A Film Enthusiast Gave Her Brooklyn Bathroom a Theater-Inspired “Calm Yet Colorful” Redo
When moving into a new space, it’s normal to discover unique (or even strange!) things abandoned by the previous occupants. Whether that’s items left behind during the move, or unusual design choices that you now have to figure out what to do with — it’s always an interesting adventure people face.
For example, when I moved into my pre-war apartment in Brooklyn, I was tasked with removing stickers and dozens of tiny plastic plant-climbing hooks the previous tenants had placed around the entire apartment. (I was finding the clear hooks for months after I moved in.)
Her London Bathroom Was So Dated, It Needed a Whole Reset
But for Rosie Dart, illustrator and director, those inherited quirks weren’t anything left behind, but instead questionable, cheap design decisions that were clearly done a while ago in her Victorian Mansion Block apartment in London.
“The bathroom needed a whole reset,” Rosie explains. “There was crumbling plasterwork, dodgy appliance installations, rust, and holes in the tiles.”
Her Bathroom Redo Color Palette Was Inspired by Wes Anderson
Before Rosie became a content creator, director, and writer, she worked in film casting — growing her passion for art and films.
When it came to the new bathroom, “I had a very specific Wes Anderson-inspired vision for the space in mind,” Rosie shares. But before she could start on the aesthetic, she and her contractor had to “deal with old pipes and previous messy work.”
Plus, Rosie not only had uneven floors — which is common in older buildings — but she also had strange electrical circuits that needed to be dealt with immediately.
Rosie began renovations in the bathroom because it “felt like the most urgent piece of work,” given how messy bathroom transformations can be and the number of fixtures Rosie wanted swapped before she moved in.
The “Calm Yet Colorful Aesthetic” Was Complete with a Painted Ceiling and a Unique Gallery Wall
“I trusted the vision and went for a clean yet colorful aesthetic with white square tiles and a butter yellow grout and ceiling,” Rosie shares. She painted Farrow & Ball’s “Dorset Cream” on the ceiling, top quarter of the walls, and on the windowsill ledge to tie everything together.
Rosie also replaced the sink with a wall-mounted washbasin in “Mineral” from Kast Concrete Basins, which added another pop of color in the small space.
Her final touches for the Wes Anderson-style redo were adding art prints, an antique theater poster, and a vintage soap box to create a gallery on the small wall around the window.
The Tiny Size Didn’t Limit the Space — Instead the Paint Color Made It Feel Taller
“I love how playful the space is considering its tiny floor size,” Rosie says. “The butter yellow ceiling always injects a bit of colour and fun into my day, and all of the wall art just adds loads of fun into the space.”
Her paint choice creates the illusion of even more height in the small space: The yellow paint begins about three-quarters of the way up the walls, pulling your eye toward the ceiling and making it feel taller.
“I think paint goes such a long way — just adding a splash of color with budget paint is so much more affordable than using really intricate and complex tiling,” Rosie explains.
Want to see more? Check out Rosie’s full apartment tour here. Inspired? Submit your own project here.
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