A Controversial Color Made This Small Bathroom Feel Like “a Luxurious, 5-Star Hotel”
“They always say ‘make a small, dark room a lighter color to make it feel larger’ and I feel the opposite is true,” DIYer and influencer Ava Russo says. She’s always loved warmer colors and dark, moody rooms, so her and her fiancé Danny’s basic all-white bathroom was the perfect opportunity to explore that style and “make it dramatic.”
While the bathroom lacked personality and natural light, it had a nice vanity, clawfoot tub, and decent floor tiles. Ava wanted to keep those existing features but add dark academia and Victorian details for the couple’s first big home project.
They Wanted to Add Character and a Feeling of Luxury to the Bathroom
“The goal was to have a dark, moody bathroom with a lot of character and personality to make it more of an experience than just a bathroom,” Ava shares. “I wanted people to feel like they were at a hotel or somewhere luxurious.”
The First Step Was Harder Than She Thought It Would Be
Because this was Ava and Danny’s first big project, it took her a little while to figure out the details and plan for the bathroom. She realized she needed to keep the existing clawfoot tub to “match the vibes” she wanted, replace the overhead lighting, add a dramatic wall feature, and switch all the silver fixtures to gold and brass.
But the first step was putting up the new peel-and-stick wallpaper — which Ava felt was surprisingly harder than traditional wallpaper. She and Danny also added wainscoting and painted the wide beadboard panels, chair rail, and window trim in Sherwin-Williams’ “Dark Auburn” to complement the wallpaper. Ava also swapped out the existing window film with a leaded-glass-style film that fit the new aesthetic.
“I’m a perfectionist, so I felt the need to rip it off and redo it anytime it wasn’t perfect,” Ava explains. “But towards the end, you realize that the imperfections are what make the project unique.”
They Kept Existing Features and Updated Them to Add Charm
“The key was utilizing as much of the existing bones as we could while still making a huge transformation with paint, patterns, and colors,” Ava says.
The couple kept the original clawfoot tub (but resurfaced it and swapped the plumbing), left the hexagonal tile flooring “even though it’s not in perfect condition,” and updated the marble top vanity by painting the base Sherwin-Williams’ “Cocoon.”
Keeping the existing features added character and depth to the new bathroom without exceeding the budget.
Now She Feels Like “a Guest at a Luxurious, 5-Star Hotel”
Ava sometimes wishes they’d also painted the ceiling to continue the dramatic, moody feeling instead of hurrying to finish the project in three weeks. “I’m the first person to wanna rush through a project, but the most important thing is to take your time because that’s when the best ideas come to you,” Ava advises.
However, the deep auburn color is still Ava’s favorite because “it complements the wallpaper so well and adds the perfect amount of depth,” she says. While certain aspects were a learning curve for the couple — like the peel-and-stick wallpaper and swapping the tub’s plumbing and faucet out — Ava loves everything about the new bathroom.
“It makes me feel like I’m transported to somewhere not in my home,” Ava describes. “Like I’m a guest at a luxurious, 5-star hotel.”
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