls. Avoid anything twee or patterned.

That was "white" everything...

Cathy
If you have real linoleum and not vinyl you are very fortunate. It is great environmentally friendly stuff. Hope that makes you feel more positive about it!

And I say olive green.

I would be very drawn to all black accessories (chunky black floating shelf, perhaps?) plus a strong wall color, i.e. lime or tangerine or something with a metallic sheen. Steel gray could work too for a cooler slick look.

I'd stay away from red, which I ordinarily love, to bypass the Nifty Fifties vibe, and aqua for the same reason, though thats ALWAYS my route as aqua and I don't get along.

Wow, Andree, you sure did a lot of work for that woman over at the BH&G site. I have black and white vinyl tiles in my kitchen which I am going to replace with excatly the same stuff, lol!

I threw an aqua blue tablecloth over my table a few weeks ago and I fell in love with the place all over again--now I see why!

B&W is incredibly versatile. I use red accents in winter and green and blue in summer. Love checkerboard tile!

Have fun with you bathroom, Cathy!

"you"= "your" sorry.

Alana, that was using a room at Scene7, and it's really easy to use, to pick out different flooring and wall colors or wallpaper and window coverings.

I like to give people lots of ideas, and the online applications are making it easier than ever to try out wallcoverings, fabrics and paints.

Everytime I see combinations of the checkered floors, I think "That's the thing for me" because it CAN be changed around. Adding different colors for different themes.

This whole place was done in black and white checkered flooring, and works great with all the pastels and Fiestaware in the kitchen.
http://tinyurl.com/nvsfb

At the other end of the spectrum, just black and white is fabulous:
http://tinyurl.com/fb4u5

That's the floor painted, but you could do a black and white stripe canvas for the wall to add the stripes without actually painting the wall.

Thanks for the acknowledgement of my work. That's the kind of thing I've been doing for years and I've been trying to do here, but people get mad when I go on and on here. They sure don't feel that way over there. Well, not if you're the lady who had a tree fall through her kitchen roof and has to come up with a plan.

I just got an email yesterday from someone I helped last year, I think, who now wants help picking out a new front door and sidelights.

Alana, did you see the ME kitchen ideas too? Gosh that was a fun kitchen concept to play with.

You should send in pictures of your kitchen with the new flooring and show people how versatile it really is. You don't even have to change EVERYTHING, like wall paint. A few textiles and a couple of decorative objects, and you have a whole new kitchen.

If not doing pictures here on AT, definitely you could make a Flickr album and tell us the pictures are up. And definitely a message over in the Kitchen and Bath section at BHG. Even if noone responds, there are still a lot of people that are "read-only" people and will look. Or you can refer people to your album in the future. Well, I WANNA SEE anyway. hahahaha

I live in a 1923 craftsman cottage. My kitchen has Black and white ceramic tiles. I just went with it. I added a nice dark wood Bar and dinning table . I kept the paint more subtle a cream color, but if you want to be bold try a celadon green or dark red(too much color for me) but it can look good. This floor does make a bold statement, it does not have to be kitchy but the fact that it is is lenolium kinda makes it so. I have seen a bathroom in restoration hardware silver sage paint with all white towles and chrome accesories it looked clean and very nice.

Keep the floor tiles; use glossy white paint for the walls, white or clear shower curtain, black & white towels, then:

spend your time & money on one wonderful, moisture-proof piece of sculpture or mobile - any color, so long as you love it.

This is mentioned up top, but hasn't seen much air time since. I think the best way to completely avoid kitsch is to stay with black and white, either in wide stripes or polka dots on the shower curtain, for example. Could be very, very clasic. Small touches of milk glass or a TINY bit of gold will complete it.

I too have black and white, large, checkered tiles in the bathroom of my rented apartment. I furnished all bath linens in white (a classic, looped bath mat, white waffle weave shower curtain, white ribbed bath towels) and accented w/ grassy green hand towels. The all white (in a variety of textures) with a touch of spring-like green give it the "fresh" feel I like for bathrooms. I also added storage with a Muji polypropylene cart that lends a more modern, sleek feel instead of the retro-ness of a chrome fixture. Brushed aluminum or stainless bath accessories would provide the same. I think polished chrome w/ the checkerboard floors would be too much of a diner feel.

