As I mentioned yesterday, the main bathroom isn’t finished, but that’s not stopping me from working on finishing touches. I could resist making art for the back wall. A large piece of art at that. For bathrooms, I try to stay away from anything with eyes, because that just seems creepy to me. Who wants to feel watched while doing your private business anyway? So, I thought up bathroom appropriate art, but nothing felt perfect. I didn’t want anything frilly. Nothing too fancy. Nothing to compete with the patterned shower curtain. But something bold, simple, and most importantly, fun. Then, it came to me. Why not make an over sized version of the classic man/woman signs to mark commercial bathrooms? It’s bold. It’s simple. It’s fun. And bonus, it was easy to make.
I started with a 2 foot by 3 foot frame I had sitting in the basement. For my background, I painted a large piece of paper I had on hand navy blue. An internet search gave me photos of the signs, so I made a design in Photoshop, printed it to plain paper, and used the designs as a template. Then, I cut a man and a woman from card stock. A few piece of rolled tape on the back held my people in place. Popping it in the frame instantly made it look more chic and cheeky than the standard bathroom sign.
It certainly adds a dose of fun to the bathroom. Best of all, it cost me under five bucks for materials!
Would it be too much to hang one of each of these vases over the toilet?
In other breaking bathroom news, Ben grouted the shower. Crisp white grout is nice to see. Once we, ah hem, Ben installs the faucet set, we can shower in here. Yippee skippy.
One of these days, I should wash that mirror.
So there ya have it, cheap, funny, eyeless bathroom art. What do you think? Too commercial feeling? Just the right amount of kitsch to add personality to the space? What do you have on your bathroom walls?
Nora Rose
/ July 11, 2012Love it! I was a little hesitant at first but it looks great on the walls!
ourhumbleabowed
/ July 11, 2012Hi Nora Rose!
Thanks! Ben was hesitant, too. I don’t think he *loves it…yet. Haha.
Thanks!
Amanda
holly
/ July 11, 2012Awesome! My daughter would love that. She seems to be intrigued with figuring out who can use which bathroom and especially if it is a family bathroom. that one gets double points!
ourhumbleabowed
/ July 11, 2012Hey Holly!
Ha, that’s so funny that your daughter loves the bathroom signs. Maybe you’ll have to make one for her.
Thanks!
Amanda
Elaine - Visual Meringue
/ July 11, 2012Love that! Looks great.
holly
/ July 11, 2012love! how ever did you cut the circles so perfectly?? spill it!
ourhumbleabowed
/ July 11, 2012Hi Holly!
I used regular scissors to cut around my template. Easy peasy.
Thanks!
Amanda
Dawn
/ July 11, 2012I love it! Looks great with the shower curtain too. I want those little man/woman vases too!
Julia @ ChrislovesJulia
/ July 11, 2012It’s so graphic and ties in perfectly with your shower curtain! This room is really coming together, Amanda!
ourhumbleabowed
/ July 11, 2012Thanks, Julia! I’m oddly excited about the combo of color and fun in the room.
Heather G..
/ July 11, 2012I LOVE IT! Its a fun addition to your bathroom and looks great with everything you have done. Love it with your curtain.
Monica
/ July 11, 2012I love it!! Definitely something I haven’t seen in a bathroom before, but it’s clean looking and kind of fun at the same time!
ourhumbleabowed
/ July 11, 2012Hi Monica!
Thanks! I think the oversized design makes it fun. So glad you like it, too.
Thanks!
Amanda
Caitlin @ Desert Domicile
/ July 11, 2012I love it! It looks great and ties in with your shower curtain so well! Can’t wait to see the finished room
ourhumbleabowed
/ July 11, 2012Hi Caitlin,
Thanks so much! I love the two together, too. I’m excited to get the rest of our small stuff done to see an entire room put together.
Thanks!
Amanda
Stephanie Bergman
/ July 11, 2012I think it’s awesome! Super fun and a perfect combo of kid-friendly and adult-worthy all at the same time!
ourhumbleabowed
/ July 11, 2012Hey Stephanie!
Thanks! And you’re exactly right. I handn’t really thought about that, but it’s perfect for both kids and adults.
Thanks!
Amanda
loveandrenovations
/ July 11, 2012I love the art – so fun!
Ashley@AttemptsAtDomestication
/ July 11, 2012That looks so cool! I really like this idea!
Jamie Harrison
/ July 11, 2012I.LOVE.IT!
Pam Hipp
/ July 11, 2012I like it! I think it’s funny and totally appropriate for the bathroom. Nice work!
Mary
/ July 12, 2012Really fun! What color navy did you use? I’m trying to paint an old buffet for my dining room and what I want is a really deep navy, but what I got was Americana-blue…too light and kinda gray
ourhumbleabowed
/ July 13, 2012Hi Mary,
Well, I used a bottle of acrylic craft paint, but if you’re looking for a deep navy, check out Hale Navy from Benjamin Moore. We used it in our dining room before and loved it. Here’s a link so you can see what it looks like: http://ourhumbleabowedblog.com/2010/08/03/dining-room-updated/ Generally, Ben Moore colors are fantastic, so I’d start there.
Thanks!
Amanda
Patty Durre
/ July 12, 2012I love it! I would also love to get into your brain. You come up with some very cool and unusual ideas. That is why I love your blog and cannot wait to open it. When you are too busy to post, I always know something really good is coming so it is worth waiting on.
ourhumbleabowed
/ July 13, 2012Hello Patty!
Aww, thanks! One of the things I love about design is pushing the envelope. I try to do something I haven’t done before, even if it’s a slightly different take on something that has already been done. So, that’s usually what spurrs my projects. I really appreciate your enthusasiam and encouragement!
Thanks so much!
Amanda
Olivia
/ July 13, 2012Hi, I really love your shower curtain. Where did you get it? If you don’t mind me asking…
Olivia
ourhumbleabowed
/ July 13, 2012Hey Olivia!
I got the shower curtain at Target on clearance last summer. Sorry, that’s not much help. Here’s a similar design: http://www.tinytotties.com/room-decor/shower-curtains/jojo-designs-diamond-gray-white-shower-curtain.htm and here are a few more I like: http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=25476474&parentid=A_FURN_BATH and http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=24200636&parentid=A_FURN_BATH Try searching diamond shower curtain to see what other options come up. Hope that gives you a good start!
Thanks!
Amanda
Olivia
/ July 15, 2012Thank you so much! This is such a big help!
Olivia
Wendy
/ March 1, 2013Can you tell me where you found the pendant lights?? Thanks!!
Our Humble Abode
/ March 4, 2013Hi Wendy,
Absolutely! We bought the pendants at Lowe’s. Here’s a link to the product: http://www.lowes.com/pd_351053-1811-CPM150LPN_?PL=1&productId=3367510 Can’t beat the look for that price and we’re very happy with the quality.
Thanks!
Amanda