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    Updated: Jan 24, 2023 by Kris Jarrett

    Our Budget Bathroom Remodel

    Our budget bathroom remodel is done! Over the past six weeks I’ve been remodeling our hall bathroom as part of the One Room Challenge – it’s been full of unexpected hurdles and setbacks at every turn. Well I finally made it to my finish line and I’m so excited to show you how our budget bathroom remodel turned out! (post includes affiliate links – full disclosure statement available {here})

    First, let’s throw it back to the “before”. Do you all remember what it looked like when I started? We had dated wallpaper, weird vanity bulbs, a plain Jane mirror, and carpet (gross!)…

    Powder room before

    Say hello to newly painted and stenciled walls, wood medicine cabinet, and glamorous sconces!

    Driven by Decor - Stenciled wall in Benjamin Moore Chelsea Gray

    Sources: Medicine Cabinet – no longer available but {this arched wood mirror} is similar | Pedestal sink | Sconces

    Here are some take-away tips from our budget transformation:

    Stencil the Bathroom Walls

    Stenciling the bathroom walls is what made the biggest difference!  I had NEVER stenciled before doing this room and definitely learned a lot through trial and error but am so happy with how it turned out:

    Driven by Decor - Stenciled wall with Royal Design stencil

    While it was time intensive, once I got the hang of it, it was fairly easy. And also budget friendly – while it looks like wallpaper, it cost a fraction of the price.  I painted the walls Benjamin Moore Chelsea Gray and then used {this furniture stencil} with Benjamin Moore Platinum Gray for the stenciling. For more details on the step by step of stenciling plus lots of tips, see my post on wall stencils.

    Driven by Decor - Restoration Hardware Wilshire Sconces Flanking Mirror

    Work With What You’ve Got

    Being able to do a bathroom remodel with a limitless budget would be amazing but… it’s rarely feasible. Sometimes you’ve got to think outside of the box and work with what you’ve got. Two of the awkward things to work around in our bathroom were the built-in soap and cup/toothbrush holders. I originally had some semi-elaborate plans to fix them up but then realized that my grand plan was adding up $$$ so I made the best of it. The cup/toothbrush holder turned into the perfect plant stand:

    Driven by Decor - Bathroom toothbrush holder used as plant stand

    and the soap dish fits my new HomeGoods soap dispenser like a glove!

    Driven by Decor - HomeGoods soap pump in soap dish
    We also had a junky plastic towel bar that I would have loved to replace but removing the towel bar ends would have damaged the tile beneath it:

    Towel bar before

    So instead I left the towel bar ends as-is and replaced the bar with a new chrome one. If you’ve got those annoying fixed ceramic ends on your towel bar too, I explain how to replace a towel bar with fixed ends {here}. Then I prettied it up with a gray and white striped Turkish towel:

    Driven by Decor - Turkish towel

    Add Storage With a Medicine Cabinet Mirror

    This bathroom is the one that my husband uses to shower and get ready in so some storage for all of his bathroom junk was priority #1. Originally we were planning to find a narrow furniture piece to put in the corner of the bathroom to add some storage. But since we also needed to switch out the plain builder’s grade mirror…

    mirror and lights before

    we decided to kill two birds with one stone and add a mirrored medicine cabinet instead of a plain mirror (one of my favorite bathroom mirror ideas!). The medicine cabinet has plenty of room to store all of his crapola that previously cluttered up the top of the sink (pic is from before we added the shelves to it):

    Driven by Decor - Whitby mirrored medicine cabinet

    No more heart palpitations when an unexpected guest to our home asks to use the bathroom!

    DIY Your Own Art

    The wall space above the toilet got a little makeover too:

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    Toilet area before

    I bought two Target frames and then simply added an agate slice to eat one to create my own art:

    Driven by Decor - Target frames with agate stacked over toilet

    Driven by Decor - stenciled walls in bathroom

    The top of the toilet tank even got a little bit of love:
    Driven by Decor - Accessories on Top of Toilet Tank

    Freshen Up The Look of Your Shower With a New Curtain

    And remember when I was debating between three different shower curtains? Did you guess that this was the one that I would end up with?

    Driven by Decor - Tasseled Shower Curtain

    Adding a shower curtain in front of my ugly mirrored shower doors not only made the space so much prettier but it was more budget friendly than removing the mirrored doors too!

    Paint Your Tile Floors

    And what about our carpeted bathroom floors? Underneath the carpet I found tile but… it was REALLY ugly red tile:

    "Before" of bathroom before ceramic floor tiles were painted gray. Such a huge difference!

    Replacing it would have cost big bucks so a few weeks after my One Room Challenge reveal, I painted it! It made a HUGE difference:

    A budget bathroom remodel with ceramic tile floors painted gray and walls stenciled to look like wallpaper. Bathroom includes pedestal since, wood medicine cabinet, twin sconces, and tasseled shower curtain.

    Get all the details of how I painted our bathroom’s ceramic tile floors {here}. And as an update, yes the painted tile held up REALLY well for years after!

    Here’s one last look at the complete “before” and “after”:

    Our bathroom before our makeover!

    Do painted tile floors hold up over time? All the details are in this post!

    The mirror over the sink is actually a recessed medicine cabinet - perfect for extra bathroom storage!

    Have any questions about our new space?  I’ve included a full source list for everything in our bathroom below. While this was a very budget friendly bathroom remodel, a few years later we went all out on a complete master bathroom remodel. I share ten of my best master bathroom remodel ideas {here} if you want to check it out!

    Driven by Decor Source List

    Wall Colors & Stencil: Annapakshi Indian Damask Wall Stencil – I used the 11.25″ x 15.5″ furniture stencil (c/o Royal Design Studio) | Basecoat paint: Benjamin Moore Aura Bath & Spa (Matte) in Chelsea Gray | Stencil paint:  Platinum Gray (Benjamin Moore color but mixed in Behr Premium Plus Ultra in Satin)

    Medicine Cabinet: No longer available but if you’re looking for a mirror in a similar design, check out {this arched wood mirror} | Pedestal Sink: Kohler Memoirs sink found {here} | Sconces: Crystal ball sconces

    Shower Curtain: Tassel Shower Curtain in Citrine | {this shower curtain} is similar and comes in more color options | Soap dispenser, woven basket on toilet, agate slices: HomeGoods | Gold & glass jar in basket: No longer available | Plant: Ornamental Oregano in Linen Wrapped Pot (Terrain) | Frames: Target Threshold (no longer available) but {these linen mat frames} are a pretty alternative | Tissue Box Cover: Linen Hemstich Tissue Box Cover

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    5 Secrets to Reinventing Your Home on a Budget

    Simple tips to instantly transform five rooms in your home!

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    ✉️FREE EMAIL SERIES ✉️

    5 Secrets to Reinventing Your Home on a Budget

    Simple tips to instantly transform five rooms in your home!

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