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SF Survey: Do You Have Art in Your Bathroom?

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Kim showed off some of the art in her bathroom earlier today -- and we realized that although we take it for granted that art belongs in a bathroom, we're not sure everyone feels the same way. We wonder: Do you have art in your loo? Click here to take the survey...

Image: Livingetc

Comments (50)

I won't claim it's *good* art, but after picking out the palate for the bathroom, I made a couple of pastel drawings that complemented the colors in the room. It adds a personal touch to the room and gives me an excuse to be creative.

posted by laetitiae on 2008-03-03 20:50:57
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But I only have cheap prints in there as I'm paranoid that steam, etc will warp them.

posted by firecracker on 2008-03-03 20:54:08
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I have two 8x10 framed photographs from my trip to Italy in my bathroom. I figured, they didn't cost more than a couple dollars to print so if the humidity ruins them it isn't a big loss.

posted by Laura on 2008-03-03 20:55:18
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I have a medium cheap print and a wood sculpture in one bathroom and a ceramic sculpture in the other

posted by Francesca on 2008-03-03 20:58:58
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I have a framed calendar page in the guest bath and am planning on replacing it with a couple of amusing tin signs I found in New Orleans.

Master bath has a unique mirror and that's it.

posted by Valerie on 2008-03-03 21:03:18
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I have 2 prints from Tiny Showcase, if they warp, I'm not going to cry over $50.

posted by kitties! on 2008-03-03 21:06:24
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We have a framed record album cover. It's the famous Herb Alpert cover where the girl is covered in shaving cream. Seems appropriate for the bathroom.

posted by ericaj on 2008-03-03 21:07:27
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Whipped Cream and Other Delights... Great album!

posted by GHB on 2008-03-03 21:11:55
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I have 3 black and white pictures of trees in white frames and 2 pictures my friend made in graduate school.

posted by lauramos on 2008-03-03 21:13:25
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Black-and-white photos of Prague and such...

posted by wende in phoenix on 2008-03-03 21:22:33
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I'll be hanging a slightly risque valentine's card shortly. Just need a frame for it. That Herb Alpert cover would compliment it nicely... I may have to steal that idea.

posted by kvh on 2008-03-03 21:36:17
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Two framed B&W James Bond photos from a wall calendar. Likewise, nothing to cry over if they get ruined...which they haven't so far!

posted by liseah on 2008-03-03 21:36:29
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I have three photography prints in my bathroom. Two are of orchids and one is a gerber daisy. I never really worried about anything happening to them and nothing has. They work really well with the large graphic flower on the shower curtain.

N.

http://badhuman.wordpress.com

posted by http://badhuman.wordpress.com on 2008-03-03 21:39:01
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At my parents' house, one bathroom has an excellent photo (taken by my father) of the old outhouse in the field next door. It manages not to look kitschy, probably because it's black & white and in the snow. Bathroom-themed art sounds like a bad idea but I think it works in this case.

posted by Liana on 2008-03-03 21:43:02
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I have two color photos (actually framed laser prints) taken by a friend. One is a close up of a hand, the other a close up of a foot. They seem somehow appropriate.

posted by rubytubs on 2008-03-03 21:43:13
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I have pic's in the bathroom that would not make it on the walls of more public rooms. Not smutty, just a bit flaky.

posted by bobbin on 2008-03-03 21:53:32
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This question reminds of this great, but really kinda tacky wallpaper my friend Beth's parents have in their guest bath ... it's a midcentury (they haven't remodeled since!) garish paper of Lautrec paintings ... it is SO LOUD and metallic ... and really a frightening choice for the tiny little half bath. But so much fun to look at when you're ... ahem ... in there.

posted by ridge_van_winkle on 2008-03-03 22:08:51
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Oh, and currently I have two vintage ads framed in my bathroom ... one for a bra and the other for weight loss. However, I'm finally getting a photo framed that I've wanted in there for a while ... perhaps Bathroom Month will inspire me to hurry and get it done now!

posted by ridge_van_winkle on 2008-03-03 22:11:42
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we have Hokusai's Great Wave framed in the guest bathroom. It used to hang in my home office but when we moved didn't have a place for it. It seemed to work really well in there with the color palette and the bathroom has an accidental japanese theme.

