apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

in this economy? pry those suckers back up!

That is awesome! I'd try to keep the emphasis on the floor and make the room as simple and clean. A soft neutral on the walls. Simple dark toned cabinetry.

Just avoid a theme room, and you'll be fine.

how about complimenting it with a nice soft green from a sort of tarnished-copper-patina family? Maybe not the whole room, but in pops? Or a partial wall divided off by some moldings? That is a kick ass floor. I like how it mimics 20s era traditional tiles, but isn't... have you counted up the $ value? :)

I'd paint those walls a dark brown gloss and the trim a glossy white, and put a huge ornate mirror over the sink.

Does the room get any natural light?

I think a deep neutral (dark brown, dark grey, even off-black) could work well. I'd dress the room with white towels, and install some nice chunky baseboards and paint them white. Actually even a light grey could be nice.

If you do have a window, I'd put up some tailored roman blinds in an almost gauzy fabric also in white.

If you really want colour, I'd go peacock blue or emerald green.

Curious, what was your installation process? The installation looks pretty consistent. Well done.

I'd say paint the walls the color green that copper turns (Statue of Liberty color).

in all seriousness, though, it looks fantastic. i would go with classic, playing off the warmth from the pennies. i think the playfulness of the floor would look great juxtaposed to a pretty pretty pretty/girly bathroom (though i would still stick with clean lines...some people think girly translates into doilies being deposited on every flat surface). i'm thinking something in the rosy/orangey spectrum, a chandelier...

That looks lovely. I would go subtle, with the walls in the a lighter coppery color with cream trim. Let the sequence be--wow, that looks nice-----Whoa! It's PENNIES!

That looks lovely. I would go subtle, with the walls in a lighter coppery color with cream trim. Let the sequence be--wow, that looks nice-----Whoa! It's PENNIES!

Paint the walls - a nice dollar-bill green. ;)

Actually, I think a grey-green-olive color or a grey-cadet-blue color would be attractive with those copper pennies.

Re-do the molding on the floors, too.

And maybe you could frame currency (coin or paper) to decorate? And find an old safe and use it to store TP or handtowels and soap and the like?

Wow, that's really cool... and I'm betting it's actually a fairly cheap flooring alternative.

Personally I'd keep the floor the focal point since it's such a unique feature. The walls definitely need to be warmed up--you could either use warm, coppery tones or a blue would really make the copper pop too. It depends on your personality and the rest of your decor which direction you want to go in.

I'd love see pictures of the completely finished product!

I agree that painting the walls a verdigris color would be beautiful. I always love a room with "hidden meaning". Only a few people would get that the room is painted the color of aged copper and there are copper pennies on the floor. If you haven't already installed the towel bar/ring and tp holder, I would use oil rubbed bronze. Also use oil rubbed bronze for the mirror. If there is room for art some framed sepia photography would be beautiful.

I think dark walls would work really well here... like a dark gray Zinc color.

And contrary to Lisa Hunter, I think playing up the theme SUBTLY could be very cool here... one small white Alabaster bust of Lincoln against a dark wall would be great.

I'd love to know the valuse also...

Looks fantastic, I'd keep the rest of the room simple and neutral (yah it's been said already)

Go with white, if you don't like it, it's an easy colour to paint over. :)

Wow! That floor looks great, and except for the time spent I bet that the "tile" was pretty economical. Care to share how you did it?

I think that I would go with something slightly funky and neo-victorian/arts and crafts. Definitely with a washstand style copper sink like in this pic.

http://www.premiumhomedesign.com/us/southeast/search.aspx?s=copper sink&page=0&item=3021

I would put some baseboard trim around the walls to highlight the floor and paint the baseboard and washstand the same color (I know that the pic shows a wooden washstand, but I think that might be too much orange brown for the room). Or if you don't like paint you could use a really dark brown stain, the color of the darkest pennies.

Then if you have enough light get a plant stand with a nice green fern. I'm a sucker for maidenhair, but any fern would do. The green would play off the the orange nicely.

You could add more botanical touches with a few decorative tiles used as art. I like these on etsy

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19404328

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_gallery_16&listing_id=10734071

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19364979

hmmm...that's about all I can think of, and since I don't know you, it's all very me. I hope some of the suggestions are useful. Good luck!

That looks very cool! I'd go for mossy green walls, install some deep baseboards and paint them a creamy white. The oxidized copper idea sounds good in theory but I think it would be too loud and hospitally in reality. I love Patrick's idea of a Lincoln bust, though!

Neat! I love it! How many pennies is that?

oops. I meant value not valuse...

