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Make a Dull Bathroom Sparkle Bathrooms without personality need a shot of color, clarity for an updated look My harried client needed help staging her home for sale. She had just decided to sell her house and buy a new home with her fiancée. She didn’t have the time or budget to update or remodel, so we had to work with her home’s ’70s look. Her upstairs bath posed a real challenge. My client’s daughter had graduated from college and moved away months before, yet it looked as if she had just stepped out of the shower – clutter and hygiene supplies littered every surface! Her daughter hadn’t liked the masculine, dark-brown tile and had tried to pretty up the room with girly décor. It wasn’t working! Our goal was to turn this dated bathroom into an inviting retreat, without investing in time-consuming and costly updates. 
Before: My client’s daughter tried to ignore the brown tile, but let’s face it: It’s there! Her attempts at softening it with feminine art and linens only emphasized, rather than disguised, its masculine, dated look. • The black-and-white poster was too large for the wall space and had the wrong theme. • The towels didn’t work with the tile color. The dècor should harmonize with, rather than disregard, the tile. • There were hygiene supplies everywhere. All that clutter has got to go! 
After: When you have a bathroom with strong-colored tile and you don’t want to tear it out to sell your home, you’ve got to work with it. The correct choice of accessories in the right color can turn tile into an asset rather than an eyesore. • Because the tile was earthy, rustic and on the masculine side, I looked for artwork to reflect those qualities. We decided to go with a “safari/jungle” theme. I measured the space over the toilet and went shopping for something in the right shape, personality and colors. I found a wood carving at a local discount shop. It had a few nicks on it, which I filled in with a brown permanent marker – not bad for less than $10! • I purchased some towels at a local bed-and-bath discount store in a warm color that harmonized with the tile. A faux fern in a rustic basket added to the safari motif. • We packed up the clutter. Potential buyers don’t want to know what you do in the bathroom! Anything having to do with taking care of our body has got to be stashed away. My homeowner hired professional cleaners to make the room sparkle. Notice the toilet seat is down – it’s not only good feng shui, but it makes the room look simpler and more spacious.
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Kit Davey, an interior designer based in Redwood City, Calif., helps clients redecorate their homes through the creative use of their existing furnishings. E-mail Kit your questions: 
