Slowly but surely we are bringing our home out of 1997 and into 2017! We ALWAYS work on a tight budget (check out the rooms we've completed so far here), and we just updated our master bathroom for $300!
The biggest challenge to redoing a room on a budget is deciding what to keep and what to update. In the master bathroom we kept the tile flooring, vanity cabinet, and faucets the same. My challenge was adding color in a way that made the vanity countertop look less beige and dated. Because we didn't replace the original faucets, I matched the chrome in our new cabinet handles, light fixture, and towel hook.
Because the cabinet color is strong and dark--painted Sherwin-Williams Peppercorn (leftover from our dining room). The dark paint on the cabinets contrasts with our original countertops to make the countertops look more white/neutral-win! I wanted a soft, tranquil water-inspired color on the walls. We've used a lot of grey and dark blue in our home so far, and a bathroom seemed the perfect place to go light. On the walls we used the color Sherwin-Williams Sea Salt.
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$300 Bathroom List
Supplies
-Cabinet Paint + Primer (free: leftover from other projects), Sherwin Williams Peppercorn
-Galvanized Steel Bathroom Vanity Light
-Wall Paint + Brushes ($65), Sherwin Williams Sea Salt
-3" Chrome Bar Pulls, similar here ($35)
-Mirror Frame + Hardware ($30)--framed mirror blog post here!
-Quart of Oil Stain for Mirror Frame ($20)
Decor
-Metal St. Laurent Desk Organizer ($40)
-Stag Metal Towel Hook from Homegoods ($8)
-Set of 3 Pillar Candles ($25)
-Wall Frame+Photo (owned/repurposed)
-Wooden Bark Charger ($20)
Estimated Total: $297
Replacing the brass bar light with this Galvanized Steel Bathroom Vanity Light made a huge difference in the room, along with making a wood mirror frame.
3 tips for staging your bathroom
Whether you are updating your bathroom for yourself, or getting ready for resale. Here are a few tips for purchasing supplies:
1. Don't just shop the bathroom sections. I found our countertop organizer in the office supply section of World Market. The wood charger holding our candles came from the kitchen supply section. And I used a rug instead of a bath mat.
2. Take photos with your phone before you go. Snap a few pictures of the room with your smart phone before you head to the store. It will help you recall colors and scale, and overall what you want to accomplish in your space!
3. Add a little greenery. I threw some fresh succulents into cereal bowls on our countertop. Plants add texture and color to a space, just remember to give them the light + water they need! If you are worried you can't keep up with live plants, you can find a lot of attractive faux options in stores.
After months of having our master bathroom in pieces (DIY projects have a way of taking longer than you expect #life #busy) I am thrilled to have the bathroom back together with a lot of added character. The 1990s oak is completely gone from the space and feels much more modern.
Have you updated any of your bathrooms on a budget?
A glimpse of our DIY process
We removed the oak cabinet doors, sanded, primed and painted using this process. Then we replaced the dated bar light fixture. Husband made a wood frame for the mirror (read the tutorial for the framed mirror here!) and I said goodbye to beige with a fresh coat of Sea Salt.
2 years later-we refreshed our bathroom with new accessories & organization! More pictures here.