My first thought was "Tile your floor with pennys! No!" And then I saw the picture. This looks so cool.

After seeing the photo of your penny tiled floor, I had just one image in my mind: copper sink! Something small and cute like this:

http://www.mexicancopper.com/products.php?cat=1&id=00080

Leave the walls and trims (and towels) white. If you're adding a mirror above the sink, I suggest oval without borders or again one with copper(ish) frame. (Towel an TP holder copper or white).

Great job - I loved this!

Great job indeed! But I'm wondering if there's any "copper smell" hovering around the bathroom? Dollar bills wallpaper all over to compliment the floor!

Light green walls with white and light green accents.

I think this room is screaming for black walls. Or maybe some black and white wallpaper. White trim. Copper hardware.

Mark Ryden has some lovely, whimsically morbid Lincoln pics. The trick would be to find a cheap print of it, since it's a bathroom.

http://paulferney.blogspot.com/2006/02/mark-ryden.html

My father did this to his ginormous 3/4 round fire place back in the 70's and everyone who sees it LOVES it. He has a nice wide strip of copper around the edge. Copper trim or molding would look really nice in that bathroom if the walls were a nice slate blue.

it looks really cool, but is this legal?

::begs for how to::
can you tell us how you did it? this would be perfection in my bathroom!

Another vote for a shade of copper-patina-green on the walls, with cream/ivory trim. I think using more copper in the room (on the sink, trim, hardware, etc.) could start to look too theme-y, though (and I love, love, love copper.)

Isn't this illegal?

Seriously though, this is one more argument in favour of getting rid of the penny.

Wow! Thanks everyone for the amazing feedback! It makes me feel awesome that people seem to like it!
To the people who asked how I did it-
First, I created a 12" x 16" template of a repeating "dot" pattern in illustrator sized to match the size of pennies, I glued the template a piece of cardboard and laminated the whole thing (with clear packing tape)
Then I bought some polyester netting and laid it on top of the template and started glueing. I used magna-tac glue because it dried quickly and the pennies didn't pop off because if it's rubbery texture. after the glue dried, I cut off the excess netting.
Then, I just sat in front of the TV for hours and hours watching Law & Order and CSI and glueing pennies. I was on maternity leave and my daughter slept a lot and I was feeling too lazy to be "productive" so I got a lot done.
When I had enough to cover the floor I bought traditional tiling materials at Home Depot and just laid the floor like they do on HGTV. (I watched a lot of that too) It was my first time tiling and it went pretty smooth. I bought a metal snipper and cut the pennies to go around the walls and toilet and sink pedestal. (that may be illegal. don't tell on me) Then I grouted and sealed it with a grout & tile sealer.
For the rest of the room- I actually did think about doing it that uneven tarnished coppery green colored textury thing, but thought no-one would get it... I guess I should have more AT readers over for dinner.
There is a small window in the room but it's right above the toilet so it's got to stay covered most of the time.
I LOVE that $800 copper sink- but the current $40 basic white pedestal from Lowes is gonna be there for a while.
I also love the copper hardware but the toilet flusher and the sink faucet are chrome. I could change the faucet but the flusher actually really stands out in that little space. I figured it might be better to stay away from any other metals and keep the accents white.
I'm thinking maybe I'll paint something in the rich green / blue family with white shiny trim, new baseboards, ornate mirror and white & colorful crystal chandelier. But then I'll need a pop of something on the walls.... I don't know what... those lincoln pics are compelling...
One idea I was toying with is a large round mirror etched with "In god we trust" on the top... We're not terribly religious...
There are about 3,400 pennies on the floor. I just finished it 2 weeks ago and my daughter is now 9 months old.
Thanks again for all the feedback!!!

-Oh- and there is no copper smell, but they can feel extra cold under your feet. :-)

oh DUH!!!!

You should decorate this room with PIGS!!!

(why would this be illegal any more than stuffing a mattress with dollar bills that were legally acquired?)

Because you're not supposed to deface currency or coinage. But if silver dollar bars aren't illegal, I don't think anyone would arrest you for this. Here in LA, there was a house in the LATimes with a penny backsplash, but the guy had overlapped them, and the combined weight tore it off the wall.

I love the it!! Thanks for posting the 'how-to'...you have an awesome imagination:)

Ok, so i like the idea of dark charcoal walls or the idea of the tarnished copper color. I think that would look really good. Then take out that crappy small trim and replace it with some nice tall baseboards, in white.

