JANET STERLING SILVER DESIGN

DIY: Bathroom Makeover!
The great thing about doing a bathroom makeover, is that it's a SMALL, ENCLOSED space, so you can make it into a mini fantasy getaway--go crazy! I LOVE THEMES!

What You'll Need: Semi-Gloss Latex Paint, Paint Brushes, and a creative idea!

Total Cost of the Makeover: $40 for 4 cans of paint; $9.99 for the candle holder; $9.99 for a set of 3 oil lamps; $5.99 for the light switch cover; $0.99 for the shower curtain rod cover; $9.99 for a bathrug set; $5.99 for a matching black bath towel

Before:
Hello Kitty Pop

After!
'80s Bachelor Love-Den!

Before:
Theme: Hello Kitty Japanese Pop Bathroom.

This look came about because Merv & I collect toys and cartoon art. The thing with bathrooms, is that you have to have either plastic, glass, or other non-porous surfaces, so there are limitations.

The space: your typical, small New York apartment bathroom.

Main color: lime yellow.

Decoration: plastic toys, Hello Kitty, and Barbie.

The problem: I didn't mind this bathroom; I just grew tired of it. It doesn't have a window, so I thought putting bright colors in it would cheer me up. It was feeling kind of cluttered, too.

After!
Theme: '80s Love Den

This bathroom theme came about because back in the '80s, I really despised Nagel prints, esp. in a guy's dorm room. For me, it was the embodiment of bad taste, so when I found out that Merv wanted one in high school ("It was like having a sexy girl on your wall, but it was considered 'art'"), I gave him a hard time.

And then I thought, "Merv wants Nagel, I will give him Nagel," and I did this project over the weekend when he was away!

I saw it as a lesson in tolerance for myself.

Decoration: '80s looking "guy" stuff--black towels & rugs, I got rid of all the "fluff" (except for the HK boombox), and minimalized it so that only Merv's stuff is out. All my stuff is now hidden away!

Below are a few side-to-side "Before" & "Afters."

****Scroll below for the "How Tos!"****

What You'll Need:

• Semi-gloss latex paint. For bathrooms, you have to get at least a semi-gloss. For regular rooms, you can get flat if you like, too, but I like semi-gloss because you can clean off fingerprints if it gets dirty!

• Paint brushes: I like to have one good 1.5" latex brush, and small brushes for the details. I only had cheapy detail brushes on hand, but it doesn't matter that much unless you're doing major details.

• Pencil & Ruler. If you're doing stripes, the 90 degree ruler really helps!

• If you're blowing up a print, a printout of the image

Blowing Up an Image: The Grid System
Pencil in a grid on the image you want to blow up. For my example, I made a grid of 1" blocks on my image.

Figure out how large you want that image on your wall, and divide the measurement of your wall into the number of grids on your image. My sample, I wanted it to take up the whole back wall: 1" on my grid equals 7" on my wall. Therefore, I made another grid on my wall surface, in 7" blocks.

Freehand, in pencil, block by block, breaking up your grid if necessary, for the details.

Once you're happy with your pencil sketch, the rest is like "paint by numbers!" Use 2 coats of paint per color.

Painting with latex is similar to painting acrylics: it dries pretty fast, and you can get sharp, clean edges. If you make a mistake, just use a damp paper towel, and it'll come off.

If you want to be picky about the details, i.e. get a really thin line, do the line you want, let it dry, and overlap the two sides of your line in the other color.

Janet's Painting Tip #1: I like to sketch the whole thing first to get a feel for the layout. When I paint, I do the bigger chunks first to get a feel for the room BEFORE I do any details. Why? Because if I don't like it, my time hasn't been too invested and I can change it. Details TAKE TIME, so you don't want to be doing that until you're SURE you're not going to redo it again! Sample: I did the face last, because it's the hardest part of this image!

Doing the Rest of Your Walls
I wanted to stay with the '80s theme, so I chose to do diagonal stripes. At first, I thought it might look too busy, so I chose to do fat 8" stripes. It actually helps to make the room look a lot bigger than before! I didn't know it would do that--I just lucked out!

When you're doing stripes, you can buy paint tape. I personally don't like using them and I have a steady hand, so I penciled in my stripes and painted freehand.

Janet's Paint Color Tip #1: If you're new to painting your walls, go to a paint center and grab as many paint chips as you want; they're free! DO NOT just buy the first color you like! Bring the paint chips home, because your lighting, both day & night, will affect how you see that color!

Janet's Paint Color Tip #2--How to pick the color YOU like on YOUR wall: Select several colors you like at night, in your lighting, and number them on the back in the order you like them. Turn the colors right side again and tape it onto your wall. Wait until daylight, and look at the taped colors & number them, this time, on the front color side, according to the order you like them in. Now, look at the numbers on both sides--sometimes, the numbers will match, other times, you'd be amazed how different the same color is, just on your wall! Compromise and find the color you like best in both day and night lights.

Finished Project!
Ta-da! Here's what I look at in the mirror every morning.

Janet's Decorating Tip #1: Don't go out and buy all the little accessories first! I know...it's fun to shop for the little things, but be patient! DO THE BIG THINGS FIRST! The little things will fall into place sooner or later.

