You know what I’m talking about – all pink everything bathroom (that may or may not have a similar brother BLUE bathroom across the hall).
We all know someone who’s had it – whether it was someone who put it in when it was in style, or someone who has now inherited it in their home purchase.
This blog post is for the latter …
If you’ve inherited this bathroom and don’t have the budget to renovate, here’s what to do:
It probably sounds counterintuitive, but you need to, in a way, lean into it. Lean into the pink.
The most expensive way to update this type of bathroom is to replace the pink tile, toilet, sink, tub, and built-in vanity.
The cheapest way to update this type of bathroom is in the cosmetics: paint, shower curtain, rug, art, towels, and soap dispensers/decor.
That said, you need to lean into the pink features that are currently too expensive to replace. How do you do this? Look to your art.
Find an inspiration piece that brings another color in with pink. In the below examples, you’ll see how I used a shower curtain, wallpaper, wall art, and tile to bring green into the pink bathroom. By leaning into a little more pink, I was able to introduce another color that could help balance out (and cover up) all the pink.
One other main tip would be, anything that you bring into the space, I would recommend it has a modern style or finish to it.
Here are few mood board options showing how to put these tips into practice:
Shower curtain
To start, I choose a green and pink patterned shower curtain. For starters, I wanted to introduce another color and needed a pattern to achieve that. I decided on the shower curtain, because if the client keeps the curtain closed, it already blocks a lot of the pink (one wall including the bath and shower).
Now that green has entered the room, I looked for other inexpensive ways to bring in green: towels, window shade, bath mat, wall hangings, candle, lighting if easily replaced. You’ll notice with the added decor, I stuck to a modern style. This style type will help leave a fresh and renewed sense in the room.
A peculiar and conscious decision I made was painting the walls above the tile that goes up half the wall, the same color as the tiles (reeaally “leaned into the pink” here). The decision behind this was to take away the contrast where the pink tile stops and cream wall begins, so that the eye wouldn’t be drawn to that point of contrast and therefore reminding you how pink and outdated the bathroom is. This way, it feels more like a full pink wall that you decided to paint. Get empowered by the pink when you lean in!
You may have noticed some pattern mixing in the above example. If you don’t like too much pattern, don’t worry, this next one is for you.
Wallpaper
In this board, instead of using the shower curtain to pull pink and green together, I choose a cute and modern wallpaper. From there I used simple green curtains, bath mat, towels, and candle.
This example shows a little less pattern throughout the bathroom concept. If focuses on the big pattern in the wallpaper and leaves the rest less busy, but still strong with this rich olive color.
Realistically, I wouldn’t recommend using wallpaper in a bathroom with a shower. The mix of humidity and wallpaper doesn’t mix. But if you’re open to painting a mural, you can create a similar effect without using wallpaper in a steamy area.
Floor tile
And lastly, you can see how I used a patterned floor tile to introduce green into this room.
I also offered if the the client was willing to replace their outdated vanity, then they should choose one with a modern style.