Guest Bathroom Makeover

DISCLOSURE: This post is sponsored by The Home Depot

Hi guys!

You know I've been giving my sister a hand turning her builder grade bathroom into a refreshed and new space - you saw the mirrors that we worked on together and the step stool too.

Well, we finally finished it!!!  Both of us are so excited about the results!

But before we get to that, let's take a look at what this bathroom looked like before we started working on it -

Blah, boring and so .... BROWN.  The brown actually had a greenish nausea color too it.  I bet one of us was morning sick when this color was choosen!

And despite how many hours my sister spent scrubbing these floors, the bathroom just never quite looked sparkly clean and fresh.  The fading white trim and the stained grout lines couldn't be scrubbed new again.

But we got her done!  Here's what the bathroom looks like now

It's amazing what updates and DIY projects can do to a space!

In just ten totally doable steps, my sister took her bathroom from blah to beautiful!  Here's what we did:

1. Fresh wall paint.  Upadating wall with fresh paint is the oldest DIY trick in the book, and it never fails!  Try Behr Marquee in the lightest possible shade of grayish blue (we picked ours from the whites) for single coat coverage that is both durable and beautiful!

2. Renewed Grout. No matter how hard you scrub, if your grout lines, trim and silicone are stained, your bathroom will never look sparkly clean.  We found this amazing product at the Home Depot called Grout Renew.  With just a couple of hours of work, the floor looks brand new!!! Seriously best $12 you could spend!

3. Painted trim crisp white.  Nothing says brand spanking new like freshly painted white trim!  We wiped down the trim, dug any cauking out, and added a fresh coat of white trim paint.  What a huge difference it made!  Especially in this bathroom where there were these white built-ins. 

4. Removed and Replaced Caulking.  Although the trim was always clean, it never looked clean because the caulking was discolored and old - and you could see the previous wine red paint color underneath.  After repainting the trim, fresh caulking was applied over the trim.  What a difference it made in making this bathroom not just feel fresh and bright, but clean and brand new!

5. Matching hardware and lighting.  This bathroom had a mix match of hardware and lighting, and not just in different finishes, but different styles too.  We replaced the vanity light with a more simplified style that matches the nickel finish of existing hooks and faucet.  So much better!  DIY TIP: The vanity light could have also been spray painted to match for an even more economical update.

6. Lightened up the Vanity Mirror. This bathroom has now windows, so the mirrors really have to do double duty to create reflection and light.  The dark mirror frame was not only too matchy-matchy the the vanity, it also was too dark.  We spray painted the mirror white.

7. Added a linen cabinet for storage. This bathroom desperately needed hidden storage for linens, especially since there is an awkward space beside this toilet needing to be filled with something.  My sister picked this beautiful linen cabinet up from The Home Depot. DIY TIP: A DIY bookshelf would work too!

8. New linens. If your bathroom is in good shape, simply updating your linens can have a huge impact.  New towels, shower curtain and rugs made this bathroom appear brand new and beautiful for guests.

Since the shower curtain is pretty much what you see when the door is open on this bathroom, it was super important to pick the right one.  The owls were too much.  But a solid plain curtain would have been too much of one color too.  So I picked this simple large pattern to bring color without overwhelming this space. NOTE: The shower curtain was discountinued from Pottery Barn (now in stock here), so I snagged if off Ebay.

9. DIY Mirror Gallery – Towel bars just don’t work for this family bathroom used by three small children.  We added hooks for towels to dry, and removed the towel bar that was above the toilet.  To add dimension and light, we filled the space with a set of three DIY mirrors for just $10!  You can check out the tutorial here.

10. Adding Wood for Character and Texture.  My sister is a busy mom, so has to pick and choose her DIY projects and keep them small.  But I insisted she had to have at least a couple of wood projects to bring texture and function to this bathroom.  

This step stool not only brings the wood element in, it is functional and beautiful.  You can find the tutorial here.

And this tray sized just for the toilet is just 1x3s and a 1x6 for the bottom - I'll have to throw some plans together for you soon!

Of course we also added accessories like candles, towels and a floral arrangement.  Every room should have some sort of floral or natural branch arrangement, even a bathroom!

We hope you've found inspiration to update or refresh your bath from this post!

Thanks so much!

XO Ana + Family

I acknowledge that The Home Depot is partnering with me to participate in the Real Simple 2014 marketing program (the “Program”). As a part of the Program, I am receiving compensation in the form of products and services, for the purpose of promoting The Home Depot. All expressed opinions and experiences are my own words. My post complies with the Word Of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Ethics Code and applicable Federal Trade Commission guidelines.