Then, for either wall color, have someone you know who does design makeup a nice graphic for you. I think an image of lincoln in an ornate oval frame would look pretty cool. Have this cut out of vinyl at a sign shop (white to match trim, or something to contrast) and apply this to the wall. Then you don't have to worry about moisture since it's vinyl, it'll look awesome, and if you want to change it you just peel it off.

i think this looks great. i'd keep the rest of the room classic and simple. let the floor take centre stage. soft whites and perhaps introduce colour with a bright plant and detailing on towels or something...

great job!

I would do walls in a satin black, white trim, and as many plants as you can handle. (Big leaves, like palm fronds or whatever they are called).

What a smart looking floor! Good job!

i'm not sure about colours but i just wanted to say congrats on the pennies. they are so evenly spaced, must have taken a while.

how cool!

Nice work. I suppose spray painting is an inexpensive option if you want to try out copper-colored fixtures.

beautiful and brilliant. love your mirror idea, but make it an oval like on the bills but then no more theme. there are alot of copper faucets/sinks from mexico that are less than $800, some even on ebay. how about deep blue or even black walls?

Wow! looks great... and the materials cost for the pennies was only 34 dollars... (plus all your labor and the rest of the tiling materials) Waaay less expensive than I'd have guessed.

For all who are concerned about the legality of this, it is only illegal to deface currency if you are trying to make it seem like something it is not, like trying to make a 10$ bill look like a 100$. It is not illegal to cut pennies, or any other coins, or to use them for things like this. It is only illegal to mis-represent coins as being worth something other than their face value. If it was illegal there wouldn't be those "squished penny" souvenir machines all over the place

I already posted, but wanted to chime in about the metal-mixing. I think the room will feel more layered and less contrived if you don't go with copper. Just stick with what you've got. Copper is not as common for faucets etc., so it would stand out. And with the floor being copper, it would feel too matchy-matchy, in my opinion.

Again, looks great.

Good luck with the rest.

That idea is beyond fabulous! Its like a copper mosaic. Maybe nickles for the wall?

Hiya, me again.
Thank you again for all the compliments. :)
I was just re-reading the comments and saw the idea of using an old safe. Ironically, I have 2 vintage ones in my attic that the former owners left when they moved. (they were so heavy they didn't bother trying.) One is a really pretty dark brown with a cool looking lock and crest on the front. It's locked and I don't have the combo, but it would look nice as a plant stand or something in the little room... though, I'm the kind who can't even keep a plastic plant alive...

helloChloe- would love to see your dads fireplace!

I'm really inspired by all your comments and color suggestions to get started picking a paint color, getting nice floor moldings, and stop worrying about the mismatched metal finishes. Now I have extra incentive to finish it and show the "after!"

I love you.

That is all.

1.) Bleach some dollar bills to significantly lighten them
2.) Stain them a dark blue
3.) Use them as an awesome border (or even a wallpaper?!?)

Whatever you decide to do, PLEASE PLEASE buy $100 dollar bill toilet paper! xD

I don't know too many law enforcement agencies that would try to follow up on a report of someone with pennies glued to their floor.

kudos to you for having the guts to try this :)

I love this so so much!

I like this way more than I thought I would. I don't have any suggestions, I just want to say that.

Very well done, and great use of potentially illegal materials. ;)

I would do a bright turquoise or jade colored wall.

Beautiful!

:-)
Thanks again everyone- I'm really overwhelmed by the positive feedback. Thinking I should start a flickr account with my other repetitive, obsessive art projects... I have at least a few...

I agree with a lot of comments above on a nice grey/blue color. It goes well with copper, and please, no money theme. It'd be too much and you'd get tired of it fast, I would think. And it might make the wrong statement (or perhaps a right one if that's what you're going for). But I LOVE the penny floor. It's so wonderful. A fabulous idea. Can't wait to see what you end up doing with it!

I would think a light almost white pink would look great and keep it light enough to see...or a turquoise would look good with the copper...in small doses of course, don't over do it, you dont want to look like an 80's flashback.

In keeping with the patinated copper theme presented by some of the previous replies, why not do a faux finish? Start with a copper toned base and then layer green tones on top to achieve a true copper oxide. You coud seal it with a satin water-based poly.

I am in awe of your attention to detail, getting the spacing just so precise. Really clever, and yields a beautiful effect. Please do share more of your art projects, Teeze.

This is one of those projects I would try to avoid starting because I would Never Finish... good for you for getting it done! It looks great... I second greys, whites, and something with Lincoln theme. The pennies may turn funny colors over time so perhaps steer clear of the blues and greens. A mirror is a good idea too to bring some light in... and the safe... you're going to have the most awesome powder room ever!

What a fabulous, beautiful, (and cheap:) idea!

