The walls are SW Ecru; the photos don't show it well, but it made a huge difference and I really love this shade. I primed and base coated the laminate counter with SW Harmonic Tan and sponged on various acrylic paints for a faux granite look. The fabric is Waverly Indienne on the bottom and just something I found to match at Hobby Lobby for the top. The curtain rod is a bamboo pole I cut to fit, and I have another matching one for the future window valance. I've since added trim to the shower curtain and may use the same trim on the paper shades I bought at the thrift store for $1 each. I'm still considering different sconces, but these look nice for now (one needs to be rewired, hence the unlit bulb). All in all, I've only spent about $75 since I repurposed several things, like the mirrors from another bath, leftover grasscloth wallpaper and paint, etc. The faucets will be changed out for brushed nickel, which will be the biggest expense.

Before

After

Before

After

Before

During

After

As far as the details, I cleaned the counter well with a green scrubbing pad and homemade scouring powder (baking soda, borax, and salt), but any abrasive cleanser should work. I rinsed and wiped it down, then trimmed away some of the excess caulk around the sinks. I brushed on a coat of SW Adhesion Primer. It’s pretty thin and goes a very long way, so a quart should be plenty. I let it dry overnight, but that might not be necessary. In the morning, I did two coats of satin base color SW Harmonic Tan. I didn’t tape off for this, since I wanted to get really close to the wall and sinks. I let this dry for a day as well; again, that might be overkill, but I wanted to make sure everything was fully cured. I used blue painters tape along the wall and around the sinks after the base coat was set.

I bought a set of two sea sponges at Hobby Lobby; one was bigger and softer, the other smaller and a bit stiffer. I picked acrylic paints that coordinated with my fabric; I used Americana brand Raw Umber and Camel and Anita’s All Purpose brand Black, Safari Taupe, and Olive Green. I dampened the large sea sponge, dipped it in the paint on a paper plate, and smeared it around on the plate to get off the excess. I dabbed on the black first, then raw umber, and then the lighter colors. Use a light pouncing motion and don’t let it smear or it looks unrealistic.

I didn’t wait long enough for each color to set at first and it started to look a bit muddied. So I sponged the base color on very generously over the whole thing to reset the stage a bit. This worked really well, but if I had waited longer between paints, it might not have been necessary. Then again, it might be what gave me such a realistic look! I went back over with all the colors again using the smaller, stiffer sponge to break up any big blotches of color and get into the tight places. I used very little green and khaki (Safari Taupe), just little bits here and there to tie in the room colors. The black, raw umber, and Harmonic Tan base coat were really the key players. I think you could use these paints and add an accent color or two of any muted shade and make it work with other fabrics or décor.

After it all dried, I used three coats of water based polyurethane. It left some brush strokes I wasn’t thrilled with, so I may experiment with a different product or application method if there is a next time. Also, I would recommend removing the painter’s tape before the poly coat if you have a steady hand. I neglected to and the tape peeled off a bit of the poly in some places.

Well, that’s it in a nutshell. Hope that wasn’t too many details, but since I had to figure it out as I went, I wanted to share as much as possible. Here’s a close up picture so you can see the mix of colors.