BATHROOM REDECORATION
QUESTIONS ANSWERED
BY AND LARGE, it’s the little things that count, and turning a ‘blah’ bathroom into something special can make a real difference to your everyday experiences at home. Your update could involve a serious reconfiguration or be strictly cosmetic. With a focus on the latter, we put common questions to two design experts.
Q: Where do I start?
A: Although you may need consent for a major layout change, you don’t need it to change the look of your bathroom – just go for it for a new space stat. Interior stylist Megan Harrison-Turner suggests starting with the ‘limiting aspect’ – the product or material that offers the least amount of choice. “This means choosing your Resene paint last. For example, if you really want a new coloured basin, chances are there will only be a few to choose from, so select that first, then your cabinetry, then your paint.”
Q: What surfaces can I update with paint?
A: “Paint on your ceiling, walls and woodwork can really revitalise a tired room,” says Celia Visser of Celia Visser Design.
Did you know you can even paint over old tiles? Prepare them to receive the new colour with an adhesive primer like Resene Waterborne Smooth Surface Sealer.
Megan says the right shade on the ceiling can make or break a space and the trick to getting it right is not to play it safe with white. However, she also recommends going slightly paler than you think as ceilings don’t receive direct light. Go for a greyed version of a colour rather than a sharp, clean one – try a friendlier pale grey such as Resene Flotsam or a green blue like Resene Half Emerge rather than colder pastel blue like Resene Half Frozen.
Q: What products work well?
A: Consider not only the colours of your paints but also the finishes; they’ll add to the visual texture in the room. Celia advises using Resene SpaceCote Flat Kitchen & Bathroom or Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen Kitchen & Bathroom, tinted to your preferred colours. Both durable, the former suits fans of a matte look and is ideal for ceilings and the low sheen for walls, while, says Celia, “the higher the gloss, the easier it is to wipe away steam, so I usually specify semi-gloss for windows and doors.”
For timber, she tends towards semigloss Resene Lustacryl Kitchen & Bathroom, a durable enamel that can also be used on joinery and trim. You can also look to the Resene AquaLAQ range, which is designed especially for cabinetry and joinery. It includes a full system from sealer options to colour coat to clear coat finish options, including a complete waterborne system of Environmental Choice approved sealer, colour coat and clear coat.
Resene Lustacryl Kitchen & Bathroom and Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen Kitchen & Bathroom offer anti-bacterial and mould protection, too – “but be sure to get rid of any existing mould prior to painting,” says Celia. Low-sheen Resene Room Velvet is another top option that’s durable and offers a lovely silky finish.
Q: How do I choose my colours?
A: Personal style aside, your selection may depend on the size of your space. Larger bathrooms respond well to a palette of three to five hues and keeping them pale makes the room appear spacious, whereas smaller rooms could be made even more intimate with just a couple of dark colours. A useful tool to try is the Resene Colour Palette Generator, www.resene.co.nz/palettegenerator which lets you develop a colour palette from a favourite photo.
“Because bathrooms often see colours bouncing off each other at close range, related colours work well – blue and green, say – rather than complementary ones that are opposite each other on the colour wheel, such as orange and blue,” says Megan. “If you do want to go with a complementary scheme, opt for colours of darker and lighter intensities and use them used in different amounts: 70:30, not 50:50.”
Q: What are some good looks?
A: With its minimalist appeal and connotations of clean, ever-popular white is sophisticated teamed with marble, glass or timber for a Scandi effect; ground the room with darker flooring. Celia says her favourite neutrals are off-white Resene Bianca, yellow-white Resene Rice Cake and grey-white Resene Black White.
“For young families, creamy Resene Wheatfield, greyed neutral Resene Quarter Napa or soft pearl Resene Athens Grey can be more forgiving than white walls,” says Megan. For darker walls, she suggests looking to grey-ochre Resene Dune, bluegreen grey Resene Woodsmoke, blue-grey Resene Coast or dusky-green grey Resene Jurassic. Create a cocooning effect with charcoal Resene Shark, walnut, cedar or oak timber, a granite vanity, brass tapware and warm lighting.
Peaceful indeed are naturalistic palettes of watery blue (try blue mosaic tiles with Resene Botticelli, understated grey Resene Iron and timber stained with Resene Colorwood Bark timber stain) and green (opt for vivid green Resene Bingo – it’s reminiscent of Persian ceramics and looks beautiful with apricot rose Resene Wax Flower accents offset by white, pale grey and gold fittings). Go feminine with pretty pink Resene Princess paired with Resene White and matte black fixtures, or masculine with navy Resene Madison and greenish black brown Resene Colorwood Bushtrack timber stain with pale grey-blue Resene Freestyling.
■ For more from other homeowners: Resene Inspiration Gallery online at www.resene.co.nz/inspirationgallery, then visit your Resene ColorShop.