You’re proud of your house. And you enjoy having guests over. Until someone asks to use the bathroom! No, no not the bathroom! No matter how clean it is you can’t hide that oddball outdated porcelain. You know, that strangely colored toilet, sink and tub that leaves you wondering "How could anybody have chosen this awful color!" Fear not. For every ugly porcelain toilet, there’s a simple fix that will bring your bathroom back to beautiful.

The problem is, you don’t have the money to replace the sink, tub and toilet. What to do? Close the door and hope no one asks to use the bathroom? You could. But there is a better way. Embrace your porcelain. That color, my frightened friend, is going to be the inspiration for your beautiful new bath!

First I have to tell you a little secret about color. There are no ugly colors. Say what? Are you kidding? No. I’m not. I have the greatest artist in the entire world to prove my point; Mother Nature. She takes puke green and blends it in with her multicolored foliage. She uses regurgitated yellow and paints the most stunning deserts with it. Blah bland gray rock strikes a pretty contrast against her brilliant blues and greens. The oddest colors of orange, peach and pink transition her leaves into Fall. Get the point? There are NO ugly colors. It’s how you use them that make them attractive or not. Period.

Now let’s make your bathroom porcelain colors attractive. Take a picture of your porcelain to the paint store. I’ll bet it’s a dusty shade of whatever color it is. Look for paint swatches that have a dusty shade to them. Start looking at colors that compliment your porcelain. Here are a few classic color combinations to help get your creative juices flowing:

Brown, cream and white used with pink, blue, green, orange or black
Black & white used with any color
Blue & white used with green, yellow or red
Black & cream used with shades of brown
Lavender & cream used with white, blue, pink or purples

Take a hint from Nature. Try colors of the sea, forest, desert, Fall or Spring.

Explore several color combinations. If you have fabric or art that has your bathroom colors in it, noticed how it is used. Once you have chosen your new color combo you’re on your way! Paint your walls. Don’t leave your walls white. Colored walls will make those porcelain fixtures blend in, while white walls will make them stick out like unsightly eye sores. Exactly what you’re trying to avoid!

You’ll notice a huge difference the moment your walls are painted. The rest is simple. Bring in towels, rugs and a curtain in your new color palette. Hang some art. It’s done.

Now you have a bathroom that’s pretty and charming to boot! It’s not run of the mill and it certainly isn’t boring. Because you took the bull by the horns and made that oddly colored porcelain look intentional. There are no ugly colors, just bad color combinations. Pick pretty combinations and you’ll have a beautiful bath. Next time someone asks to use your bathroom, you can proudly point the way!