I recently visited a client of mine to take some measurements for a new design project. He has a beautiful apartment but when I visited the powder room I noticed something that a lot of loos in rented apartments sport – the dreaded, white tiled loo. Most of these hail from the 90s and early 00s and since landlords built these apartments to be rented out they are mostly tiled with white tile. Not so bad, you say? You are right of course, it could alway be worse BUT since they were tiled in the 90s, they mostly feature what I call slaughterhouse tiling. This means ALL the walls are tiled at least three quarters up with 15×15 cm white tile. Totally useful if you own chickens and want to have really fresh chicken breast at home but not so much if you want a nicely decorated powder room. And honestly, once you have small kids (like yours truly) this will be your only sanctuary where you can lock the door and spend 10 minutes by yourself.
Now if you own the place, I’d say rip everything out and create a soothing oasis for yourself. However, the cost of doing anything involving tile is prohibitive for many and nobody is going to invest in a rented space. So I felt inspired and figured I’d share three ideas how you can update a rented powder room and add some style to the tile…
Idea # 1: Paint the ceiling
This is the cheapest and easiest option. I’d recommend choosing a color that does not create too big of a contrast with the white tile as your eye will find this irritating. Then accessorize like your life depends on it using your chosen color in the accessories. Add a beautiful mirror and hang a painting on the walls (you can always use Tesa strips, no need to drill holes in the tiles). Your powder room will instantly be transformed.
Idea # 2: Wallpaper the ceiling
Go a bit crazy! Wallpaper the walls above the tiles as well as the ceiling. Use a pattern that has white in it so it ties back in with the white tiles. Then pick up the colors in the the accessories. A bit crazy? Yes! But as we only spend limited amounts of time in here we can afford to make a bold statement.
Idea #3: Add an accent wall
There are great stick on, patterned tile options available. They are made of vinyl and are easy to install and clean. Go bold and pick a black and white option that will create an immediate visual impact in your powder room.
As you can see, upgrading the boring, white 90s powder room in your rental just got way easier! Focus your efforts on the parts that are not tiled and the rest will follow. If you need more ideas on which color schemes work well in bathrooms, you can find some great inspiration here. Now I am curious to know, which of these three looks would you prefer implementing in your home? Let me know in the comments! And if you are still not certain how you want to update your loo, then I´ve got your back. Have a look at our E-Design Service, where I help you get the room of your dreams from the comfort of your sofa.
