Budget Bathroom Makeover Reveal
Hold on to your hats, people. The budget bathroom makeover is complete. Yes, I’ve drawn this project out over almost two months and you’ve kindly stuck with me every step of the way.
Before we get to the good stuff, allow me to remind you of my predicament. Our first floor bath is spacious and comfortable, but it was treated with a coat of sunny yellow paint before we moved in and featured an orangey oak vanity…not our favorites. Our long term plan is to replace the vanity with double sinks and tile the floor, but that project isn’t a priority any time soon. So, I set out to makeover our bathroom in the meantime by keeping things simple and cheap and making the room tile-and-vanity-ready for when the time comes.
Ready for the before and afters? Here is the bathroom before…
…and after!
Here’s another view of the before…
…and after!
And here’s another after of the orangey-oak cover up…
Are you all breathing a sigh of relief along with me? If so, let’s get into some of the details.
The first bathroom projects of paint, shower curtain and window treatment had a very modern feel. Wanting to balance the room out with some more traditional touches, I added a mirrored sconce, a DIY towel rack, a stool and the white statue on the vanity, all with curvy lines.
The neutral bathmats also have a very traditional feel, and give the eyes a little break from a solid white floor. (Can I also mention that I returned 3 sets of bathmats before gaining Chris’ approval and settling on these!)
Some bright pops of mustard yellow in the towels, DIY tissue box cover and vase, along with warm blue tones in the stool and washcloths really add some warmth to the room.
So, you might be wondering how budget-friendly this budget makeover was. Well, here is the breakdown:
- Wall paint (Behr Ultra in Pensive Sky) and painting supplies (from Home Depot): $32
- Amy Butler Fabric (Wood Fern in Eggshell) for curtains: $25
- White fabric for shower curtain (a bed sheet from Goodwill): $3
- Fabric shower curtain liner (from Wal-Mart): $15
- Bamboo matchstick shade (from Lowe’s): $12
- Hardware for curtains and shower curtain (from Lowe’s): $9
- Vanity paint (on hand from another project): FREE!
- Basket, sconce, statue (taken from other rooms): FREE!
- DIY tissue box cover (fabric from previous projects): FREE!
- DIY towel rack: $32
- Toilet paper holder (from Bed, Bath & Beyond): $25
- Stool (from Goodwill) and spray paint: $8
- Bathmats (from Home Goods): $26
- Accessories (from Home Goods and Goodwill): $15
Grand Total: $202
Not too shabby considering that the room is all set for many years and will be easily adaptable for tile and a new vanity, mirror and light fixture later down the line! My favorite changes so far are the removal of those shutters and the towel bar beneath the window (talk about non-functional) and the addition of the towel rack and stool.
So, now I want to know what you think! Do you think the details distract enough from the eyesore of a vanity and mirror? Do you like the dark blue and mustard yellow as accent colors? Have I successfully melded traditional and modern to make one cohesive room? Let’s hear what you have to say…
Great post ,just saw it on Twitter.You get on the front page of digg today or something? Your site is loading like I’m on 56K
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Erin Reply:
March 29th, 2010 at 7:07 am
Adine,
Thanks so much! Glad that you stopped over from Twitter. Sorry that the site is loading slowly…anyone else out there having the same problem??
xo,
- e
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Wow! You really brightened it up with all the white and beautiful color. It looks AMAZING! I feel renewed that I can do the same with my living room now.
Jessica
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I think you have done a great transformation! I really like the fabric for the window and the mirror. Oh and I love the bath rugs.
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Beautiful – so much lighter and prettier! I am really loving the yellow + blue/grey combo!
And I love that your husband is concerned about bath rugs – mine totally is! I like that he has an opinion to share, but sometimes (like when I’m on my fourth option) it drives me insane.
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WOW—what a difference! It looks more fresh and clean. And the fact that you did it for next to nothing has me impressed! Great job!
Jericho
http://www.sellhousefast.co.uk
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That looks great. It’s the simple touches that can add the most dramatic effects!
Wonderful job.
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Isn’t it amazing what a difference a few coats of paint can make? I like how you paid homage to the yellow walls with some sunny yellow accessories. Now the room is both relaxing and cheerful, but not sugar-high excited.
The Amy Butler fabric is so pretty!
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Erin Reply:
March 29th, 2010 at 3:35 pm
Hi Laura,
I’m so glad you pointed out the yellow accessories! I happened to have one of my old yellow towels hanging in the bathroom during the painting process and I thought, “hey, that color actually works here!” So, I went with it, which saved me from having to buy new coordinating towels!
xo,
- e
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It looks so pretty! And, what awesome bang for your buck. Great work.
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You’ve done a beautiful job. Everything looks so fresh and pretty. Love all the little touches you’ve added. And isn’t it the best thing when you get rid of those useless towel bars?
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Hi Erin – remember me haha!! Well, I’ve not commented for what seems like eons because I got into SERIOUS trouble at work for accessing sites during working hours. I was stupid I know but boredom kicked in a couple of times and I just went on during working hours. Unfortunately it was a female colleague who told on me!!! I love your bathroom but – and don’t take this the wrong way – I’m not sure if the curtains work. Personally I wouldn’t have them in a bathroom as I think the blind is enough coverage however I do understand it’s only a personal opinion.
Love the colours – nice and sunny – cheers the heart up.
P.S. I’m off sick at the moment so can access internet ANY time.
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Erin Reply:
March 30th, 2010 at 9:18 pm
Janis,
Oh my goodness; what a predicament! We’ve missed you on the comments, but we certainly understand! Thanks for chiming in!
xo,
- e
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I love all your little unique touches….the towels in the bowel and the towel rack. The curtain fabric is just lovely.
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What a great transformation! Love the painted cabinets… hubby and I want to redo out kitchen and bath ones as well. Love the colors you chose!
~ Emily N. from “too Blessed to Stress”
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I LOVE that fabric and the way they go all the way to the floor. The bathroom looks lovely!
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Love it! You transformed it for such little money and I too love the yellow (and the lack of honey oak of course)!
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Love it – its so hard to pick a favorite element, but I’m going with the towel rack. The curtains are great too! And for $202, not too shabby!
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Wow, this look fantastic! You did an amazing job of working with the bones of the room to create a beautiful space
. Oh, and you can’t beat that budget!
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It’s so lovely and fresh! Beautiful sconce!
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I love this bathroom makeover! I have only recently started looking at design blogs and I’m so inspired!! I’ve been doing little things around my house lately, but I haven’t gotten around to everything yet. Keeping within a reasonable budget is something I love to see – great job!
5reasons2save(dot)com
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I have a bathroom that needs a makeover too!!! Such a transformation!! And what a great price!! Have you thought of making a simple cabinet for your toliet paper? Something small but would fit a whole package. If you have any left over fabric you could use that as a drape for the front.
I love the towel rack! Such a great idea! I hope you don’t mind if I use that! 
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Erin Reply:
April 20th, 2010 at 9:54 pm
Hi Sarah!
Thanks for checking out the bathroom reveal. I actually have a huge closet in the room where I could store the toilet paper, but I actually like having it out as somewhat of a decor item–call me crazy!
And absolutely you should use the towel rack idea. It was actually easy!
xo,
- e
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Very nice! I have a lot of the same problems in my master bath. You have given me great ideas!!! Love the colors!
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Looks great and so nice to make the changes on a budget! I really like the towel rack.
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I really love your curtains and towel rack! Great changes!
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It’s beautiful and looks so spacious too! We painted out kitchen cabinets from dark brown to a bright white and I love it! It’s so easy and makes a HUGE difference!
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