Good luck! Enjoy your new place!

Minipanda I like your ideas. I think that would be a great way to make this look modern.

And Andree, I may be participating in the fall cure--and maybe I'll post here--if folks can accept that I'll be working on a house with 1200 square feet with two adults and two kids in it. And if that's not bad enough--I do not, personally, live in mid-century modern style. I can appreciate it, even love it, but I don't want to live in it!

Alana, you might want to pick up the book now, and simply start by reading it and digesting the material. No, don't eat the book, just get the overall feeling of the various aspects.

You can do it on your own, if you wish. Or be part of the group. Or add into the weekly thread Maxwell has been posting that comes up on Wednesday. Or check the link to the book, for all The Cure posts and post in the most recent one.

Reading through the book now, even without tackling any of the projects, can be IDEAL. Here's why: You're doing laundry or putting away linens or washing dishes, and it dawns on you...

You don't use the popcorn popper anymore. Time to get rid of it, off to the thrift store.

You used to love to do fondue, and haven't for years, so now is a good time to start doing it again, or pass it on to someone who will use it.

You might have a combinations of extremes in clothing or towels or bed linens. Extremes being "good stuff" that is barely worn or brand new that you're saving for some special event (which sounds really odd when talking about bed linens).

And the "I can get one more use out of this item" that has holes or seams that are almost disintegrated.

Nothing in between. Just about all the "one more use" items can go after the next use. Really. Because you'll find an abundance of items available to replace those items if necessary at great prices.

The everyday casual, work in the garden or run to the store kinds of things. Just about everything I really wear these days comes from the thrift store. They're several steps above "one more use" but not so expensive that I'm going to panic if I get a grass stain or snagged by a bush.

In MY opinion, there's no reason why ANYONE wouldn't benefit from The Cure, regardless of home size. It may take longer to clear out the space. Which is another reason to start in on it now.

Believe me, there will be more things to work on, it's a continual process. What stayed the first round might not make it through round two. It (The Cure) provides a format to work with, that you can use for the rest of your life. It can become the yearly cleaning ritual. It's a KEEPER book.

I'm going to toss in several of the bath slideshows or articles here, that hopefully Cathy will see and can browse at her leisure. All kinds, sizes, shapes, styles, colors. There's more where these came from, but these are a great start:

Pastel Baths:
http://tinyurl.com/epmo7

Colorful Baths:
http://tinyurl.com/q9v9m

Perfect Powder Rooms:
http://tinyurl.com/lj5ye

7 Perfect Powder Rooms:
http://tinyurl.com/qk3du

When looking at Powder Rooms, I also think of small kitchens. Ways of using color or tiles or accessories can be transferred from one to the other with similar results.

I have an idea. I happen to be one of those people who cannot stand the black white checker board thing. Don't want to see that in the morning or the evening. So here is what I propose. I say that you get some kind of rug and put it down on top of that horror. If you cut it in the right size, and put a small bathmat down where you need it. Its cheap and easily replaceable. It sounds crazy, but I had a friend who did this and it worked.
Also, the other thing that you could do is to buy some of those plastic tiles sold at Home depot. Place them on the floor without taking off the plastic. If you place them close enough together, they may not move around. Many would probably disagree with me. But then again, they seem to love the black and white tile thing.

Andree:
What's The Cure? (other than the band)
Can you post a link to the book? Thanks!

My kitchen has black and white checkerboard tile set on the diagonal so it looks more fresh. I have only lower cabinets--white wood, with black iron handles. The countertop is cherrywood stained ebony. There is white-painted beadboard leading from the countertops to the two white shelves that hold dishes. The ceiling and the walls above the beadboard are painted a Tiffany blue color. My kitchen certainly doesn't look cute, but it is a combination of modern and old farmhouse.

Tiffany blue is a nice idea. I also think you could embrace the black and white thing and run with it (I'm assuming any tiles are white, right?) A really pale pink would be pretty, if any men of the house were okay with that.