I'd go with pearl gray walls - not quite metallic, but totally ties in the rest of the hardward in your bathroom & make the floor stand out - like a redhead in a heather-gray sweater.

Use clean white/alabaster accents - LOVE the idea of a Lincoln Bust! And white towels - monogrammed - in gray.

Add really "classic" copper touches, like clean brushed-copper frames for the mirror, or interesting apothecary jars with copper touches (even consider getting plain jars & making the labels yourself - "Cotton Balls," "Q-tips", "Bath Salts" - with stamps & black & copper ink, acrylics, etc. - maybe even a copper scooper for the salts?)

For wall decor - black & white photos or etched prints with white mattes, or artwork that incorporates mixed metals.

Enjoy - that floor creates such potential! (I'm totally bookmarking it!)

It's all been said, just want to boost your ego even more...fantastic!!

Keep it in an Art Deco Style!

Benjamin Moore At Sea would be a lovely complement on the walls to the warm copper of those pretty pennies. Then keep everything else chrome and white with pops of rust.

there used to be this bar in the Lower East Side of manhattan i used to hang out in sometimes with walls completely covered in pennies set against a dark paint. looked great. i say just do the whole room as such.

Hey Teeze! That's so super cool, and thanks for the basics on how you designed it! They make a copper paint with real copper particles in it so you can then "Tarnish" it to that green/blue color by painting it on with a chemical that comes in the kit. I used it to paint a vase and turn it into a "copper" lamp. If you want to create some copper accents, that is a really inexpensive way to do that. I also vote for a buttercream/very light yellow color on the walls. And I second the Abe Lincoln bust idea, maybe he can hold some towels or something!!

What about rough-hewn wood, nailed to the wall in horizontal stripes? Start with a baseboard of the wood, foot high or so, and then alternate foot of wood with foot of bare wall. I saw a bathroom like this in some other design blog that I subscribe to . . . but I can't recall where.

I'm hoping that this is in the vein of "self-conscious-hipster-cute." If it is, my father has a sick cool resin toilet seat cover with floating pennies to match your floor.

great job! i agree with above posts that say don't do anything thematic...understated is best as those pennies will dominate.

i like the turquoise idea!

This is awesome!

Regarding defacing money; It's pretty much only illegal if you do it for a fraudulent purpose. Those penny-smashing machines wouldn't be in every freakin' tourist attraction if they were illegal.

More info here:
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=426715

wrong on every level.

I was also going to suggest a Lincoln bust, though I was picturing one in black. Either way. And I'll go ahead and second the motion for verdigris walls and oil-rubbed bronze fixtures. What a great idea!

I love this idea, teeze! I saw someone else's suggestion of the Mark Ryden print and decided to explore Etsy to see if any indie artists had Lincoln stuff... and there is one! Well, probably more than this one seller, but this person has a variety of Abe paintings.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6595924

They have a couple larger framed paintings for sale, but the ones that caught my eye were the small 4"x6" paintings that would fit in standard picture frames. This one ( http://tinyurl.com/7am8px ) would be especially cute. You could also potentially request a custom item (or three) from his profile.


As for the hardware of the faucet and the toilet tank handle, I recommend you go for the antique copper finish. This is also known as Red Oil Bronze. There is an ebay store that has good deals on a flusher and several styles of the lavatory faucets, depending on if you need the 8 inch or 4 inch version.

The flush handle:
( Auction item link: http://tinyurl.com/95k6dj )

All of this store's faucets in the antique copper finish can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/94gnqq

One that caught my eye as being especially cute for a powder room was this one.
( Auction item link: http://tinyurl.com/9wxw8n )

(For the pipe/wire on the bottom of the bowl connecting to the wall, I'd suggest just painting it with matching craft paint. It should work out just fine. Not having a bathtub or shower in the room eliminates the issues you'd have with humidity affecting the paint in a standard full bathroom.)

I love the idea of the old safe acting like a little side table in the space. On top of it you could place a basket for a couple of little hand towels and some soaps and such. This tiered basket is in the antique copper finish I suggested for the fixtures, so it would tie in nicely and you wouldn't have competing metal finishes.

( Basket item link: http://tinyurl.com/8gm9po )

I'd keep the walls a creamy color to keep the small space open and allow a neutral canvas. You could even look into doing a brushed pearl finish on the walls. There is a very good product review with directions and pictures here: http://tinyurl.com/9mhpbk

Hope some of this inspires or helps you out! I got a bit obsessed and stuffed this comment full of an hour or so's worth of brain-storming and researching.

P.S. If you did happen to want a bust of Lincoln for the top of the safe or a shelf, you could have one for fairly cheap that would look cool in the room.

http://tinyurl.com/7tkhvw

Navy and White go well with copper. Although just avoid going too nautical.

I would do a deeper shade of turquoise with some quarter round white or cream trim, a very ornate mirror that steals the show, and some simple prints and towels to balance it out.

Some people have suggested busts of Lincoln... I personally really dig the artwork of Justin Richel, and his prints can be purchased for $10 each on Etsy. He's got a series of presidential-looking stuff (guys in powdered wigs with strange things growing out of their heads), and some quirky paintings of Lincoln. I myself have bought two of his prints, and love them. :)

http://justinrichel.etsy.com

My curtain rods are copper pipes. You could make a simple towel rod with copper pipe from the hardware store.

I'd personally avoid overdoing the copper. Your chrome and white fixtures are new and clean looking, and a wall color and decorative mirror are all you need.

I like the safe idea, though.

Please, please show us the finished product. You can see that lots of us are interested.

Thanks for sharing, and job well done!

Bethany - thanks for taking the time to collect those links! I never would have found all of those. And especially the busts- I am actually thinking about getting one. I love the abe lincoln stuff, but I just keep thinking everyone who sees it will ask what my obsession with lincoln is about, and well, I don't have one.
Pingarina- one of my best friends has that same tacky toilet seat. He is sooo proud of it, but my friend is (intentionally) one of the tackiest people on earth. I think it's funny in concept but it's bothersome that even with the seat down, you are still looking down into the toilet (My husband always puts the lid down and got me in the habit... now, I get kinda grossed out by open toilet seats)
Goddessofpurple- any idea where I can find that paint... curious if maybe I'd like it for the ceiling....

I'll keep you posted!

Hi there! I'm just wondering what happens when the surface gets wet in the bathroom. Do you get a metallic scent?

I'd go for a mint green, kind of like a dollar bill. White towels. Mirror with a hammered copper frame. If you wanted to be cute you could compliment with little framed versions of the squashed pennies. Or not. I'd take it easy with the verdigris look. Such high contrast in a small space may appear garish.

Isn't there an old saying that when a person goes to a bathroom they say they're going to "spend a penny"?
Perhaps dating back to pay restrooms? If you could find a cool old sign referencing that, that would be great.

Wow, I love your floor. It looks terrific, and thanks for the how-to.

I agree with those who suggest keeping it to light or dark neutrals. Your floor is ingenious and handsome and it would be unfortunate if it were reduced to a repetitive joke. "Dollars and copper-hardware and Washingtons..get it?" A subtle Lincoln bust is a great idea, going beyond that is easy and not nearly as clever as your original floor.

Speaking of your floor: is it sealed? Is it likely that the most-trafficked areas will stay a polished shiny pink? And the rest turn brown? Or will it stay pink/brown as it is? Greens and turquoises and other jewel tones could make the organic tones of your penny floor look muddy.

Is your grout light grey?

You have totally inspired me. I have a teensy water-closet with a teensy door that we just upgraded, but it doesn't have hardware. Spouse found some privacy doorknob/latch-sets in dark bronze at his job, and brought them home. They would look great with a penny floor. The vinyl in my WC needs to go away ASAP. I've been looking at teensy tiles for the teensy floor. I've secured the right hardware, so I'm thinking it must be pennies.

Thanks again for the inspiration and posting your project!

As of a few years ago, pennies are no longer officially designated as Legal Tender. That means sellers are not required to accept payment in pennies... but it also means defacing them is legal. Hence the "souvenir penny" machines you find in various tourist locations, which use a penny as a blank for stamping out an embossed lozenge. So I think this floor is actually completely safe from Los Federales.

On the other hand... Modern pennies are a thin layer of copper plating over a zinc (I think) core, with only about 2.5% of the coin actually being copper. Their wear characteristics may be... interesting. A protective layer of varnish (maybe the thick layer used to protect bar tops) might be worth considering.

I have wanted to do this in my game room for months now. I can't find anyone who will do this. So I will have to do it myself by following your instructions. I have hit a snag though. Where do I get the polyester netting?!?! Please help!

~B

This is a pretty old post, so I don't know if you still need ideas on what to do in the room, but I would suggest a wooden toilet seat and painting the walls a beigish color to soften the room up some.

this is amazing. i think i might try it....
how about chalkboard paint on the walls and a metal bucket of chalk on the floor. would make for more good bathroom art!

Thanks for providing a link to this discussion from the backsplash thread, and thanks for posting the directions for your fabulous floor. Great idea and well done!