Nothing in the master, still working on decorating but doubtful much will go in there.

posted by jmorey on 2008-03-03 22:20:01
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in the guest bathroom -- a listed work under glass. nothing in the en suite...

posted by symbionese on 2008-03-03 22:31:58
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A black and white framed photo, one of my favorite pieces.

Steam is rarely an issue since I leave the bathroom door open more often than not when showering.

posted by patrick (the other one) on 2008-03-03 22:38:26
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No art. My bathroom gets way too steamy, even with the window open, and it stays wet for hours. There's no fan and I rent so I can't install one. I battle mildew on the walls and I'm sure any art would be ruined in short order.

posted by ElleBee on 2008-03-03 22:45:05
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I have a photocard that's in an inexpensive frame-- nothing that would absolutely destroy me if/ when the humidity eventually catches up. It goes along with the shadowboxes/ tableaux that showcase artifacts from the beach (I went with a beachy-spa theme in my bathroom).

posted by J. Cipa on 2008-03-03 23:47:35
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Yep, my own pix - water themed (Alcatraz Island, TN River from Decatur AL, etc)

anne
www.poofny.etsy.com

posted by annek on 2008-03-03 23:48:42
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I bought some "superheroes on the toilet" postcards that I read about in either Domino or Living Etc. and framed them in inexpensive frames with mattes. They're hung in a kind of formal grouping which contrasts with crude subjects. I get a lot of compliments on them. Above the toilet I framed the ubiquitous "keep calm and carry on" poster. Like others have said, none of these were expensive so if they get ruined I won't be too worried, but at the same time they are fairly (relatively) unique.

posted by Jeremy In VA on 2008-03-04 00:00:23
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Always something kitschy and fun...currently a Japanese piece, complete with three dimensional elements, of the California redwood highway. I change it out every 3-4 months, mostly to keep guests happy.

posted by krister on 2008-03-04 00:00:38
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yes, i have art work. art work in a bathroom adds warmth. art work should not have any food in it!
and please if anyone has photos in your bathroom of people, please remove them. my friend had a picture of her grandfather in her guest bath, i felt very uncomfortable each time i met him at a family gathering.
have art, no food or people, please.

posted by maryg24 on 2008-03-04 00:05:01
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I have part of my postcard collection wallpapering the walls.

posted by OneWallKitchen on 2008-03-04 01:16:14
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To me this is like knick knacks on top of the TV (thank God flat screens solved that decorating tragedy for us).

posted by M on 2008-03-04 01:33:27
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My bathroom has no art. My grandparents have the BEST ART in their main floor guest bathroom (which has no tub or shower). It's an original Hokusai print of a couple of angry sumo wrestlers facing off in a shoji room. Oh, it is fantastic, and scared the wits out of me when I was a child.

posted by artsandletters on 2008-03-04 01:33:42
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I have a series of framed cibachrome photographs in my ensuite bathroom.

posted by lightspeed on 2008-03-04 04:46:52
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Like most people who live alone, the door is open, so steam, etc., isn't an issue.

As for the art work itself: when I was younger, I produced a lot of drawings and the like -- even won a couple of contests -- what's left of that is framed and kept there.

posted by JonathanB on 2008-03-04 07:24:55
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I have two framed vintage magazine ads for hair products. Rexall hair tonic and one other one. I found them at an arts and crafts fair when I was maybe ten or twelve, and I still love 'em.

posted by lindsay on 2008-03-04 07:33:15
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I have a mini- painting gallery which I rotate out every few months for new material. the paint is acrylic, so I'm not too worried about humidity damage. The canvases are all less than 6" x 6". I do them as experiments in materials and technique for larger works. The bathroom is a good place to hang the results.

posted by Velochic on 2008-03-04 07:46:45
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I have hanging in my bathroom two small hand-colored illustrations of hummingbirds taken from a 19th-century book. I have a good fan system so I'm not too worried about the humidity. They're holding up fine.

posted by annki on 2008-03-04 08:40:16
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I love this bathroom and am keeping this photo for design inspiration. The only downside I see to this design is all that grout by the bathtub - that is a lot to keep clean!

