bathroom ideas design homes

For many, decorating a bathroom is low on their priority list. Generally the tiles and the bathroom suite were not chosen by us but came ready installed in our house or apartment and we have to live with them. In fact, after a while, we tend not to notice them not even those hideous avocado green ones. (Who on earth came up with the idea of that colour anyway?).

After all, a bathroom is a place we often use in a hurry: a quick shower in the morning before we rush out of the door on the way to school or our workplace. However, with a little thought our bathroom can become a haven of peace and quiet: somewhere to relax after the stress of our hectic lives.

If you are stuck with some pretty awful tiles there are some excellent tile paints on the market that are easy to use and come in a variety of colours. In only a weekend you can completely transform what is normally one of the smallest rooms in the house. You do need to take your time and make the necessary preparations in advance.

It cannot be a rush job as the tile paint needs priming and careful application if you don't want a lot of streaks. Choose the colour depending on how you want to feel. Pastel colours can help you to relax while bright colours can invigorate you.

It is not a good idea to use red though as researchers tell us that red as well as dark colour such as navy blue, brown and black can make the room seem smaller and a bit claustrophobic. (I have read that some employers have used these colours in their company's rest rooms so that employees don't linger there too long!) Some of the best colours to use are light green, yellow, light blue and lavender.

All white bathrooms are a popular as they channel cleanliness and hygiene but can seem cold. However, this feeling can be offset by your accessories. A pale blue or pale lavender towel can soften the clinical feel but still keep that sense of cleanness. And of course a white bathroom suite must be impeccable at all times.

If you are unsure that a colour will work you can always test paint it directly on the wall but, if you are deciding between several colours, a good idea is to take some largish pieces of wood and paint them instead.

Then you can place them around the bathroom which will give you a much better idea of whether your colour scheme will work or not. Look at your colour choice several times during the day to see if they look good in daylight and at night with the lights on. But, even if you have done all this and it still doesn't look right, you can always paint right over it and start again. That's the beauty of paint, it can so easily be changed.