Put Some Stripes on It - A Quick Bathroom Update

Today I want to talk to you about a simple paint technique that made a big impact in my main bathroom:

Stripes! 

When we moved into our home 7 years ago, I chose a nice light turquoise for our main bathroom. This room doesn't have any natural light and it has medium dark trim and closet doors. I wanted a light paint to brighten up the space. After all, this is where I get ready to face each day. 

I really liked the color, but after a few years I felt like the room needed something to give it a little punch. I thought about repainting the room a different color, However, I still really liked the color and didn't want to go through the work of repainting. 

I decided to take the big wall you see when entering the room and paint some large stripes on it. 

I dug out my tape measure and painters tape and got to work marking off the stripes. 

I didn't want the wall to be too busy, so I decided wide stripes would be best. 

Also, by doing wide stripes, it shaved a lot of time off of the taping process. My walls are smooth drywall, which makes taping off a fairly easy process. Although trying to tape straight lines will accentuate any flaw in a wall,

I made my measurements from the ceiling to the floor. Straight lines require accurate measurements so be careful.

I used a technique of painting the edge of the stripe with the original paint color. This is supposed to help prevent the new color from bleeding through. 

I used white paint for the stripes to keep things bright but calm.

I had good success with the pre painting technique on the stripes. I had very little white paint bleed through.

I painted the black frames coral to bring in a pop of color. 

I also updated the towel hook beside the shower with some cute bird hooks I found on sale at Hobby Lobby.

The overall effect of the stripes really gave the bathroom a modern pick me up without being overwhelming. 

Because I used paint and supplies I already had on hand, this reno cost me less than $10. 

This bathroom could use a little more work to be completely updated. However, renovations happen in fits and starts in our house. Some of the more expensive things like new cabinetry and flooring will just have to wait. Even with a talented carpenter for a husband, we just don't have the budget for those things. 

That is one of the reasons I love paint so much. It completely remakes a space for a very reasonable price and a little bit of time.

I think I will make it a goal for this summer to paint the trim and doors in this room white. That would be a nice addition to this bathroom. 

By the way, I have always meant to add a 4th element to the frames on the wall. Does anyone have any good ideas for me? 

I would also like to update the art work in them. I'm open to ideas! Please share in the comments.