Currently we do not have art in the bathrooms we shower in because I was afraid of the moisture... we don't have great ventilation...

posted by madcow77 on 2008-03-04 09:30:56
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For those who'd like art but fear serious moisture problems -- it's possible to hang ceramic tiles, and there are a lot of art tiles running loose, both vintage and contemporary. Ambient moisture won't damage the fired glaze.

posted by wende in phoenix on 2008-03-04 09:52:52
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my bathroom gets really steamy as its so small and doesnt have a fan, so i have some "antiquesque" prints on metal. they dont warp or rust. it works so far!

posted by serrakat on 2008-03-04 10:01:49
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I have an art print of flowers with colors that complement my shower curtain. It is however, to big for the space and I am currently in search of the perfect piece to hang. It has been quite difficult to find something.

posted by IdRatherBeDesigning on 2008-03-04 10:28:24
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I've got some decorative tiles hanging on the wall - there's no fan in the bathroom, so the moisture tends to be an issue when it comes to art! The tiles were a perfect solution, and look fabulous. They were made by Etsy seller Melabo

posted by honeyfresh on 2008-03-04 11:09:42
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I have this great Brault poster in my bathroom. I like the dynamic composition of the mermaids and of course that it says "Wonderfully Gassy" at the top. The steam hasn't warped the poster yet, it has been 3 years.

http://www.allposters.com/gallery.asp?startat=/getposter.asp&APNum=1106611&CID=59D07FC9F3824365973C94BA0E254045&PPID=1&search=Brault&f=t&FindID=0&P=1&PP=1&sortby=PD&cname=&SearchID=

posted by aisha on 2008-03-04 11:10:30
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Yes, we do.

see it here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/82525810@N00/2220538903/in/set-72157602940258814/

It was done by my brother.

regards,

joel pirela

posted by joel maria pirela on 2008-03-04 11:13:09
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Ceramic cross purchased "somewhere out west" and glazed in colors matching my linens. My bathroom ventilates too poorly for anything paper-based - even if it were something cheap that I didn't mind ruining, it wouldn't stay looking good for long enough to be worthwhile.

posted by Mella DP on 2008-03-04 11:45:29
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A colored pencil drawing I did of an Aquafresh toothpaste tube, framed, as an homage to my partner's freakish love of Aquafresh, and tin recuerdos (hearts, skulls) from Mexico.

posted by jen_g on 2008-03-04 11:59:17
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i painted a few stylized white flowers on the wall since it gets so steamy in there i didn't want to use anything paper.

posted by sarahduckie on 2008-03-04 13:03:11
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My "art" consists of a framed poster of Rainbow Brite dolls, and a small framed picture of a rubber ducky. It's art I suppose, but not totally traditional.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/53899843@N00/2055743610/in/set-72157601842040748/

posted by kimskitchensink on 2008-03-04 14:07:33
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i do, and i'm worried about it...
i just did a little post about this exact thing:
http://mylittleapartment.blogspot.com/2008/03/bathrooms-fine-art-not-so-good-together.html

posted by goodnightdean on 2008-03-04 16:50:36
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We've had horrible problems with water leaking and steam in our bathrooms (renting), so I'm super paranoid about using anything with paper. I've actually found some tin signs that I like - hard to find something not stupid, but I'm happy with what I got. They don't require any big nails since they don't weigh much (or just use sticky tape!) and they air dry with no problem!

posted by inkstainedwriter on 2008-03-04 18:14:17
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A japanese print, moon and peonies.

posted by kuroneko on 2008-03-04 20:36:31
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framed Guinness Postcards.

posted by MFlick on 2008-03-25 15:30:42
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