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Copyright © Janet Sterling Silver Design, 2003. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

	DIY: Bathroom Makeover! The great thing about doing a bathroom makeover, is that it's a SMALL, ENCLOSED space, so you can make it into a mini fantasy getaway--go crazy! I LOVE THEMES! What You'll Need: Semi-Gloss Latex Paint, Paint Brushes, and a creative idea! Total Cost of the Makeover: $40 for 4 cans of paint; $9.99 for the candle holder; $9.99 for a set of 3 oil lamps; $5.99 for the light switch cover; $0.99 for the shower curtain rod cover; $9.99 for a bathrug set; $5.99 for a matching black bath towel
	Before: Hello Kitty Pop	After! '80s Bachelor Love-Den!
	Before: Theme: Hello Kitty Japanese Pop Bathroom. This look came about because Merv & I collect toys and cartoon art. The thing with bathrooms, is that you have to have either plastic, glass, or other non-porous surfaces, so there are limitations. The space: your typical, small New York apartment bathroom. Main color: lime yellow. Decoration: plastic toys, Hello Kitty, and Barbie. The problem: I didn't mind this bathroom; I just grew tired of it. It doesn't have a window, so I thought putting bright colors in it would cheer me up. It was feeling kind of cluttered, too.
	After! Theme: '80s Love Den This bathroom theme came about because back in the '80s, I really despised Nagel prints, esp. in a guy's dorm room. For me, it was the embodiment of bad taste, so when I found out that Merv wanted one in high school ("It was like having a sexy girl on your wall, but it was considered 'art'"), I gave him a hard time. And then I thought, "Merv wants Nagel, I will give him Nagel," and I did this project over the weekend when he was away! I saw it as a lesson in tolerance for myself. Decoration: '80s looking "guy" stuff--black towels & rugs, I got rid of all the "fluff" (except for the HK boombox), and minimalized it so that only Merv's stuff is out. All my stuff is now hidden away! Below are a few side-to-side "Before" & "Afters." ******Scroll below for the "How Tos!"**


	What You'll Need: • Semi-gloss latex paint. For bathrooms, you have to get at least a semi-gloss. For regular rooms, you can get flat if you like, too, but I like semi-gloss because you can clean off fingerprints if it gets dirty! • Paint brushes: I like to have one good 1.5" latex brush, and small brushes for the details. I only had cheapy detail brushes on hand, but it doesn't matter that much unless you're doing major details. • Pencil & Ruler. If you're doing stripes, the 90 degree ruler really helps! • If you're blowing up a print, a printout of the image
	Blowing Up an Image: The Grid System Pencil in a grid on the image you want to blow up. For my example, I made a grid of 1" blocks on my image. Figure out how large you want that image on your wall, and divide the measurement of your wall into the number of grids on your image. My sample, I wanted it to take up the whole back wall: 1" on my grid equals 7" on my wall. Therefore, I made another grid on my wall surface, in 7" blocks. Freehand, in pencil, block by block, breaking up your grid if necessary, for the details. Once you're happy with your pencil sketch, the rest is like "paint by numbers!" Use 2 coats of paint per color. Painting with latex is similar to painting acrylics: it dries pretty fast, and you can get sharp, clean edges. If you make a mistake, just use a damp paper towel, and it'll come off. If you want to be picky about the details, i.e. get a really thin line, do the line you want, let it dry, and overlap the two sides of your line in the other color.
	Janet's Painting Tip #1: I like to sketch the whole thing first to get a feel for the layout. When I paint, I do the bigger chunks first to get a feel for the room BEFORE I do any details. Why? Because if I don't like it, my time hasn't been too invested and I can change it. Details TAKE TIME, so you don't want to be doing that until you're SURE you're not going to redo it again! Sample: I did the face last, because it's the hardest part of this image!
	Doing the Rest of Your Walls I wanted to stay with the '80s theme, so I chose to do diagonal stripes. At first, I thought it might look too busy, so I chose to do fat 8" stripes. It actually helps to make the room look a lot bigger than before! I didn't know it would do that--I just lucked out! When you're doing stripes, you can buy paint tape. I personally don't like using them and I have a steady hand, so I penciled in my stripes and painted freehand. Janet's Paint Color Tip #1: If you're new to painting your walls, go to a paint center and grab as many paint chips as you want; they're free! DO NOT just buy the first color you like! Bring the paint chips home, because your lighting, both day & night, will affect how you see that color! Janet's Paint Color Tip #2--How to pick the color YOU like on YOUR wall: Select several colors you like at night, in your lighting, and number them on the back in the order you like them. Turn the colors right side again and tape it onto your wall. Wait until daylight, and look at the taped colors & number them, this time, on the front color side, according to the order you like them in. Now, look at the numbers on both sides--sometimes, the numbers will match, other times, you'd be amazed how different the same color is, just on your wall! Compromise and find the color you like best in both day and night lights.
	Finished Project! Ta-da! Here's what I look at in the mirror every morning. Janet's Decorating Tip #1: Don't go out and buy all the little accessories first! I know...it's fun to shop for the little things, but be patient! DO THE BIG THINGS FIRST! The little things will fall into place sooner or later.
Home \| About Us \| Testimonials \| Ads & Press \| FAQs \| Return & Exchange Policy \| Contact \| Privacy Policy Copyright © Janet Sterling Silver Design, 2003. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.