The ceiling hole is patched (see how I did that in a dedicated post and video) — the paint may still be drying, but for now we’re calling this room done.
This refresh wasn’t a full gut job but a series of smaller changes that added up to a noticeable improvement. At first we assumed it would be a temporary “for now” fix — all that beige tile felt like a major obstacle — but after these updates we actually like the space. We still plan to update the floor someday with hex tile, but the current upgrades make the room much more pleasant in the meantime.
Because we prefer using what we have when it makes sense, we may leave the beige wall tile as-is or have it professionally reglazed to white later on — an inexpensive option if we decide to go that route. It’s been a nice surprise to find that several modest tweaks can transform a room without major demolition.
Below are the before-and-after photos and a budget breakdown. First, the “before” shot after we’d only raised the shower curtain to ceiling height — a small trick that makes a narrow bathroom feel taller and loftier.
And here’s the room now, after planning, painting, swapping the light, hanging artwork, painting trim, updating the toilet, frosting the window for privacy, organizing shampoo storage, trimming the door, replacing a border tile, and relocating the pendant light.
Another before angle:
And the after from the same angle. Painting the walls a dark gray, brightening the trim to white, swapping the busy tree border tiles for clear glass ones, and replacing the squat almond toilet with a taller white model helped the room feel less boxed-in and dated.
Here’s an inherited shelf and towel bar that made the room feel tight:
Now that wall has DIY artwork and a centered blue pendant above the window, which opens up the visual space and adds a focused accent.
Here’s a move-in-day photo from the hall before we raised the shower curtain:
And the current view from that same angle. It’s not an entirely new room, but the small upgrades make it feel fresher, cleaner, and less beige-on-beige. Adding more white and cool-toned accents helps neutralize the pinkish-beige appearance of the original tile.
Two extra detail shots, because why not preserve the little things:
One of our favorite changes is subtle but impactful: replacing the busy border tile with clear glass “snow white” tiles. In person this swap shifted the room from feeling old to feeling crisp and new.
The clear glass tiles look white in person, though in some photos they pick up reflections and read slightly blue-green. They also make water droplets catch the light and sparkle like tiny glass beads, which is a small luxury in such a tiny space.
Here’s a shot that shows how small the room is — it’s literally about four tiles deep and three and a half tiles wide. Tiny, but surprisingly charming.
Our remaining to-do list:
paint the walls to add contrastreplace the ceiling lightpaint the trim whitehang bathroom-friendly artsell the old beige toilet and buy a taller white oneadd privacy film to the windowremove the cluttered shower caddytrim the door so a bath mat will fitreplace the border tile around the roomcenter the pendant over the window- buy a dedicated bath mat (we’re still using one borrowed from the guest bath)
- replace the floor tile and possibly reglaze the wall tile as a phase two project
Budget breakdown:
- Paint for the walls (a moody gray; we used just a quart): $16
- Blue glass pendant light from a local outlet (about $100 less than similar retail options): $80
- Hanging a painting and painting the trim (we already had the trim paint): $0
- Sold the old beige Kohler toilet for $60 and bought a taller white Glacier Bay model for $88: $28
- Frosting the window for privacy using leftover film (typical cost about $20 if purchased): $0
- Shower caddies for storage: $22
- Trimming the door so it clears a bath mat: $0
- New border tile and installation supplies: $84
- Moving the pendant so it’s centered on the window and door: $0
- TOTAL SPENT: $230
Considering you can easily spend that much on a single fixture or toilet, we’re pleased with the overall value. Taking a relaxed, week-by-week approach kept the project manageable and low-stress while still delivering a freshened-up bathroom. Have you tackled any similar updates — new toilets, border tile swaps, or wall paint changes? We’re excited to finally choose a dedicated bath mat and return the borrowed one to the guest bathroom.
To follow the whole project from the start, see the earlier planning, painting, light-swapping, artwork, toilet update, window frosting, door trimming, and border tile posts covering each step of this refresh.