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DIYer Ava Russo and her fiancé Danny transformed their all-white rental bathroom in three weeks using Sherwin-Williams’ Dark Auburn paint and peel-and-stick wallpaper. By keeping the existing clawfoot tub, tile, and vanity, they achieved a dark, moody ‘5-star hotel’ look on a limited budget.
A DIY bathroom renovation that deliberately defied the conventional advice to paint small, dark rooms in light colors has been featured by Apartment Therapy, with its owner saying the deep auburn walls make the space feel like “a luxurious, 5-star hotel.” DIYer and influencer Ava Russo and her fiancé Danny transformed a plain all-white bathroom over roughly three weeks, keeping the existing clawfoot tub, tile floor, and vanity to stay within budget.
The couple’s goal, according to Russo, was to create “a dark, moody bathroom with a lot of character and personality to make it more of an experience than just a bathroom.” The bathroom lacked natural light and personality, but it had features worth keeping: a clawfoot tub, a marble-top vanity, and hexagonal tile flooring. Rather than replacing them, the couple worked around them.
The main changes were surface-level and rental-friendly. The couple installed peel-and-stick wallpaper as a dramatic wall feature, added wainscoting, and painted the beadboard panels, chair rail, and window trim in Sherwin-Williams’ “Dark Auburn” to complement the wallpaper. The vanity base was painted in Sherwin-Williams’ “Cocoon,” silver fixtures were swapped for gold and brass, the overhead lighting was replaced, and a leaded-glass-style window film replaced the existing film.
Some elements involved more than paint. The clawfoot tub was resurfaced and re-plumbed, with a new faucet installed — a step Russo described as a learning curve, along with the peel-and-stick wallpaper, which she found surprisingly harder to apply than traditional wallpaper. “I’m a perfectionist, so I felt the need to rip it off and redo it anytime it wasn’t perfect,” she told Apartment Therapy. “But towards the end, you realize that the imperfections are what make the project unique.”
Why Dark Paint in Small Bathrooms Matters
The project speaks to a growing appetite for bold, dark color schemes in small spaces, pushing back on the long-standing design rule that compact, light-starved rooms should be painted white or pale tones. Russo explicitly rejects that guidance: “They always say ‘make a small, dark room a lighter color to make it feel larger’ and I feel the opposite is true,” she said.
The makeover is also a case study in budget-conscious renovation. By preserving the tub, tile — which Russo acknowledged is “not in perfect condition” — and vanity, the couple achieved what she describes as a dramatic transformation without replacing major fixtures. The approach is flagged as rental-friendly, meaning much of it relies on removable or reversible materials like peel-and-stick wallpaper and window film rather than permanent construction.
For readers weighing a first renovation, the story also offers a candid lesson about pacing: Russo said rushing the three-week timeline caused her to skip painting the ceiling, a step she now wishes she had taken.
The Couple’s First Big Home Project
The bathroom was Ava and Danny’s first major home project together. According to Apartment Therapy’s associate editor LJ Smelker, who wrote the feature, the couple wanted to introduce dark academia and Victorian details into a room they felt lacked both personality and natural light.
Planning took longer than expected. Russo said she needed time to identify what to keep — the tub, to “match the vibes” she wanted — and what to change, including the lighting, fixtures, and wall treatment. The finished look pairs warm, saturated color with the existing period-style elements of the room.
“The goal was to have a dark, moody bathroom with a lot of character and personality to make it more of an experience than just a bathroom. I wanted people to feel like they were at a hotel or somewhere luxurious.”
— Ava Russo, DIYer and influencer
Costs and Details Not Disclosed
The report does not state the total cost of the renovation, only that keeping existing features avoided exceeding the couple’s budget. The bathroom’s location and the couple’s specific rental arrangement are also not detailed, so it is unclear how the tub resurfacing and plumbing swap were handled under rental conditions.
Additionally, the “controversial” framing of the dark red palette reflects design-debate framing in the piece itself; no independent design professionals are cited, and the assessment that the room feels like a five-star hotel is the owner’s own characterization rather than an expert evaluation.
Lessons Carried Into Future Projects
Russo says her favorite element remains the deep auburn paint because “it complements the wallpaper so well and adds the perfect amount of depth.” Her one regret — not painting the ceiling — suggests a possible future touch-up. Readers attempting similar work should note that projects involving plumbing and electrical changes, like swapping a tub faucet or replacing overhead lighting, may require a licensed professional depending on local codes, and any fixture replacement should be done with the water supply shut off.
Key Questions
What color was used in the bathroom makeover?
The beadboard, chair rail, and window trim were painted in Sherwin-Williams’ “Dark Auburn,” and the vanity base was painted in Sherwin-Williams’ “Cocoon.” The walls feature peel-and-stick wallpaper chosen to complement the dark palette.
How long did the renovation take?
The couple completed the project in about three weeks, a pace Russo said she regrets because hurrying led them to skip painting the ceiling.
Is this makeover rental-friendly?
Apartment Therapy categorizes it as rental-friendly, largely because it relies on reversible materials like peel-and-stick wallpaper and window film. However, some steps — tub resurfacing, plumbing replacement, and lighting swaps — are more permanent and would typically require landlord approval or a licensed professional.
What existing features did the couple keep?
They kept the clawfoot tub (resurfaced with new plumbing), the hexagonal tile floor, and the marble-top vanity (its base repainted). Keeping these fixtures helped control costs.
Why is dark paint in a small bathroom considered controversial?
Conventional design advice holds that small, poorly lit rooms should be painted light colors to appear larger. Russo disagrees, arguing the opposite is true, and the finished room is her evidence — though this is her own assessment, not an expert verdict.
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