No More Boring Bathrooms: Erin Napier's Simple Swap Brings Instant Charm

When planning a remodel, your attention might drift towards larger rooms that you spend more time in, such as your living room or bedroom. Don't forget to update your bathroom, too, though. It doesn't have to be difficult to create a spa-like bathroom. In fact, HGTV's Erin Napier has a simple suggestion that can totally change the vibe of this space. Swap out your old white fixtures for something with a little more color. Your sink, bathtub, toilet, and even the faucets themselves can all be replaced with more colorful options.

The sink and toilet Napier used in an episode of "Home Town" were a lovely, subtle shade of dusty green (via YouTube), but bathroom fixtures have come in many colors and shades over the decades. The earliest colorful fixtures were primarily pastels, appearing in the 1920s. However, you may be more familiar with the more vibrant colors that were popular in the 1970s. While they fell out of fashion for a little while, these colorful toilets, sinks, and tubs have found their way back into the hearts and homes of many. 

This resurgence of popularity has a bit more in common with the earlier editions, as pastel and muted colors are both trendy and easier to work with. If you're intimidated by the idea of a bright orange or lime green toilet, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Sticking with tamer colors like peach or sage is perfectly in line with the trend and Napier's own design. Of course, if you'd rather take a risk on a more daring shade, you're welcome to give it a try.

If you'd love to follow Napier's lead, but aren't really sure where to start, don't worry. To begin, review your bathroom's current color scheme and decide whether to keep it or change it. If you want to change the color scheme entirely, focus on finding a fixture color that you love and update or remodel your bathroom to match. If you'd like to keep your color scheme mostly unchanged, then do the reverse. Start by examining which colors are already in use in your bathroom, and find one that works well with them.

Once you've decided on a color, pick a more muted or toned-down shade. A brighter color is more likely to go out of style or clash with future decor, while a pastel or muted color will be easier to match with. If you can, try to get all your fixtures from the same place and at the same time, particularly if you're buying a vintage set. While it's more of a budget strain, buying them as a set will help ensure the colors match exactly. Even if the fixtures are all from the same place, subtle color variations may not be obvious until you take them home.

If you aren't sure that a colorful sink or tub is right for you, consider adding the color in more subtle ways. Swapping stainless steel for brass bathroom faucets or nickel taps maintains the classic metallic look while adding a bit of fun, but they aren't the only option. There are also much brighter options like orange and pink if you want a splash of something more whimsical.