apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

for paint and towels, try sticking to interesting shades of pink, lavender and/or a minty turqoise. maybe the green for the walls, and the towels and your bathrobe could be pink and/or lavender. White could be a great accent with these. Show us the results!

What about a rich navy

I'd say play up the peach (if you're ok with that color) or go for ivory rather than bright white.

A DARK chocolate canvas shower curtain.

I'm with Maxwell. In this case I think a crisp white as your primary color is the way to go. You may then consider adding decorative touches that have a wood tone/nature feel like beautiful wood boxes, plants, branches, woven trash can and pictures with dark wood stained frames. I think the dark wood tones would work well with the white/chocolate milk brown.

It's like performing your ablutions in a pint of Dulce de Leche ice cream!

Why hasn't anyone said pale blue? Chocolate and pale blue? I thought that was The New Thing[TM] (other than yellow, of course). :P

While a crisp white would probably look the best; however, if your living situation is anything remotely similar to mine, I know I cannot have a white bathmat. It'd match the brown tub/toilet in no time (stupid boys :P).

A nice sage-y color may work?

Only this time pretend I proof-read my comment before posting. :(

I agree on a white shower curtain, I 'd go all white on the accessories and and nice atomic orange for the walls.

I'm with P2 on the dark chocolate shower curtain and I would maybe paint some sort of pattern using the chocolate, lighter browns, ivory and peach on the upper wall -- something modern/graphic to draw the eye up and distract from some of the elements you don't like (and make it look more personalized as opposed to the "dorm-room" institutional look).

Milk, chocolate, ice cream, these are words that should never be used in or to describe bathrooms. I feel for you.

It's hard for me to tell the real colors on my monitor but I would probably try to take something depressing and turn it into something fun and distracting. I'm seeing bright green accents. I would probably replace the toilet seat with a wooden one that matches the vanity as well. Maybe a green astro turf bath mat, a cool shower curtain with some sort of plant image on it. Whatever shower curtain you choose will improve things because the outside curtain should cover most of the front of the tub.

oops, I forgot, can you paint the walls?

I love the idea of crisp white (shower curtain and towels) - and I'd add a few snaps of black (black-framed medicine cabinet and shelves) to sharpen it all up. I didn't quite understand your comment on the lower cabinet of the vanity, but if you CAN change it, I'd paint it black, too. And keep all the hardware silver/stainless/chrome.

Finally, some great art will also help draw the eye away from the brown - so many folks forget to include art in the bath, where it can have a huge impact!

Is there any chance you can replace the toilet with a very inexpensive plain white one? I think that'd have a huge impact on the room and your peace of mind. If not, even just a black lacquer or silver tray on top of the toilet tank will help draw the eye away from it.

Please post "after" pictures for us - and congrats on your new place!

i'm with the white. i have yucky cheap fake brown/white linoleum on my floor (do they REALLY think this stuff looks like tiles???) and i got a white toilet hutch and a white cabinet and it makes it look tons better - also with a white waffle weave shower curtain and a white rug. in my opinion, it softens the impact of the brown. i also have really dark (kind of chocolate milk, but with lots of chocolate in it) trim and doors. white is the way to go.

Hard to know what to recommend without knowing more about your esthetic preferences.

If you're into the Brocade Home look, you could stop fighting the brown and try something like:

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=14012362

A more whimsical take with a cowboy:

http://corporate.marketworks.com/storefrontprofiles/processfeed.aspx?sfid=103029&i=54344731&mpid=191&dfid=1

More modern options:

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_SessionID=@@@@0497541145.1177698795@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccieaddkkhkmffjcefecemldffidfni.0&vertical=SEARS&sid=I0093600050004500085&pid=09647588000

http://www.vitafutura.com/curtains/details.asp?fam=00126

And another lovely option:
http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/601-7456967-9979342?asin=B0006Q524M&AFID=Froogle&LNM=B0006Q524M|Dragonfly_Shower_Curtain&nAID=14110944&ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001

- White toilet at Home Depot - cheap one - $90
- Paint the sink cabinet/base - white
- Can you remove the brown tile framing/strips and replace it with white tiles?
- REALLY big bath rug - white (so it can be bleached at the laundry).
- Interesting lighting element to draw the eyes UP.

There's my 2 cents.

Here's another whimsical option, especially if you are hoping to introduce more color:

http://www.thewoollysheep.com/Moose_Lodge_Shower_Curtain_p/1201-SC-ML.htm

I agree with going with the white to make it feel more crisp ( and less dingy ) - paint the walls white too if you can. I'd love to see a black accent -maybe a thin black line around the room above the tiling and maybe a black stripe at the base of a white shower curtain.

