Guest Bath Refresh: From Drab to Fab

Stick a fork in it. It’s done. It’s finished. The guest bathroom refresh is complete.

It took a little longer than expected, but it was worth every penny, every second, and every sore muscle.

I can never remember why I do these big updates all at once in the thick of it. But once it’s complete, it’s all worth it.

My hope is to break the details down into several blog posts. In the meantime, let’s stare at the loveliness and talk high level about all the changes.

The only things I didn’t physically touch were the ceiling and the physical tub/shower surround. Otherwise, it was painted, swapped out, or hung. It took 4 solid days plus the cracks of two weekdays to make the magic happen. Let’s start from the beginning.

Before

There was nothing in this bathroom that I liked. The boring beige on the walls runs rampant throughout the upper level of my very basic builder-grade home.

The absolutely worst part of this whole room was the floor. While I’m sure that vinyl was laid down with the intent of it feeling like Tuscany in 2004, in 2021, we might as well not even be on the same planet with Tuscany. My sad little shower curtain and rug were left over from my brief stint in an apartment during my divorce, but they got the job done until I set aside the time to focus on the room.

The stock cabinets, the unframed mirror, and the outdated vanity light all had seen better days and longed for some adventure.

All in all, she was functional but not lovely.

After!!

I’m not sure I really saw the potential in her. Truth be told, the intent of this refresh was to tide me over until I could afford a complete gut job, but looking at her now, all she needed was a little attention, some new clothes, updated make-up, and some stunning gold jewelry.

A pop of color on the vanity, new cabinet hardware, new vanity light, faucet, and a DIY gold mirror were just the things this space needed. I’ve been so in love with gold home accents lately, but honestly, the biggest impact here (and maybe in the whole room) was the addition of that gold mirror frame. It completely changed the look!

I wanted the room to have presence but, more importantly, I wanted to draw attention away (far…far…far, far, far away) from the eye sore of that shower surround.

First, painting the wall above the surround in a similar color made it almost disappear.

Second, the curtains hung high and wide - as I’ve been taught by the The Nester in her Cozy Minimalist Community - makes the space instantly cozy and grand.

Third, it helps to have a fun wall treatment and a stenciled patterned floor to divert your attention as well.

Can we talk about my obsession with board & batten? I’ve recently installed it in my guest bedroom, powder room, on my breakfast bar, and now in the guest bathroom. Joanna Gaines can have her shiplap. Board & batten has my heart. It’s simple, timeless, inexpensive, and easy to install. Just add some hooks (because every single room in your house has a need for hooks) and it is functional and fabulous. It will make more appearances in the rest of the house. Promise.

Oh, by the way, those hooks were silver, but with the help of a little gold spray paint, now match all the other finishes beautifully.

That about does it. Isn’t she lovely?