Expert: Darlene Farmer - 2/16/2009

Question
I bought a house a couple years ago and had planned on upgrading the kitchen and bath but because of the economy that isn't going to happen now. My bathroom is very small, in fact the floor space 5'8" X 42 1/2 inches. The previous owner put in a gray vinyl tile on the floor. The walls are beige/eggshell ceramic tiles. The tub, pedestal sink and toilet are also beige or eggshell. What contrasting color(S) can I use to paint the upper part of the wall about 4x6 and add for accent for a rug(s), shower curtain and window treatment?

Answer
You could use any color as the color you have in there now is a neutral so it would work with anything. Your room is small so I would suggest that you stay with lighter shades perhaps something like silver sage from restoration hardware. You could then add black & white photos in black frames to ground the space. You can buy rugs and accessories to match the silver sage here: http://www.restorationhardware.com/rh/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod...

Hope that helps!
Darlene, Creative Carpet Design
www.creativecarpetdesign.com
blog- www.ourcreativelife.blogspot.com