A Daring Bathroom Makeover Where Bold Paint Choices Pay Off
From the window to the walls.
Updated Sep 27, 2018 5:10 PM
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Stasia Buckle’s bathroom remodel came down to three key ingredients: Powdered Clay, Flame, and Fairy Dust. We aren’t speaking in code: Those are the names of paint colors. “I kind of took a risk, but I think it paid off,” the blogger, podcaster, and Airbnb host recalls of making over the standard white-beige space in her Gloucestershire, England, rental.
The vibrant hues Buckle chose might have felt like a major leap of faith at the time, but the overall renovation was simple. She didn’t rip up the tile, swap out the pedestal sink, or altar the footprint—she just picked up a paintbrush. “I managed to rope my long-suffering parents and fiancé into helping, too!” says Buckle. Read on to learn how she pulled off this fearless bathroom transformation.
The Colors
Buckle’s only real expense was the seven paint colors she used in the space: Flame Red for the door frame, a matte pale blue for the vanity cabinet, Fairy Dust Pink for the walls, two variations of Rust-Oleum’s Candy Pink for the shelves and radiator, and Powdered Clay and Ikoma (two nude pinks) on the bathroom door and adjacent living room walls. The bold facelift totaled 100 pounds, or roughly $120 (and she still has a ton of paint left over for other projects).
The Technique
“It’s good to paint one color at a time, let it dry, and then paint the other colors after, as it’s easier to join them all together,” shares Buckle. “This is probably obvious, but I learned the hard way.” Another trick: Either invest in high-quality painter’s tape or keep a damp cloth on hand. “I found that masking tape isn’t always accurate, whereas you can wipe off mistakes straightaway with a cloth and keep it all perfectly straight,” she notes.
The Final Result
The biggest lesson we learned from this color-charged bathroom? Don’t just limit yourself to painting the walls! The door frame, the medicine cabinet, the radiator, the base of the tub—they’re all fair game. Buckle didn’t just bring the Barbie pink hue she used on the walls up onto the ceiling—she also used it on the plant pots. Detail-oriented design lovers have met their match.
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