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With a little creative planning, even the tiniest of rooms can be transformed into stylish and functional spaces. In fact, they are especially opportune areas to decorate with a little more panache. This years colors of the year prompted me to break away from the cool tones of the past decade, with Sherwin Williams' Persimmon, paint color inspiration. I am normally a neutrals girl, but I am ready for some cheerful tones to make their way back into our home, specifically our master bathroom water closet.
A great place to start when giving your room a fresh style is taking inspiration from a single element you will use in the space and have all other accents reference back to. This could be a rug, or a fabric or, as in my case, some upcycled decor in the form of a framed Parisian watercolor that I found at a thrift store for 8$.
I love the texture that this art brings to the room. I am not likely to travel to Paris, but this little glimpse into French culture is captivating. The soft gray tones cool down the vibrancy of the persimmon just enough to create balance. Art is a great way to bring wall color into submission if it feels like it has command of the space. In our case, the wall color gave that little room a voice again, and one that made me smile like a giddy little girl every time the door was open. When committing a small space to a bold color is it good to be a little smitten with it, because when the door closes it will envelope you like a hug.
In addition to artwork, shelving above the commode is another great way to bring balance to a small space adorned with a rich color. Small cabinetry is great for storage, but I chose to recycle a twenty year old ladder shelf by removing the lower shelves to accommodate the toilet height. My mom always told me to "Do the best with what you've got where you're at." I listened, and the challenge of giving new life to useful but overlooked pieces is a little bit rewarding.
An empty shelf is perfect for showcasing themes that you might be hesitant to display in a room shared with guests. It's all about making it personal! Perhaps you simply want it to be a sanctuary, a space that evokes relaxation like a spa, or if you have fantastic pictures from your travels, this is a great spot to display them. You could create an arrangement of hand-me-down vases or decor that reminds you of someone special but doesn't quite fit with the rest of your home's aesthetic. What might be awkward in a more communal area can be displayed here without hesitation.
Be intentional and selective with your choices, and aim to keep the colors of the items you arrange here complementary to the color of the walls. A carefully chosen eclectic grouping adds charm to an otherwise sterile space by the story it adds to your day. For instance, I adore blush glass, but it doesn't quite fit in my kitchen. So, I decided to add one here filled with a few seashells from our beach trips with my family. I also have a small porcelain figurine adorned with peach roses that belonged to my grandmother. While it's a bit Victorian for the rest of my home, it will make a lovely accent against these peachy walls.
If you have access to an app like Canva, you could take pictures of everything you want to use in your room and create a mood board to test drive how well they look together in a tight space. Mood Boards are a helpful tool when making your final selections and can save your freshly painted walls from unnecessary damage, if you do not like your idea as well as you did when it was simply hanging out in your imagination. For a sneak peak into our project I have created one to share with you!
As my water closet update continues to unfold, there are still a few finishing touches left to add. Stay tuned in the coming weeks as I reveal the rest of our transformation journey. It seems I might just enlist Gary's help after all, putting those leftover trim pieces in our garage to good use. In the meantime, I'll enjoy progress and the delightful peachiness that now fills the space. Here's to fresh starts, just in time for spring! If you need a fun new planner to organize your own spring refresh, check out our new Home Planner or enjoy a fun daily planner!