Bathroom Makeover — What Color Should We Paint the Walls?

When we did this bathroom over it had a "world map" theme. Our shower curtain had a primary colored map of the world and so we chose wallpaper that also had world maps.

Fifteen years ago we bought our 162-year-old house and had to redo every room. It was mainly cosmetic work, but not in the sense of “Oh, we don’t like that color,” or “That room is out of style and needs to be updated.”

There were holes in the walls; a leak in the roof ruined the wallpaper in the dining room; broken windows in the cellar allowed stray cats to go in and out; a green shag rug on the back stairs (we have two stairways) was soiled by some of those cats; and the upstairs bathroom was filthy and had rust marks on the white and gold wallpaper.

We fell in love with this house because we could afford it and because we finally could stop sleeping on the pullout-couch in our 1-bedroom condominium (we gave our bedroom to our 2-year-old at the time).

We stripped the wallpaper in that bathroom and every room of the house (the living room had nine layers). At the time I couldn’t imagine having to strip wallpaper again, but 15 years later, here I am stripping the wallpaper off the upstairs bathroom: wallpaper we had picked out and hired someone to install.

I hate to replace this great sink, but it offers no storage. Does anyone like their sink skirts?

It’s time to do that bathroom over, again. Although the murky yellow tile is not something I would have picked out, we decided it’s not worth the cost of removing it so we’re just going to live with it. However, we desperately need storage space, so I’m planning on replacing the large wall sink and putting in a dark cherry vanity, as well as one or two other wall cabinets. We’ll also change out the medicine cabinet and the sconces. But our dilemma now is: What color should we paint the walls?

I think green would make a good compliment to the yellow, but which green is best? I went to Lowe’s and picked out four sample pots of paint (less than $3 each) and painted some poster boards to hang in the bathroom. Take a look at the following photos and let me know what color you’d choose. (And oh yeah: we threw in a turquoise color, which is actually named “Glass Green.”) If you don’t like any of these colors, please say so and let me know what color you’d choose.