Make a splash in the bathroom with art

It’s me again, Nicole, your regular blogger. Thanks to Mari for the guest blog in the last edition. This time, I’m going for a small room to decorate: the bathroom. In general the bathroom(s) in the house aren’t the first place we think of for hanging art. Maybe we have a magazine rack or a bookshelf with some reading material alongside our toothbrush and toiletries, but the only decorative touches are the shower curtain and bath mat.

So let’s try to change that to personalize our bathrooms. Keep in mind that if the bathroom has a shower or bathtub in it, the artwork should be resistant to a humid environment. Ceramic or glass pieces are great, vinyl stickers are humidity resistant, and paper works should be framed behind glass. Tell your framer that you plan to hang it in a bathroom to help you choose an appropriate framing material. It’s best to use reproductions, not valuable (sentimentally or economically) pieces that you would be upset if they get damaged from the humidity.

If possible, try to hang the pieces on the painted sections of the wall, not on the ceramic, so as to avoid making holes in the tiles. Drilling holes in tiles must be done very carefully, as they can crack easily. Making the holes in the grout between the tiles is easier, though there is still some risk.

Here are some cool uses of art in bathrooms for inspiration.

Take advantage of the space above the bathtub to hang a big oil or acrylic painting. Of course, this only works if you don’t have a shower in the bathtub, as you don’t want the painting to get wet.

Photo by Modern Craft Construction, LLC. See more modern bathroom designs

In this powder room with purple paint in a Boston home, they’ve hung a series of canvas prints vertically above the toilet and another on the side wall. Combined with the wall color and the wooden, ethnic mirror frame and furniture, they create an eclectic feel, especially suitable for guests over for dinner parties. No worries about humidity here, since there is no shower or tub.

Half bath with bold decor. Photo: Nicole Neuefeind / nicneu studio

In this New York bathroom, they’ve used a collection of ceramic pieces covering a whole wall for great effect.

Photo by Kati Curtis Design. See more eclectic bathroom designs

And here another that displays a ceramic piece made in art class by a child, adding a personal touch to the room while allowing their son to show off his work.

A child’s ceramic makes good bath decor. Photo: N. Neuefeind

You could hang some playful, colorful prints on a neutrally colored wall, like in this bathroom in a Dallas home.

Photo by Sarah Greenman. See more contemporary bathroom designs

Or if you don’t have that much space, hang some smaller photographs. This kids’ bathroom is decorated with images of the sea and beach, combined with a whimsical drawing of a giraffe in the same color scheme. They are complemented by the clock in a contrasting color to keep everyone on time. A deer-antler-shaped toothbrush holder that suctions to the mirror rounds out the look.

Kids’ bathroom with small pictures.

This bathroom combines quirky art with a vinyl applique. There are lots of options for pre-made vinyl appliques available in home and hardware stores, so you can find something in your style and color.

Photo by Jeff Jones Snap It Photography. See more eclectic bathroom designs

If you like DIY home projects, you could make an accent wall with a stencil, wallpaper or paint. You can even stencil on tile if you buy the right paint. Talk to a specialist at your paint store to get a recommendation.

Photo by Janna Makaeva/Cutting Edge Stencils. See more contemporary home decor designs

This paint-job of bold-colored stripes will certainly wake you up in the morning:

See more other designs

We would love to hear from you. Please share your bathroom decor photos and ideas with us!

Related articles:

• Soak in the View: Art for the Bath (houzz.com)
  Make relaxing in the bath even better with an intriguing piece of art by the tub
• Decorating a small bathroom (decorating.answers.com)

• The not-so-humble bathroom: our top seven (onefinestay.com)
• Weekend Warrior Bathroom Makeovers (decorating.answers.com)