How To Give Your Bathroom A Vintage Makeover

Are you fed up of the old-fashioned appearance of


your bathroom? Well, instead of changing everything , why don´t you keep


some of the decorative touches you already have and add some well-chosen items to create


a "vintage” look, which is so popular these days A daring,


but at the same time very popular, idea is mixing black and white. A simple and


cheap way to give the walls a new look would be to leave the original


white tiles and paint one or two walls black. However, take care here:


make sure the room receives enough  natural light, failing which you might end


up with a claustrophobic effect. One way of ensuring  this does not happen is to


paint all doors and window frames white – as well as the ceiling if possible -  to help create a greater sense of space.









Another interesting idea for the tiling in your


bathroom is to replace the tiles you have with reclaimed  vintage tiles. These


can be found from architectural salvage merchants and are often  decorated in a


style which you just don’t find with modern tiles. Their lived-in, slightly


tatty look will work perfectly if you are trying  to create a vintage style,


shabby chic effect. For best results use these tiles on the floor and take the


colour scheme from the tiles as your cue for the rest of the room. For example


if your reclaimed vintage floor tiles are decorated in yellow and blue, use


these same colours on the walls. You could paint the walls yellow, picking out


any details, such as a dado rail or cornice, in blue. The effect when done properly


is stunning and is a design approach which has been used to great effect when


restoring a large number of older properties and hotels in the South of France


and in Italy.




















Shower screens are undoubtedly very practical and


can be decorative , but, let's just think about it for a moment they are not very appropriate if you want to create a vintage style bathroom. A perspex shower screen with


stainless steel attachments just will not look the part in your period style


bathroom.  Instead, the best thing to do is


to buy a striking bath or shower curtain. True,they may not keep the water away as wellas a shower screen, they are more in tune with the vintage look you are


trying to accomplish. Fortunately, you can find a huge choice of shower curtains


in any well-known department store and you will have no trouble finding the


bestone to finish off your 'new' vintage bathroom. An easy way to make this


effect more attractive is to hang another curtain, perhaps in heavy cotton or


linen over the shower curtain.  This


heavier curtain keeps the flimsier plastic shower curtain in place, but as it


does not come into contact with the water, it stays dry. Naturally this


outer curtain can be made in a material and pattern of your choosing, so that


you can be certain it is appropriate to your overall design approach for the


bathroom.









The questionof accessories for your vintage-style


bathroom can have a significant bearing on the final result of your decorative work If you are looking for a new bathroom cabinet or maybea new


mirror, you could always browse around a few antique shops to find something


suitable and repaint in a colour which matches with the rest of the decor.


Flowers, either fresh or dried, will look great in a beautifulvase. Glass or


crystal are attractiveand work well in periodsurroundings.  Mirrors and prints can also be attractive,


but, again, pickframes that will blend in withyour overall design theme. Finally,


decorative scented candles will help give your bathroom a relaxed elegant


appeal.Go for traditional design and styles such as those made y companies like True Grace candles and Yankee candles for best results.



























The author is owner of The Scented Candle Store which specialises in home fragrances including scented candles by companies such as Yankee candles