Hand Painted Toilet Seat Lid, Really! Plus Creative Wall Paintings!

An unusual place for art. Hey it's a nice flat surface...so why not? This painted piece was done for a Decorators Show House many moons ago. I purchased a regular seat to fit the toilet of the upstairs bath in the Show House mansion. After sanding the area I wanted to paint, I laid down a primer coat, then used regular acrylic paints. When I finished my artwork, I coated the top of the painted seat with satin finish poly. If you do not feel comfortable hand painting a trompe-l'oeil piece like this, then I think an old fashion collage of ephemera items would look great as well. Pick a theme of your favorite things or that simply matches your powder room. 
This can be a tasteful addition to the room as well as a nice surprise for your guests. Then again I always thought it would be funny to paint a bee sitting on the interior ring!

The theme of my Show House room was based on the original trilogy 'Griffin and Sabine.' These books that I fell in love with years ago by Nick Bantock were an intriguing  correspondence between two artists. The tale "unfolded" literally by you pulling out and reading Griffin and Sabine's post cards and letters. These items looked as though they were made from hand made papers and then covered in personal art. I highly recommend these unique and mysterious tales that left the reader feeling like a spellbound voyeur in someone else's life. In addition it seems that Nick has added a few more Griffin and Sabine adventures to the series since I completed this room.

To create a room based on the feel of 'Griffin and Sabine' books, 
I chose to cover the walls in a faux finish resembling hand made paper. I then hand painted stamps, postmarks, golden phrases, natural objects and travel motifs on the walls to complete the look. The ceiling was done to emulate the color and style of the books funky end papers with golden glyphs. This bathroom was one of the two rooms that the person who bought the Show Home did not paint over later! It was very gratifying when someone who was on the Show House tour that year came in, picked up the vibe of my theme, and would exclaim, "Oh this reminds me of Griffin and Sabine!"

When I would do A Decorators Show House room I was responsible for all the room prep including filling any holes in the walls. I did the primer coats along with the mural work. I also designed and filled the room with all the decorative items. The sale of this decor would go towards the fundraiser project. I then would have to return to the store any items that were lent out for display in the room and not purchased. Every thing had to be tracked. Designers of each room also work their own room on weekends. All of this time and artwork was a charity volunteer project. It made for good portfolio pieces.

Since I retired from doing professional mural and faux painting I will give you a few of my secrets. I mostly only used Benjamin Moore paint and glazes. I kept a small supply of basic universal tints and a gallon of super white paint at all times, along with other cans and tubes of paint. I purchased good brushes. I was organized, used large drop cloths and blue painters tape. Remember to keep clean up materials handy in case of minor spills and drips. Use reference material. See the stack of books behind me? Read all the books on painting that you can. I was self taught on faux skills, but there are many schools that teach those skills now that you may be able to take advantage of along with video instruction on the internet. Most of all...Never be afraid to paint! It is only paint! You can just paint over the wall if you do not like what you have done.

A little bit about how I did the molding in this Bathroom: In the photo where I am standing and have the molding taped out and under-painted, you can see i used a deep indigo blue. I then over glazed with a lavender gray shade. I used acrylic glaze medium. I then highlighted the raised edges with some gold paint that was probably rubbed on with a cloth. Now here is the really cool part. I went to an exotic wood store and bought a few tiny bottles of iridescent duck decoy glitter powder. If you cannot get that product then pick out a very fine glitter powder at a craft store. I choose a lavender shade and mixed some in with my final coat of poly. When the light hit the molding it had a magical glow! You can see in some of the other photos the finished molding effect. Wow I can't believe what a fabulous job of matching my dress to the room I did back then! That is a vintage dress from the sixties! Love the bubbles in the tub too!