Light and Paint it Up: How to Have a Fun Bathroom.

 

Sometimes you realize you're heading in the wrong direction design-wise.  And that is a-okay.  Both the realization and the wrong direction.  So today, let's light and paint it up with how to have a fun bathroom!

See, everything that can be done can be undone.  And, as we've discussed many times, a mistake is not a mistake; it's an opportunity to learn and a chance to do it again.  

Don't freak -- I didn't dismantle any of the jet tub cover-up!  I merely made a paint mistake.  Which, now corrected, Mike has proclaimed, "it's your best paint yet."

To say I was beaming is an understatement.  Ahhh, beaming, a pun, you'll see.

See, I had picked up a metallic paint in an effort to create a cool sort of faux finish for the mirror wall but it wasn't panning out the way I envisioned.

I primed over the metallic so here's a new before.

You know how when you open a can of metallic paint and the top is swirly and mottled?  That's what I wanted large scale on the wall.  And, after smearing on the color, I lost interest in the steps it would have taken.

Plus too, despite hoping it'd be a refined, sophisticated, upscale finish, that metallic paint, I realized heh, it wasn't me.  I mean, I am those things but I lost sight of fun.  

Fun is what I want this house to be about.

Fun, happy, cheerful, uplifting, colorful, and joyous.  Hence now, light and paint it up, how to have a fun bathroom.

I must mention that my painted wall is part of a Hometalk shoppable tutorial with Feit Electric and while this post is sponsored and I did receive Feit lighting products, these opinions are mine oh mine.

So!  On the Instagrams I spotted this which pounded the fun realization home that I had lost my way.  I required a version of that in our bathroom instead.  You'll even see my comment there.

So that's what I did.

First though, because I was spending loads of time in said bathroom on said paint project:  a pair of Feit Speaker Bulbs.  Have you seen these?  Oh my, they are way super cool.  They are LED light bulbs that have speakers in them and you need to get some, stat.

Where?  Easy!  Pick them up at my second home Menards, or order them for speedy delivery from Amazon* or drop by Ace Hardware* or swing through Walmart.*

No hub, no wires, just pair your phone to them via Bluetooth, open your music app, and atmosphere amplified by one hundred percent.  Pair two together for a stereo effect!  You can use them in lamps plus they have a thirty foot range, too!  A major bonus is that you won't have a clunky speaker hogging valuable space.

It's the details that improve your life, "the details are not the details," and this detail does it.  You'll seriously wonder how you lived without them.

Your bathroom, your kitchen (ooOOhhh!), your office, anywhere in the house, these Speaker Bulbs rock.  Ahh, pun! 

The Feit Speaker Bulbs change the atmosphere of the whole room instantly -- a giant enhancement of our daily life.  Just twist, flip the switch, and pair.

For me, some moments were Jazz in 1965 or my friend's O'Rourke's list.  Other times it was the 80"s haha or Jane's or Led Zepplin, and sometimes it was Pure Calm if Finn was lying in the doorway because damn fireworks.

It was exactly what I needed.  Fun life improvement check mark number one!

Ok, so paint!  Definitely not complicated.

After measuring the wall, I drew it all in AutoCAD* (paper and a ruler by hand easily work too) then scaled up the proportions large.  Key to interior design is proportion, balancing small and large, and in a small space, large proportions visually enlarge a room.

With my rectangles and colors mapped out and after priming the wall, I transferred the design using my spiffy level, a long ruler* and tape measure,* and a simple pencil.  And an eraser* of course because I am not perfect.

Time to tape.*  

Following the pencil lines exactly, I tried to do as many same-color-spots as I could but discovered very rapidly an error of my ways....not spacing the colors enough for efficiency.  Doh.  Eh, no biggie, I had the Speaker Bulbs.

Personally, I smooth the tape exceptionally tight to the wall and have at it.  If you paint away from the tape not into it and you're careful enough, you won't have paint bleed.  You can, I hear, prime the tape edges with the base color and let dry then paint to ensure very crisp lines.

My paint needed two coats as most higher-saturation colors do.  Do let everything dry overnight thoroughly before moving ahead with new tape.

 

Oh right, I marked each rectangle with a wee speck of tape noting the colors so I wouldn't get confused and mess up a. the taping and b. the color pattern I hadn't entirely thought through.

Along the way I decided to do the baseboards too to further visually heighten the room.

Oh and right, here are my colors:  Spashed Blue, 136-7DB from Dutch Boy; Big Sky Country, 136-4DB from Dutch Boy; plus for a little sheen-y shine, Krylon's Brilliant Metallic in Pearlescent.*  

What's cool is you can order Samplize* peel and stick paint samples such as Adriatic Sea 6790 or Jay Blue 6797 and Bluebell 6793 or Soft Jazz 809 which are similar to what I used.  Peel and stick, very cool way to test paint!

Too, given the Samplize* sizes, they'll really help you envision a project like this.  Even better, their buy eight get two free promo* will absolutely help you in choosing the perfect colors.

All right, then just keep going!  Paint, remove tape, dry dry dry, tape along the edges of the open spots, paint.  And dance to your music.

Once everything was said and done, tape peeled, a gigantic deep sigh of satisfaction, several butt wiggles, it was time for the icing on the cake:  Feit's While Filament LED bulbs.  

Why go to all this effort if you don't have flawless lighting, right?!  I mean, we're enhancing our lives here, this detail brings it full tilt.

The White Filaments, I have to say, are unbelievable.  Seriously the best light I have ever experienced.  It is so crisp, so clean, so true, and holy cow do they make the wall colors pop exactly the way they should which in turn makes me feel so good every time I'm in this room.

 

See?  Beautiful on and off!

A major key standout is that the filaments are white, blending into every single decor no matter what your style is, unlike yellow filaments.  That means these bulbs are beautiful whether they are on or off and that they are!

  

That's what we all want, right?!  After the effort for this painted wall, after any effort to make a space happy and fun, lighting is the jewelry of the room.  Seemingly such a small thing, easy to forget, but it makes or breaks any design.

I am absolutely putting these White Filaments in our kitchen.  And everywhere.  They're dimmable, incredibly efficient, look great, and *chef's kiss,* that light....wow.

So when you get the Speaker Bulbs,* stock yourself up on White Filaments at Home Depot* or from Ace Hardware* because they are jaw-droppingly amazing.

I have to say, between the fun new paint, the Feit Speaker Bulbs, and their White Filament bulbs, the way we experience this room improves our daily existence to the max.  Fun, happy, cheerful, uplifting, colorful, and joyous.

There we have it my friends, light and paint it up, how to have a fun bathroom.  Or any room!  You deserve it.

*The Speaker Bulbs are Amazon, Ace Hardware, and Walmart affiliate links.  The erasers are an Amazon affiliate link.  The AutoCAD link is an AutoDesk affiliate link.  The long rulers are a Joann Fabrics affiliate link.  The tape measures are a Home Depot affiliate link.  The White Filament bulbs are Home Depot and Ace Hardware affiliate links.  The painters tape and Krylon paint are Lowes affiliate links.  The Samplize link is a Samplize affiliate link.  Mwah, thanks!  Please see the "boring stuff" tab for more info.