Bright Ideas to Make an Old-School Tiled Bathroom Look New and Fresh

published Nov 3, 2017
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(Image credit: Oh Happy Day)

If you live in a home or apartment of a certain age, chances are good that your walls are covered in the 4″x4″ ceramic tile that was at one point considered de rigueur for a bathroom. Whether it’s pink or green or blue or white, whether you love it or hate it, you’ve got to admit that those tiles can be difficult to decorate around, and that they can tend to look a bit dated. So we’ve rounded up a few ideas for making your old-school bathroom look bright, fresh and modern — no remodeling required.

(Image credit: Oh Happy Day)

Jordan Ferney from Oh Happy Day freshened up her bathroom with white paint and bright white linens. With all that white to balance it out, the pink tile seems less overwhelming—and becomes a feature of the room rather than a drawback.

(Image credit: Adrienne Breaux)

The bathroom of this Austin home takes the opposite approach, pairing pink tiles with soft gray walls (and a few textured accents). Still, the space is mostly monochromatic, a nice counterbalance to all that pink.

(Image credit: Rachael Grad)

Another way to make it work in a bathroom with vintage white square tile is to paint the walls black, like Alex did in her DC apartment. Round out the look with other accents that harken back to a bygone error (antique-looking art and furnishings).

(Image credit: SF Girl by Bay)
(Image credit: SF Girl by Bay)

The bathroom of blogger Victoria from SF Girl by Bay leans a bit towards the quirky side, with vintage portraits that give the room a lot of personality.

(Image credit: Lonny)

In this space from Lonny, stark, simple photographs give a very pink bathroom a fresh, modern touch.

For more bathroom decorating ideas: