Gormoo:

Many thanks. Here are the additonal photos. A little awkward taking the shots.
The wall near the heat riser is rounded; it's just the construction of this old pre-war building. The soap dishes/toilet rolls are plastered into the tile. I like the idea of the mirror.

If you think that your bathroom is nasty then you haven't seen anything yet:)
I like this bathroom and the white makes it fresh and clean looking, All you need are some nice towels to compliment it , the ceiling looks a bit imperfect but it could be fixed by the landlord if you ask ,tiles would solve that problem . You mentioned an out house look ....if you add wainscotting you will achieve the look ,a big no to wainscotting then .




I assumed that you are renting ,if you are you will not be able to change any of it .

In a small bathroom I like to do a modern wall hanging model to help the bathroom feel bigger with a large mirror.

Here are some ideas:
http://www.bathgems.com/wall-mounted-vanities/?xsearch_33=Single&xsearch_38=Under+25+inches

I like the glass one , but if there is no storage space then what? at least now there is a vanity to keep some things stored like toilet paper etc..

Genevieve:

Thanks for the suggestions. Most of the walls are uneven. Perhaps a good skim coating would smooth out the imperfections. The tiles were place willy-nilly by the previous owner. I do own; it is coop in Manhattan. I have two rooms totalling 450 square feet. I decided I wanted to be bold, playful and daring to recapture the innocence or mischief of my childhood. . .so I've used hot pinks, peacock blues, patterns on patterns. . .was going for the Alice in Wonderland motif. . .every morning I wake up I want to be inspired by colors and patterns. That's also the direction I wanted to go in the bath.

Okay now its all clear Thank you :)

Thank you Genevieve (I'm also a bit of a francophile so I'm trying to have my Proustian fantasies as well).

If you can sew I have an idea :)
lets say that you will get new purple towels for the bathroom ,then you could also get some of this fabric to sew at the bottom of them ,even make a curtain for the window , I thought that this was a fun fabric to use with your ideas.



"In search of lost time " Marcel Proust

Yes this is a fun idea and noteworthy. This why I come to Houzz. I'm starting to see the potential with what exists. Apparently, before I moved to this neighborhood, a gentleman next door who was a friend of Dali's had a basement apartment known as "The Grotto." I've seen a few pictures of what it looked like and it was totally whimsical. I would like to have the courage to live that way. Thanks again.

Salvador Dali , "The grotto" I can only imagine:))

Since you have a theme, I have an idea that might work to really give you an unusual and colorable bath (like the bigger mirror idea and new vanity as well). I did this in a very small bath and it look fabulous. Get pictures from magazines of all things Alice in Wonderland. Find alot. Don't worry about the size, you will need some big, some small, but best to cut them in squares or rectangles. Go to your local hobby store and buy modge podge. Then start at the top of the tile so you get a clean edge and start making a decopauge of the photos. Cover every inch of the walls and ceiling. When done put another coat of modge podge over the whole thing which will waterproof it and also keep any edges from coming up. If you take your time, you will have a stunning result! Good luck!
If I run acroos a photo of the one I did with old car pictures, I will attach.

Dorhas1:

Thank you so much. This sounds fab. . .I'm really excited by the composite of possibilities here. This sounds absolutely fantastic. I look forward to seeing the photo should you find it.

Best,

Bluelite

This was a windowless 5x8 design; your space is challenging!

I don't usually like to go literal in design but I thought the idea of Alice in Wonderland was too quirky to resist! Have a shower curtain made with some Alice in Wonderland fabric. You could put a curtain even with the shower doors no problem. Add a sink skirt in whatever fabric you like.

Or you could buy a fabric and order these iron-ons from Etsy and make your own shower curtain.

Change the mirror for a colourful, ornate one. You could buy a vintage one and paint it whatever colour you want. The black one is from IKEA.

Replace the light fixture with a classic look.

And finally......wrap that unsightly pole in silk. Pick your colour!

Wow! Lydia thank you so much. This is truly amazing. I'm literally speechless as I feel the vision for this little space begin to transform. Love the light fixture. The only problem with the pole is that it gets very hot in the winter, so I'll have to find another material (hemp. . .?). Wow. Thanks again.

You're very welcome! I'm so glad you like it!! For the fabric.....maybe burlap? I enjoyed doing this......have fun decorating!

Oops forgot......a luxurious candle or diffuser.

There are PVC wraps made to dress up poles on porches, making them look more like columns (both round and square). I wonder if something like that can also dress up your pipe? You'd need to check to see about the effect of the heat (landlord could perhaps tell you the temperature of the piping), but the wrap would be around, not touching, the pipe. And PVC is used in plumbing. Love Lydia's ideas!

We're on the same page. I stepped over to TJMax and bought a diffuser just to get started. Will definitely post photos. In the hallway or foyer that leads to the bathroom, I'm using a cheetah print fabric on the the walls. Thinking perhaps a harlequin pattern for curtains. . .

nwduck:

Will check out the wraps. . .and yes, Lydia's idea are inspiring. My goal is to wake up every morning and be inspired by colors and patters. . .as if I'm in a grand garden.

foam pipe insulation - comes in different sizes:
http://www.michaelandson.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Foam-Pipe-Insulation.jpg

The best part about being an interior designer is to be able to inspire and help someone achieve a design that reflects their personality. Thank you for your comments.....much appreciated!