How about orange and dark brown? Here's an IKEA shower curtain that might work (though I can't quite tell the peach color you've got going on)

http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=15553&catalogId=10103&storeId=12&productId=55285&langId=-1&categoryId=15604&chosenPartNumber=90087225

My brother has this in his place (I think his tub, sink, etc. were similar colors to yours) and he was able to play it up w/ some fun little accessories, bath mat, etc.

Oh -and paint the base of the vanity a glossy white - you'll probably need a coat of primer first. And new door handles and you should be good to go!

SCRABBLE THEME.

Wasn't there a scrabble themed room in some publication years ago?

You have the tan/brown and the peach. All you need is teal. you have wood too.

My first thought was white waffle-weave shower curtain and big floor covering also.

I've been using white terrycloth shower curtains for years now and I think they look great. Much better than a clear curtain.

With chocolate brown I suggest lilac, light blue, light aqua, or a light sagey green.

I would keep the towels and shower curtain white and paint the walls one of the colors I mentioned. Get a nice thick washable white rug that's as big as will fit in the room.

You could always make a skirt (from a fabric with bits of brown, the color you use and lots of white) to go around the sink vanity (attach with velcro) and remove the doors. I would also try to find a really cool looking mirror or piece of artwork to hang in the bathroom. Then your eyes will go there and not on the ugly parts of the room.

I like the brocade-y curtain mama chilanga posted. To me, all white is impractical, and I think that brown (while it'd be better to have the tub and toilet white) can become a neutral. I like it with warm, dark wood (like this C&B is using: http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=1435&f=14500&q=shelf&fromLocation=Search&DIMID=400001&SearchPage=1)

and the other key is good colors. With those browns, as long as you have a good crisp white (on the walls?), add either grass green, light blue, or even pink. I'd avoid orange. I normally love it, but with the light brown, I think you'd have a fast food place on your hands.

the best way to make brown "go away" is to dive in head first, do almost everything in the same light brown, walls shower curtain, etc. I matched the grey tile color in my bath, I have to tell you the color just melts away leaving eyes to focus on the framed print I hung, which absolutley pops against the monochrome hues of the room.

I think if you obscure all of the wood in the room, faux or otherwise, the brown will immediately be easier to bear (are those wooden framing strips around the tile?) If you can't paint or remove that cabinet, you might unscrew the cabinet doors, stow them elsewhere and wrap the whole thing in a simply folded fabric skirt. That way, you keep access to the undersink storage.

I also like the idea of painting the walls to match the fixtures. It seems to me that the problem with the room is equal parts of too many neutrals -- the more you can cut that back, the better small amounts of an accent color will look. I agree that strong art will help, but you need to quiet down the room before that's going to work.

I rather like the Scrabble idea too.

I'd play up the brown-ness of it and go with beautiful, rich chocolate brown - actually several different shades of chocolate brown - milk and plain - and a lovely olive green on the walls - fabulous!

Greens go well with brown, but a natural shade of green, not bright and not pastel. Brown is a difficult one to work with. You could also just use different shades of browns, tans, espressos.

i think as commented above that Jako and Violetrose are correct in saying that if you have no option to remove the hard features of the bathroom that you dislike (tub, tile, toilet, ect...) then the brown surface features are easy to involve in the design if you stop thinking of it as a bathroom and more of a quiet healthy space.

think of it as a walk in the garden at night, look toward the design of modern or contempory zen resturants.

http://www.amazon.com/Contemporary-Japanese-Restaurant-Design-Jitsukawa/dp/079460160X

anyone ever showered or bathed with a large artificial plant in a planter that has the same depth as the tub so the water level didnt flood the planter and an led flicker candle uplighting the plant in thier small bathroom tub/shower?

do i need a vacation? or should i call in to work healthy.

My very first thought was dark brown and after reading the suggestions I still think it will work. Other schemes will emphasize what you want to hide. But if your dark Hershey brown is also luxurious in looks and feel, those pieces will be the ones that the eyes go to and not the Nestle Quik-colored ones.

i don't think that the milk chocolate tub/toilet is yuck. i think your bathroom is kind of cozy. keep going with the reds that you already have.