I recently saw a black and white flocked paper in Janovic. The quality of the flocking seemed a little cheap to me, but I'm sure there are nicer versions. Maybe one wall would work?

My hair salon, Soon, in the East Village also put up this kind of white wallpaper with a raised pattern (which they have since painted pink, just for a change.) It's pretty cool and retro-y in a nice way, and if I remember correctly, their bathroom has black and white flooring. If you went the white textured route, I would do all silver accessories and black and white throughout for that Art Deco-y look. Someone in another thread about black and white decor mentioned a big monogram in black and white, which I think would be really cool.

Finally, you could also do one focus wall of that cool forest wallpaper in Jane and Darko's apartment:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/small-cool-2006-entries/13-jane-darkos-cozy-thicket-007003

Does anyone out there have any experience with installing Maroleum Click floor tile? I am trying to lay down a checkerboard floor (grey and yellow, set on the diagonal), and the foor tile is not consistently "clicking" as promised. This causes a gap beween the tiles. I have contacted the company but the e-mail address given was obsolete. Thanks very much for any suggestions. I would warn people against using this--I have installed "peel and stick" flooring with greater ease and at one tenth the expense.

The company name should be spelled Marmoleum in my last posting.

Michelle--
Click the book cover icon on the upper riight of this page.

"The Cure" is the step-by-step procedure outlined in Maxwell's (our website host) book. Click the first link in the Archive list to see all related posts.

Heya Michelle!

The direct link to the book area is thus:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/book

The WHOLE title is
Apartment Therapy:
The Eight Step Home Cure

Needless to say "AT:TESHC" is STILL longer than "The Cure". I stalled at Week Two. That doesn't mean I quit. It means I STALLED. I'm disabled, so what takes some people 8 weeks in their apartment will take months and months in mine.

I am proud to say that I went through my sock drawer last night and culled all the singles. The drawer was dusted out, spritzed with cedar, and all the socks will be washed before being put back in.

In addition, all the other drawers will be sorted, culled, dusted, spritzed. Nothing is put back until all drawers are done and the inside and bottoms of drawers are inspected.

Being mindful is a good way to be. When one small area starts to get cluttery, then work that area. Even if it is one dresser. Or one kitchen cabinet. Beware, it's addictive!

I've had a few bathrooms and kitchens with black and white tile...not checkerboard, but still b & w. I painted one bathroom spring green, another in two tone (separated by a chair rail) burgandy on the bottom and dusty pink on the top. Now my kitchen is jadite green with white cupboards, black ceramic tile, stainless appliances, etc. Black and white and just about any green (except kelly) is really great color scheme.

Thanks for the Cure info. Sounds exactly like what I need and Andree- your story is inspirational. I know I'll be slow goin' so your story gave me encouragment!

Perry, I have no experience with Marmoleum. Did you go through Forbo Flooring: http://tinyurl.com/s3ptc
There's an 800 number for assistance. I'd read through EVERYTHING on that site before calling.

They have a HUGE section on installation instructions, including leaving the unopened boxes in the center of the room for a couple of days before installing.

And I guess everyone but me knows exactly what this part means: "For concrete subfloors, internal relative humidity should be a maximum of 75% (tested according to ASTM 2170) and moisture vapor emission must not exceed 3 pounds per 1000 square feet in 24 hours (tested according to ASTM 1869)."

There ARE reasons for this kind of stuff. I read a bit about leaving stuff lying around when I was reading about bamboo flooring. Things expand or contract according the humidity. You install in high humidity and then wonder why your floor "opens up" in summer. You install in dry summer, and you wonder why your floor "buckles" in rainy season. And some things expand or contract very noticeably, while others don't (like vinyls).

If the whole tile expands or contracts, that means all parts, including the parts that go together. So one "tongue" has expanded perhaps, while one "groove" hasn't, so it just won't fit. It's not going to fit until they all have fully expanded or contracted in response to YOUR environment.

No company would be in business very long if they made parts that don't fit together that are supposed to fit together.

