When we first bought our house we worked on a ton of projects prior to moving our furniture in. One of those projects was painting. We literally painted over 21 coats of paint in about a 6 week period, but who’s counting? One of the only spaces we didn’t touch was our bathroom as it was painted a pretty neutral gray color that we could live with at the time.
After about a 6 month painting hiatus, I got the renovation itch again and decided that brightening up our bathroom would be the perfect next project. To get some inspiration I turned to Pinterest and some of my favorite interior designers’ Instagram pages. Pink hues, like rose and light peach kept catching my eye. I really loved how they paired with greens and golds and because the space was so small I went for it.
Our tiny bathroom before the remodel.
Here’s how we transformed our tiny bathroom for under $200
Peach Paint – $40
The primary element of our bathroom update was the fresh coat of paint. I initially purchased two light pink paint samples to test out on our walls and they ended up being comically close in color. However, one color had a tad bit more peach tones in it, which I loved so I went for it. The color I settled on was called “Peach Sachet” by Behr. In my typical irrational fashion, I woke up Saturday morning at 8am and painted our entire bathroom in a few hours.
Another area that got a coat of paint was the wood frame around the existing medicine cabinet mirror. It was painted the same color as the old paint color on the walls, so I opted to give it a coat of white paint using paint and materials we already had.
Wall Decor – $12
The next area that I focused on was our wall decor. Initially on the wall we had an artsy rendition of a pug that my boyfriend purchased for me for my birthday. Although I love a good piece of dog art, whether it be on a mug, wall or the like, it was time to upgrade to something a little more sophisticated. A few of our friends gasped out of shock at the pug art when they went into the bathroom for the first time, so I took that as a sign we needed an upgrade.
I searched high and low at my local Home Goods and other decor stores but I just couldn’t find anything that really fit the bill for what I was looking for. I knew I wanted to bring some emerald green and gold accents into the room and I couldn’t find any art that I really loved with those colors. Instead I opted to buy an inexpensive black frame and tried to recreate the vision I had in my head. I created a fun emerald green abstract art piece as the focal point in the room.
New Shelving – $40
The existing glass shelving in the bathroom was another thing that had to go during our update. Not only did it show every spec of water and dust, it was just generally not cute. I knew the shelf I chose to replace them had to be pretty small in order to fit next to our medicine cabinet and that I wanted gold accents, so I started my search. I Immediately found a pretty promising and cost-effective option at Target, and took a little trip to snag it from my local store. It fit perfectly over our toiled and I loved how the gold and wood tones played off the pink walls.
(Photo Credit: Target Website)
Shelving Decor – $50
Prior to the bathroom update we had a square basket above the toilet filled with toilet paper. Although functional, it just wasn’t pretty and made the walls feel like they were falling in on you. I decided that I wanted to bring some more green accents to the space, so I purchased a green vase and fake plant to add to the shelf. I also purchased a basic wood frame and left the stock photo that came with it in the frame. Adding a design element to the shelves instead of using them as storage made the world of difference.
New Towel Bar & Curtain Rod – $50
Another part of the bathroom that was in desperate need of an upgrade was the curtain rod and towel bar. The curtain rod was starting to get a bit rusty and it’s silver color didn’t go with the new style. The towel bar was equally outdated. I didn’t really want these two elements to be the focal point of the room, so I opted for matching oil rubbed bronze style fixtures to subtly bring in some of those golden accents without it being overwhelming.
New Cabinet Knobs – $3
One extremely inexpensive update that made a big impact was updating the bathroom knobs. Our house has really pretty original glass door knobs and I used them as my inspiration for the bathroom update. Since we painted the cabinets the same color as the walls, they blended in much better than before. These knobs were the perfect little elegant touch.
Upgraded Light Fixture – Free
The last element that we updated to transform our bathroom was the light fixture. This was the existing fixture in the bathroom when we moved in, and we decided against replacing it because it contained the only plug in the bathroom. The fixture was gold with 3 round bulbs and I loved the mid-century modern vibe it was bringing to the room. However, it had a really ugly wood frame surrounding it. I took off the frame to see how I’d like it without it and it looked so much better. I ended up using the pink paint and painting around the base of the fixture so that it didn’t look out of place. I just love how it looks in the space.
Overall the majority of our house has been painted in cool tones, which I love, but adding peach to the bathroom has brought a new warmth into our tiny bungalow. It’s been a paint color that has gotten better and better every time I’m in the space. This bathroom update was super affordable and completely transformed the look and feel of the space.
What’s an inexpensive home update you’ve worked on that’s made a huge impact? Let me know in the comments!
