I don't know, it is me or I just don't see any difference. The after is just decluttered and the first picture did not show the before floor so it looks pretty much the same to me. Just a new curtain and that's it. In a bathroom you change the curtain and it looks a fresh look....

It's better, but the cafe curtains have to go.

I agree with Anusha, this is not a 'before and after' of any sorts. If I pose the same question and then spend 47.00 bucks on three new items (mat, curtain and window dressing) can I get a write up in AT? The put the Listerine in the cupboard, took out the clutter (i.e. cleaned) and oddly added a wine crate as an open container to hold TP? Ok.

better.

perhaps if the shower curtains were closed it would look a bit more together.

i really like the rug, cut or not... where is that from? Maybe paint the shelf under the mirror black as well as the toilet paper holder?

I think some are being a bit too harsh. I find it extremely hard to declutter due to lack of storage space in rentals. This after photo is much improved. Kudos to the renter for improving the small rental bathroom and decluttering within their budget...period.

For a second I thought the rug was tile. Now THAT would have wowed me.
I think the tp should be stored in something with a door, and thanks for closing the toilet lid for the after photo.

Hmm, I much preferred the before. It had more charm and definitely more class. The off-white captured the light and made the space looks bigger and less cluttered. Maybe if the plastic shower curtain wasn't black, the b&w would look a bit better? A little too gaudy for my taste.

a little goes a long way

Ugh, this photo reminds me of why I HATED the claw-foot tub in my old place. I swear, it was like taking a shower in a plastic bag. Plastic. All around you. Clinging. EW.

Well, I, for one, am impressed.

Our new bathroom has glass walls and a black sink, shower, and toilet, and we basically thought it would forever look like a Miami Vice bachelor cocaine den. But now, after two months, we feel a lot more settled. We used a lot of similar graphic prints, and artwork and shelving really made the difference.

I like the wood touches here and there in the "after" -- b&w can look sterile and impersonal, and those little accoutrements really warm up the space.

I think I prefer the before. The black shower curtain looks so heavy and the patterns are too busy for such a small space.

As a renter there isn't much more they can do in a bathroom except showercurtain, window treatments, towels etc... So good for them they did what they could. I agree a better holder for that TP - doesn't it get wet?
I do love the rug it looks like tile - where did you get it?

The after picture looks better, but mainly because it's not oddly distorted (what is with that?), the toilet seat is closed, and the shelves and top of the toilet have been cleared.

This is a good example of how clearing surface areas in a small space makes it look better.

The AFTER is slightly better in that the black and white color scheme provides some continuity but also, high "eeewwwwwhhhh" factor. The black shower curtain is vampire-like. Is that for hiding from the sunlight during the day? Clear would have been just fine. The patterned curtains are too short. Cafe curtains? I'm not feeling those but I like the use of fabric and pattern -- just not cafe curtains for this space.
Storage is such a problem. I see a tool box or vintage suitcase on the floor. Can you tuck a small chest of drawers to fit in the footprint: wood, painted black with a flat surface to hold a basket of towels. Move the wooden crate from the floor to the top of the toilet tank. Paint it in black and white stripes. It might be too wide; if so, find something that fits better. Also, thanks for the after photo with the lid down.
The rug is interesting but odd in that it ends in the middle of the room with that strong straight edge. Can another section be added and wouldn't a rug be lovely under one's feet when standing at the sink?
The declutter helped the most in this "makeover". Add all that clutter back into the AFTER version and it's essentially the same photo. Storage is the big issue here. Can you remove that towel bar in front of the TP and add a fitting piece of furniture for storage?
Maybe a pop of color also. Can that wooden pail waste basket be painted? Chartreuse, magenta, french blue, yellow... this room needs some additional layering. Not a lot but something more than just the black and white.

Tough crowd!

That said, I am afraid that I am not a fan of the curtain, shower curtain or rug -- dislike how the rug is bent or cut, and strongly dislike the pattern on the curtains.

However, I think that the black & white idea was an inspired one!! ... I just think the execution was a little off.