If you're like a lot of people, you excitedly ripped open the boxes, flung tiles around the room and started. Like a holiday or birthday gift, you wanted to hurry up and get that train set assembled to begin the fun part of playing with it.

Even SIMPLE things require the use of a certain process. Like this darned remote control mouse I bought for my cats. It does have instructions on how to get the mouse off. But they left out a step. It took awhile of turning the container over and over before I got the mouse off the base.

When relaying this toy to other cat owners, I said "...and you'd need a degree in engineering to figure out how to get it off." A reply from a woman hysterically laughing online, was that her husband DOES have a degree in engineering and he broke it trying to get it off the base.

It's always clear to the person who made it. It's not always clear to the rest of us.

Check out the website, if that isn't the one you used, and see if any questions can be answered via the text or by trying the 800 number. Let us know what happens. It looks like really nice flooring!

Two ideas:
Check out Vicent Wolf's book Learning to See - he did a great bathroom inspired by the Chanel No 5 bottle - all black and white, very urban and elegant.
See the book Tricia Guild In Town (printed in 1996 so check your library) - I believe the bathroom I am thinking of was in NY - great black and white bathroom with bright colored towels in red, turquoise, orange - simple modern and elegant.

Alex, I have that book (I bought it at the grocery store, in their bargain bin stack, there ARE sometimes treasures to be found).

The bathroom Alex is refering to has a huge red/white check on the window. Large blue glass vase there also. Towels draped over the side of the tub are blue and either red or orange (I can't tell in this lighting).

It's on page 176.

The same window fabric is repeated in the bedroom shown on pages 150-151 in the windows and at the head of the bed.

And again on the chair on pages 98-99.

I picked it up because it's chock full of color and whimsical shapes. Interesting textures. It tends to satisfy my craving for color without having to paint any walls here myself.

After seeing all those saturated colors, I can go back to being "okay" with neutrals in my own place. The book takes care of my color needs.

this is a completely unhelpful comment, but i just wanted to say i have enjoyed hearing people's ideas for the third colour -- from dk chocolate brown, to olive, to pale pink, tiffany blue, seagrass, tangerine, celadon, dark red -- you could change colours every month! i would love to hear what the lady chooses in the end after all these amazing ideas. it's why i love this website.

Wow! I sent in my question and then went on a trip for a few days. As soon as I got home, I hopped on the computer to check AT and found out that my question had been posted!

Here are a couple of ideas that I've narrowed it down to: My bathroom walls have a chair rail running all the way around that separates normal smooth wall on the top from a white-painted brick section on the bottom (the paint is so thick that you can juuuust barely tell that that part of the wall is brick). I'm going to either paint the top half of the wall green or blue (either a fresh, light shade of one of those or something more bold), or I'll go with a black and white scheme that leaves the walls white and has black graphic details on the shower curtain and other acessories (and possibly a black and white photo or drawing framed on a wall). The black and white would have a cool chic look, but I'm a fan of color on the walls. Deciding will just take a little more time and thought. :)

I felt a little silly for needing to ask my question in the first place, but hey, what else is the AT community for? Thanks again for all of your help!!

(Oh, and just to clear something up: The floor in the picture isn't from my actual bathroom, just one with the same kind of checkerboard flooring. I probably should have pointed that out in my email.)

I always liked yellow with black and white. (Red's all right but a little overdone.) Add a little tropical green as in a banana tree/leaf motif and you're on your way. Sort of a fancy tropical hotel atmosphere.

I have an old house from the 50's and my bathroom was gray with pink. To make a change without the cost of a complete gut I installed black and white floor and wall tile. Almost anything goes with black and white, red, pink, yellow, gray, etc. But if you really are having a hard time working with it, go to Home Depot and get the stick on floor tiles, they are less than $20 per box. That may be your solution.

Good Luck
Maria

I had the same problem, and went with gold fixtures,towel racks and shower doors. Then added taupe towels and accessories (soap dish, trash can, etc). Everyone thought I was crazy when I described it, but then when they saw it, said it was gorgeous. The taupe and gold look awesome with the black and white, believe it or not.