Choose a favorite fabric, and use it as a starting point in giving your bathroom a personal new look. Interior designer Joan MacDowell did just that in a small, nondescript bathroom she made over with Joan Steffend, host of HGTV's Decorating Cents. Outdated '60s floor tile, a chrome light fixture and a dark Spanish-style cabinet gave the small bathroom a cold, bleak feeling. An abstract botanical fabric, made into a new shower curtain, sets the tone for the makeover (figure A). The curtain is hung from a tension rod, and two handkerchief squares draped diagonally over another rod form a unique shower-curtain valance (figure B). A light khaki-beige paint is applied over the old textured-vinyl wallpaper, and random swishes of a darker taupe are added to mimic the background of the fabric (figure C). The cabinet is given a face-lift with paint, and faux metal door fronts made of pine and spray-painted grid wire are added (figure D). The door to a hard-to-access linen closet is removed, and the closet is stocked with wicker storage baskets, an accent lamp and an old hamper upholstered with shower-curtain fabric, making the space both practical and pretty. Dated tile on the bathroom floor is covered with a piece of Berber carpeting cut to size and set in place. Taped-together newspapers are used to make the pattern. An inexpensive glass pendant light replaces the chrome fixture and adds a warm glow. Pretty botanical accessories and a coordinating toilet-seat cover complete the look.
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