If you want to go bold like that, why not Marimekko? There is a black option, a grey one, along with the gorgeous classic one:

http://www.marimekko.fi/ENG/interior/bathroom/unikko/unikko_suihkuverho.htm

Would work well with striped black and white towels

http://www.marimekko.fi/ENG/interior/bathroom/ilta/frontpage.htm

or these shower curtains:

http://www.marimekko.fi/ENG/interior/bathroom/muut/tuuli_suihkuverho.htm

http://www.marimekko.fi/ENG/interior/bathroom/muut/hetkia_suihkuverho.htm

I have a tiny bathroom just like that one with a claw foot tub and big windows. It's a little smaller than the one in the picture I think. It has beige/yellow walls too. I think I will go with Black and White as well. Great colors for a small space! However, I'm not digging the things in the bathroom in the picture. I think it would look better if the colors contrast well with what you have. For example, the crate box holding the toilet paper is tacky, and the patterns don't go well together. There's too much pattern going on. If you had one pattern in one area and solid colors in another, it may look better. I also think if you had a little bit of a bright color like Red or even Blue, it just may tone it down and look better too! Other than that, it does make a bigger difference with what they did and as long as they are happy and like it, it's great! :)

Hello everyone,
Thanks for your comments on my space. I am really pleased with how it turned out, and I'm surprised at some of the feedback. First of all, my original question was asking what I should do with color when I can't control the floor to ceiling yellow tile and brownish-red industrial kitchen tile on the floor. I would have loved to completely rip out the tile and redo, but I'm a renter - wait, aren't we all? Isn't this apartment therapy? People had some awesome suggestions but black and white is what worked for me and the space. Again, here is what I walked into and was horrified:
<A HREF="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3461/3379130725_6bfe56d04d.jpg?v=0">before</A>

I think the hardest thing to understand from the pictures is that the room is truly tiny - that rug is 3x5 and I had to fold it to make it fit. I wish I had enough room to add furniture, as some expressed, but I have yet to find something that is small enough and still useful as storage. The vintage luggage is only 10" tall and only has an inch or so of clearance. And ShellyinMSP commented "wouldn't a rug be lovely under one's feet when standing at the sink?" - well, you are. The tiles are only 6" and the sink bowl is fairly large, so you're basically in the doorway when you are standing at the sink.

I think the comments about adding more color are really interesting - I guess I was thinking of wood as the extra "color" and tried to carry it through: basket, shelf, crate, and bamboo bath organizer. The TP doesn't get wet, but I will definitely add a door - I think that will help, and I agree it's not exactly fancy - I was just so happy to find something that fits in the space! And one final question for you all - several said the cafe curtains "have to go". I am not a fan of cafe curtains either, but I needed something for privacy without blocking light. What would you do? The window frame is only 20" wide and the glass itself is only 8". Please don't say window film.

The rug is from Urban Outfitters. I have the same one for my bathroom. I got it because it could be easily washed. But BEWARE, it faded 50% and shrunk 30% when washed (not put in dryer).

kiddo katsu,

I agree that you've got a difficult window to work with. But since you're doing graphic black-and-white in the space, dainty little curtains just don't work. A simple, tailored roller shade would be better.

That said, you don't HAVE to have a standard window treatment. You could also hang something like a Tord Boontje garland to create privacy. Or build a window box with boxwood or other non-see-through plants. Or get an Asian filigreed carving to use as a "shutter."

Well it's an awkward room, and your photo link in the comments shows the tiny size more clearly, so I think in the end anything that makes you feel better about it is what works, because there's no way anything truly radical can be accomplished.

I gather you're not a fan of window film, but I would think it would add one less item of clutteriness to such a small space - I love the idea of a carved shutter too, that could maybe work better than the curtains.

Oh and having had a good look again, could you not do a pedestal-shaped cutout in the rug, carefully hemmed, rather than that corner thing? It would pull the room together a bit, and add one less bit of ODD to what is a very cramped and difficult space.

yikes. that rug and the curtain in that tiny space are too much for me. and I can't get past the folded rug...the black curtain should be exchanged for a clear one and the cafe curtains for a simple roller shade or something that creates a simpler look. chopping the window in half makes the space seem smaller.

nice try. don't dig it personally.

I like the yellow black and white. My own taste is not such that I would have picked that particular curtain but I can just imagine the AT shrieks of outrage at the black/white floral or stripe I would have picked, so I'm just saying, not hating. The rug is a neat idea.

I think if you moved the curtain rod to the top of the window and used a single flat panel curtain that runs all the way down to the sill, it would be a crisper look. It would not have to be very expensive.

Except for the clutter, I liked the before. The black is way too dramatic for such a small space.

i like it, especially the cafe curtain. charming:-)

Wow, my current bathroom is still smaller than that. I think both rooms are charming.