A Bathroom In The Tropics

While the beach and the tropics may be related, when it comes to decor styles, they can be very different. When someone says beachy to me, I see blues, seashells, exc. As illustrated from my previous post, my half bath is the epitome of beachy.

This post, however is about my first home improvement project - the upstairs bathroom, which is done in a fun tropical style. Until recently, my upstairs bathroom was dark blue - my parents favorite color, practically everything we had was blue. (Now I only have one beachy bathroom. That is of my blue home decor, unless a guest room is done to match the beachy bathroom). So the bathroom had one wall that was dark blue, with white sponge painting. The other walls were white with blue sponge painting. Outdated brass fixtures, and a dingy white medicine cabinet completed the room.


I was tired of this blue bathroom, so my mother asked me what color I would like it to be. Anything but blue really. She suggested mauve. Ok this is not 1950. Mauve, that could be worse than blue. And seriously, the bathroom was pink before my parents re-did it blue.

I suggested green. She agreed. I brought home several paint samples and she kept insisting that it had to be this light green. Well number one, I don't want hospital green. And this blue paint is very dark, hence a darker color needed to be selected. Plus, only a select number of colors would coordinate with the gray counter top, which was not in the budget to be replaced. I choose Behr Herbal Green. She didn't like the color, but I went ahead and bought it anyway. The ceiling was painted Polar Bear White.

I also choose all brushed nickel fixtures, including a new faucet and light fixture. I also knew the decor would be palm trees, because hello - green. I found the perfect palm tree shower curtain and matching window curtains at Bed Bath and Beyond, on clearance! Then I got new towels and shagged bath rugs at Kohls, along with tropical bath accessories such as the waste basket and soap dispenser!

I completed the room by painting the medicine cabinet frame with a brown matching the palm tree bark on the shower curtain. I took the same green wall paint and went over the design with a q-tip. Now that cabinet looks brand new! I also hung a framed painting of a palm tree that we already had in the house.


So downstairs we have the beach, and upstairs the tropics!

A Bathroom On The Beach

Feeling motivated, I decided to take on Sunday morning's project late Saturday night. With only a gallon of paint and a bit of effort and creativity, I transformed my half bath from yellow ugliness (really, who paints a bathroom YELLOW) into a coastal paradise.


Wanting an inexpensive upgrade to my bathroom, I choose a beautiful blue paint to coordinate with my white and chrome fixtures, and the white closet doors. Plus I already had many beach inspired wall plaques that I had collected here and there on clearance, knowing one day I would use them. All I had to buy was the paint, new bath rugs and a new soap dispenser!


With the walls decorated, the shelf was the only place needing something. I put my creative ingenuity to good use to create a great centerpiece. Using shells that I had collected during many Florida vacations, plus a box of polished shells from my cousins in the Kwajalein Islands that was just sitting around and an old unused vase, my centerpiece was born. For the finishing touch, I got a piece of twine, and tied it around the vase, attaching 2 sand dollars to the twine ends. I accented the vase on the shelf using the 2 seahorse candle holders I scored at Kohl's for $3 on clearance!



Total Cost For This Project: $48

Paint: $22 Behr Horizon Haze - the photos don't do the color justice!
New Rug: $14
Soap Container: $12

Coastal Style Blues

Those who know me know that I HATE blue rooms. Growing up much of our house was decorated in blue; our furniture was blue, the bathroom was blue, the carpet was blue and so on. It's not that I really hate blue, I am just very tired of it in my house. I vowed to never have a blue room in my home, however I think I am going to take that vow back.

I'd like my guest bedroom and bath to be decorated in a coastal style, and yes that includes blue. But nice, pretty coastal blue. Its relaxing, and fits perfectly with the other decor items. I think I can handle one blue room if it turns out like my latest creation above. Besides, I already have a few nice beach-inspired pieces of wall art, and those seahorse candle holders!

If this blue works out, I may use touches of blue through my home (maybe).

Home Decor Fun

When I was little my mom always dragged me though the crystal section at Hudsons, and I always hated it. Then I got a little older, and to this day I always browse through the crystal section, as well as the entire home selection at any store! I always enjoy picking out items for my future home mixing and matching styles. While I really love all tropical things and beachy inspired decor, I also really like the warm, modern styles emerging. I used some extra time today to play around on polyvore, making this image of what my future living room might contain! Bonus: most of these items are at Target! Who doesn't love Target? I'm seriously ready to go buy this stuff and keep it in storage until I move out!