A record of $51 Bathroom Makeover

The guest bath = so much cuter. That sweet little space reminds me that even small seemingly “stuck” spaces can shine with a few straightforward upgrades, like fresh paint, a new window treatment, some art, and a few mixed and matched accessories. Sometimes it is lively to embrace an old feature like vintage yellow tile (complete with a floor that looks like a scrabble board) instead of hammer-drilling it out of there. So stick a fork in this baby… for around $50, she’s a whole lot easier on the eyes.

The room has this casual Anthropologie-ish vibe now, which is not typically something I am quite good at pulling off – so all the credit goes to the items that were already there (like the original white sink and that sweet 60’s tile). And it certainly did not hurt to add some art and a few accessories to fill the voids. Here is a before shot taken from the same doorway about a week after we moved into our house:

Thank goodness the I-can-see-my-full-body-while-I am-on-the-toilet mirror is gone, eh?

It is a compact room, so please excuse my lack of diverse and all-encompassing shots. The print hanging over the toilet is simply a page I tore out of the September issue of Real Plain last year (I keep a flat tupperware box under the bed in the guest room full of “someday art” – so I sifted through it and thought the colors – and the water/fishing thing – was cute for a bathroom). The frame is from Target and came with the mat for $22.

I like how the softer white frame and art works with the deeper mirror and light fixture. Instead of competing and feeling busy, the art falls back and the charcoal mirror over the sink (which I painted Silhouette by Benjamin Moore) says “look I am the focal point.” Both of the P hand towels are from West Elm (from two distinct readers at book signings, which was such a lively surprise). And that lemon tea towel is also from someone at a signing. So glad we found a spot for them :)

Dag guest bathroom, why you gotta be so sweet? Here is where I will insert John’s terrible third grade joke about how you have to have two monogrammed P towels in a bathroom because that is where the pee pee goes. Please forgive him.

And for those requesting a shot of the shower opening, it is a crazy-tight room, so this is the best I could muster. But you can see the art that hangs across from the mirror a little better. That is simply an old fabric remnant (from U-Fab last year) that I slapped in a frame.

I like that it relates to the brighter yellow tiles in the floor as well as the pops of yellow in the guest room. And here is a shot of the bottom of the shower, so you can see how that tile lip keeps the curtain from encroaching on the sink. And because it is polyester (simply like a typical fabric shower curtain liner) we simply wash it to keep it clean. So far, so good (it is been in use for 6 months).

This is the view from the guest room, which is pleasant and tied in, thanks to everything from the blue window shade and the turkish towel on the door (do not they look cute next to the polka dot curtains?).

It is so funny how an old yellow bathroom that used to feel like “the weird room” in our house suddenly fits right in.

Here is what we did in there to snap it into shape:

• painted the walls, trim, and ceiling (we did that here)
• frosted the window for privacy (we did that here)
• made a window treatment with a bold fabric remnant (we did that here)
• painted the frame of the mirror so it stands out more
• hung some art over the toilet and across from the mirror
• went accessory glad

How you like me now, list? Yeah, that is what I thought.

And here is our budget breakdown:

• fresh white paint for the walls, ceiling, and trim (all Decorators White by Benjamin Moore): $25 (for a quart)
• paint for the mirror (Silhouette by Benjamin Moore): $0 (already owned)
• art for above the toilet: $22 (frame: Target, art: a free page torn from Real Plain)
• coral fabric art that you see in the mirror: $0 (yellow coral fabric remnant + frame we already had)
• fabric remnant for the window treatment: $4 (from U-Fab by Iman)
• frosting film for the window: $0 (already owned from other projects like this)
• hand towels, plant, bath towel, and soap: $0 (all already owned)
• TOTAL SPENT: $51 (it would likely be around $70 total if you did not already have mirror paint, hand towels, & frosting film)

And that is why I enjoy accessorizing. The end.

Psst- Wanna know where we got something in our house or what paint color we used? Simply click on this button: