I Hate My Bathroom...

I'd recommend a blue accent color. Something muted and lighter than the green, maybe a dusty blue/grey.

Accent colors I would suggest lavender, turquoise, fuschia, gray or light blue. If you want to be more conservative, stick with browns or other earthy tones. It might be good to go rug shopping. You might find something you really like and work off of that.

My husband & I just painted one of our bathrooms. For the cabinets, we sanded them, primed, then painted. It worked well. Good luck & enjoy your new room!

when we painted our bathroom we took the colors from the paint swatches brand. Does your color swatch have a letter and number on it? we painted our walls a dark gold/brown (say it was called B52) then found an ivory for the door and crown that was a few shades lighter in the "B" numbers- like B35 or something. That way the warm/cool was the same.

I try to use colors that occur together natuarlly. He is the master designer - afterall. :) A nice accent with green and ecru would be dark brown. You can use dark brown wood accent pieces, framed art, etc. A dark brown wicker laundry basket or basket of towels. You could even stain your cabinets and vanity a dark color if they are wood.

I paint everything! It is the cheapest way to change the look of a room. Just make sure you take your time and do it right. Take the doors off, sand the vanity and doors lightly and primer everything. Let each coat dry completely so you get a nice even finish.

As for accent colors two things come to mind. The safe, beige's and browns and the risky, burnt orange. I would do chocolate brown for the main accents and throw in a few burnt orange accesories.

A few other cheap but big changes you could make would be to replace the mirror with two framed mirrors and change the light fixture. You can find mirrors super cheap at Hobby Lobby or Home Goods. Changing the faucets on the sink and tub would also make a big statement.

Have fun.

I painted my kitchen cabinets about 5 years ago and they turned out great! I washed them really well, primed them with KILZ, and then painted them with a white durable paint meant for cabinets. They still look pretty nice and they are under really heavy use. I can scrub them and everything. It was a cheap way to fix up the kitchen. Good luck!

My friend gave me great advice for bathrooms: paint it in a color that complements for your skin tone - (you're spending alot of time there - naked, putting on makeup) - and makes you look healthy. I was going to paint my bath calming sage green but started and realize it made me look ill!! Like I was dying and grey! Who wants that? You first should try samples first to see how YOU look in the small room - do you look healthy or sick? It will affect your overall attitude! :-)

If your cabinets are wood- you're in luck! Sand them down, prime and paint! If they are laminate, then do some googling to find out how to paint them so that the paint actually sticks.

As for accent colors- stick with beiges and chocolate browns. These are the colors of our master bedroom and it is striking, but relaxing! We have that shade of green as the predominant color with accents of tans and stark white.

Depending on the size of your cabinetry, check out Craig's List or RTA websites. You can usually find pretty nice pieces for a reasonable amount!

Pale yellow might be a nice touch to compliment the yellow in your rosemary green. Here is a great article for how-to: http://www.house-painting-info.com/article-simon_phillips...

One of my favorite topics right now.. decorating on a budget. On the cabinet doors I'd remove them and paint them lying flat so it doesn't run. If you have some old frames you can paint those with leftover paint from the cabinets, then go out with your digital camera and take some pics to print and frame. I like bright reddish orange with green but lavender is nice too, since you hate red. Good luck! It sounds like a lot of fun to me!!

Home Depot now carries a paint line by Martha Stewart. She has made complimenting colors super easy. Each color has a small picture in the corner. Match the pictures and you will find 2 colors that compliment each other. If that doesn't make sense than ask somebody at Home Depot and they'll be able to show you what I'm talking about. Good luck!

Hi Amy-
Earth tones call for more earth tones. If you are using a rosemary green, then accent with tans, dark dark chocolates, and a hint of either red, amber, or blue. But not all 3. Just pick one. Cabinets- lightly sand then paint with a semi gloss to seal the wood. Choose a neutral color for your cabinets. They could even be tan. What's even more fun is to go to somehwere like home depot and look at the different painting styles you can do with a limewash and base coat. Do not be fooled by the color of each one. If you follow the steps, the results are amazing. You can do this to your walls with the rosemary and then make your cabinets solid. By the way, dark chocolate looks greate with off white.
have fun. And paint can be covered, so please experiment! Buy small cans and test. And again, enjoy the process. You will love the end result.
-E. M
P.S. A few sheer curtains (wash and hangable) around a large mirror or over an old shower door can add a face lift to your bathroom. They are not just for windows! Layer white or creamy and dark chocolate ones Or, as your accent, different hues of blues, etc.

you've gotten some great practical advice already - I just want to reinforce - SAND the cabinets before you paint (even if you use primer.) You don't have to sand to bare wood or anything, but you do need to get through the varnish so the paint will bond properly. Second: in the bathroom, semi-gloss paint. You may (or may not) think you like the look of semi-gloss - regardless, in the bathroom, you will get much much better durability, easier cleanup, and no deterioration (bubbles, etc) when the paint is exposed to high humidity over and over. As for color, you can always buy paint sample sizes (tiny cans of just a few ounces) and try them out, live with some choices for a couple of days, and see what you think. Especially if you're going to make a bold choice, this can be really helpful. Good luck!