Old-World Bathroom

Figure A--Old homes come with their share of problems and a price for making repairs, but for artist Kelly Butler, fixing up this bathroom was born out of necessity. It began with covering a hole in the wall (see photo), but it soon turned into a renovation project. Butler applied spackling paste to the entire wall bottom, then applied a primer to seal the surface. Once the wall was dry, paint was then added--ultra marine blue in this instance.

Figures B and C--The stucco look gives an Old-World feel to the bathroom. Furthering this theme, Butler decided to paint a map of Pangea, a theoretical continent that scientists believe existed before breaking apart into the continents we know today. Once dry, she distressed the walls with a dry-brush technique to match the colors above the chair rail with those below. Butler recommends sealing everything below the railing with a water-based clear varnish. The floor has been painted with an industrial-strength oil paint. Most of Butler's favorite treatments have occurred when she spilled a bucket of paint. She notes that by "messing up" first, wonderful emotions are released, causing the fear to experiment and try new looks to lessen.