And now for that Harlequin pattern to go with your cheetah fabric......I love the multi-colored one!

Hi Lydia:

It's Keith, Blueliteone, with the Little Nasty Manhattan bathroom. Lydia is it absolutely necessary to use batting when putting fabric on a wall? Attached is the faux print fabric I'm going to put on the wall of my foyer/vestibule as well as a few snaps of an incarnation of my rooms - more for the color scheme than decor. Any thoughts on batting. . .it's driving me batty!

Thanks and kind regards. Keith

Hello Keith! Love the pink room.....you have great style! I've never put fabric on walls before but I think you could just use wallpaper paste. I suggest you Google it though to get it right. I'm thinking the multi-colored Harlequin pattern I posted would look divine with your design scheme. Have fun! :)

Keith, I think there are several possible approaches. I've seen it done where furring strips are first attached at ceiling, floor, and where seams would be to provide a solid surface to staple in. Batting is attached, then the fabric. Trim is run over the seam/stapled area, in effect forming panels. If the wall condition is uneven, this hides a multitude of sins. You can also just staple at the top, stretch tight and staple at the bottom, incorporating limited amounts of regular household glue if it sags in places, or just needs to tighten down. A third way, which I guess a lot of people in military housing use, is to apply with old fashioned household starch. The starch/water mix acts as a glue, however, it washes off the wall with plain old water, so if you get tired of it, you pull it off, wipe the wall and go on your merry way. Love your place!

Lydia and NWDuck:

Thank you so much. Today was supposed to be my day of rest but I couldn't sit still.
I've just draped it on the wall to test it. . .at first I was afraid (I feel a song coming). . .
walked in and out of the apartment several times. . .it's wild but quite calming. . .

Lydia: Yes, I meant to tell you the harlequin multi-colored pattern was my favorite and it
will figure prominently into this work of art. . .I am having fun and am finding excitement for
the first time in my 58 years. . .who knew. . .it all started with this Benjamin Moore "Paradise Pink".

NWDuck: Thanks for the many options. I have googled and youtubed and moved out of my paralysis to do the tester.

Thanks to you both. You are now a part of the creation.

Below a couple of shots of the test and the last part of this weekend's fabric run.

Keith

OOOOH, quite like the black and white by the door! I have a couple of other questions. What sort of fabric is the black and white? It looked like it was sort of textured, and maybe stretchy in the photos. Also, if you want to use the red "silky" kind of fabric on a wall, I'd go with the furring/batting technique. Wouldn't try the starch thing with a fabric like that, and I think if you did staples/glue, the glue would bleed through.

The black and white doesn't read well in photo. It's a faux cheetah print. . .almost looks like little turtles crawling around. . .I will give the batting technique a try. . .just have to take the beginner's mind and if I mess up, start again. Thanks NW.

That's part of the Agony and Ecstasy of decor, isn't it? If the black and white is actually pretty flat surfaced with cotton content, either the staple/glue or starch method will work, I think. :)

Thanks so much nw. . .I'll post pictures of the finished product.

Most people are very boring when it comes to decorating so good on you for putting some of your personality in your design and doing it with style! It makes me very happy to have been part of it. Can't wait to see the final result! :)

The only thing I could add with such great comments is this.. Benjamin Moore Aura bath and Spa paint...Matt! This paint will hide so many imperfections on the plaster walls... having family in NYC... They love their semi gloss paint on walls! Shows every bump! LOL!

Designing Richmond, I eventually settled on Farrow and Ball which did a great job covering the imperfection. I'm very pleased with the "Wervet" (I believe that is the correct spelling). It is a lovely shade of white and I still have half a gallon left over. Thanks again for your suggestion.

Wonderful! Glad you're happy with your decision! I will have to try the Wervet!

(Anyone know where that name comes from??)

Studio10001

Actually the spelling is Wevet. Here's one meaning: Named after the old Dorset term for a spider’s web. A delicate fresh white which is extremely versatile. White & Light Tones Undercoat. Sorry for the misspelling.

Not at all - this is how easily I am stymied when I let Google do the thinking for me, instead of going directly to the website; thank you for the chuckle!

Hey, it's fun fabric Keith! Did you ever use your animal print/crawling turtle fabric?

Hey NW. . .I sure did.

NW, will try to post the pictures here.

NW, if you look towards the back of the pink room, you can see the
animal print. . .not the best picture. I will see if I can find a better print.

I see it! You just have a great place. (My niece's place in NYC seems like a very expensive shoebox.) Bathroom looks quite snazzy too. I love the mirror. What did you wind up doing about the pipe? Just paint it?

I did just paint it white as well. I bought some industrial hemp/twine which I will experiment with (actually, winding it around the hot pipes. . .no to cool right now). Found the mirror at Pier One and chose the color around it. Consultant at Farrow and Ball suggested I use citrus tones which I have tried and it looks good. But the all white looks quite good. Will post a full view of the mirror (which really makes the bathroom sing). My apartment is not quite a shoe box but close.

Oh no, not close to hers, for sure! Yours looks at least twice as big. So, here's an idea with your hot pipe....use it as a towel warmer! Thinking outside the box, and with the delivery issues inherent in NYC for anything much larger than a postcard, you could use something like a modified/dressed up bicycle clip fastened around the pipe. With an added clip piece of some sort to attach one beauteous towel (artfully draped, of course) you could have a toasty towel for the morning shower. :)