For the love of gold!

Sometimes I need to take a break from glass to attend to a spot of house maintenance, this week I finally made myself tackle the moldy peeling bathroom. I knew it wouldn't be an easy lick of paint, I live in an early 30's house which appears to be made of shortbread and spots of lath and plaster covered in suspicious shiny paint repelling paint. I needed to do a lot of preparation, including floor removal and a basin splash back replacement, to better compliment the shower tiles I installed when I moved in, using leftover slate from a building side I worked on briefly.

I've had swatches of paint on the walls for months, and ever since my mum sent me a photo of the bathroom at Eltham Palace I've had a sneaking desire for a gold bathroom. I didn't think I could get away with an entire gold room, but I decided to go for it on the ceiling. I wanted rich sparkling gold, I tried a few interior wall paints but they looked a little flat for my fantasy. I have been painting my Seafire Design show display furniture in a luxurious gold with excellent coverage, so I decided to bite the bullet, break the bank, and go for it with a pot of Guild Lane's gold acrylic gilding enamel.

I got the 125ml tin for £50, yes, I know that sounds a lot for little, but this paint is exceptional, I painted my entire ceiling (almost 4m square) and had leftovers! One coat covered beautifully, you can see the previous brush strokes, which I like, but there weren't any see through patches or blotches. I don't have good extraction in the room and we are a family of bath lovers so I did an overcoat of polyvine satin multi-surface lacquer, which doesn't change the appearance of the gold, but I hope it will protect it from the steam.

The walls are a Little Greene paint. I have a big type tray full of tiny things, including many glass oddities to hang, a fabulous ornate mirror, and a few other things to go back on the walls, so I'm happy with the fresh soft grey to display them on.

I wasn't sure about the gold until I'd finished the entire ceiling, but I do love it now, and can't wait to finish the floor and put the room back together, but that'll have to fit around glass and the small one next week, tiddly-pom!

I am not sponsored by Guild Lane, Polyvine or Little Greene, they're just products I use and like.