I think most anything you do would look nice if you cover the toilet seat OR try and find a replica of the original. I tried to find a picture of a shower curtain that had swirly circles, it was turchoise with brown,red, yellow, peach I think swirls. I thought it was either the country store or county store. It also had swirly circle rugs too. I couldn't find it maybe someone else knows what I am talking about.

your bathroom has a 'help me hide the tan lines Nude beach ambiance'

What about red as an accent color. If you can paint the , do a stripe pattern that includes all of the colors, similar to this: http://www.florcatalog.com/service/flor/shop_detail.html?mv_arg=1371202500%2d6949_02

If you're in the mood for kitsch, try Urban Outfitters "Enchanted Forest" shower curtain:

http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=26979&itemType=PRODUCT&iProductID=26979&crosssell=1

For a more streamlined look, this one is nice:
http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=27572&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=336&iSubCat=299&iProductID=27572

Match the browns or even go darker with whatever color strikes you. I'd make the bath tub go away by finding a wonderful fabric that incorporates the colors and making a curtain out of it, being sure it hangs OUTSIDE of the tub. This would not only hide it but it would focus your eye on a large, interesting visual element. Note that I didn't say "buy a shower curtain" - go onto eBay and hunt for something you like - maybe a Javanese batik, since they use a lot of brown. If it isn't big enough to cover the entire area, put a neutral shower curtain liner behind it (you'll need a liner anyhow). You can attach it to the curtain rod with clip-on hooks.

I think the vanity, medicine chest and towel racks are much more significant problems visually. I'd do anything to get rid of the vanity.

Read Jun'ichiro Tanizaki's "In Praise of Shadows" for an entirely different perspective on how bathrooms should look and the Western love of bright, shiny white bathrooms.

a sledgehammer.

failing that, olive, navy, more brown

I had a similar problem with my bathroom. Same vanity and various yucky shades of cream to yellow in the floor, toilet, bath, tiles, and faux wood vanity.

I primed the vanity and painted it white. That alone fixed 95% of the problem. It was as though the weight of the world was lifted from my shoulders.

I agree with others about keeping things white, and doing what you can to cover the floor.

Good luck!

Brown tends get a bad reputation-dirty, homely, frumpy, or just out-dated. But it doesn't have to be... Check out clothing and hip furniture stores for the latest chic color combinations, and you'll find bright, spunky color paired with brown: turquoise, purple, bubble gum pink, or bright blue... Embrace brown by giving it an updated look- it's all about context.

If it were my bathroom I'd be tempted to do one of two things: either do the brown/light blue/muted pink look, like rperls said, or fully embrace the weirdness of the bathroom and go thrift-store ironic. Owls! Avocado green! Paint by number! Obviously not a look for everyone but it would be an easy (or maybe just funny) way to make the dated aspects look intentional...

I always liked the contrast of a light, powedery blue and a rich chocolatey brown. It's very serene.

I had a similar problem, different colors, and managed to hide the tub altogether by hanging extra long window curtains from a suspension rod placed as close to the ceiling as possible. Got mine from Ikea--can't find them on the site, but they're rod-pocket panels in nylon/poly, a shimmery blue-green and look like silk dupioni. Same style comes in other colors, including chocolate brown and a hot pink (which may not go with your peachy tone--can't tell from photo). These dry quickly so you might not even need a liner, but you could keep your clear curtain hanging from the rod you're now using just to protect the outer curtains, since it'll be hidden.

I like the idea of a deeper pop of color in a kelly green or even lime (if the peach doesn't clash) and if it does, deep chocolate and crisp white. btw--if it makes you feel any better, we once lived in a flat in which the bathroom featured peach, brown and acqua peeling moire wallpaper, acqua tub, peach toilet and cafe au lait sink with brass hardware! And we couldn't paint.

I think Mama Chilanga has come up with some lovely shower curtain options. If you go with the cowboy theme, I think a black toilet seat cover would work. I think a white toilet seat is kind of terrible-looking on that toilet.

I'm sure by now you've probably done something with it but for those of you who have the same problem I found a look that works wonders. We did a mini renovation that included replacing the cabinet(which isn't necessary), we put a vinyl remnant on the floor for a tile look and it cost $25. For the curtain I went with a fabric wal mart curtain that was a beautiful turquoise, off white and chocolate with a little yellow and that chocolate milk brown. Then I added an over the toilet cabinet and topped it with a dark chocolate mirror from ikea, some turquoise and chocolate boxes from restoration hardware...put some curly willove in different size vases and added spa like touches (glass jars with lids with loofas, sponges etc). Nice soaps and sprays from asquith and somerset(found at any tj maxx) completed it. I got compliments all the time . Its not too busy and the colors are soothing. The little items distract from the ugly colored tub and toilet!