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!)…
Say hello to newly painted and stenciled walls, wood medicine cabinet, and glamorous sconces!
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:
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.
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:
and the soap dish fits my new HomeGoods soap dispenser like a glove!
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:
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:
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…
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):
No more heart palpitations when an unexpected guest to our home asks to use the bathroom!
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DIY Your Own Art
The wall space above the toilet got a little makeover too:
I bought two Target frames and then simply added an agate slice to eat one to create my own art:
The top of the toilet tank even got a little bit of love:
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?
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:
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:
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”:
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 if you want to check it out!
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
Carrie - Curate & Co. says
Absolutely beautiful & probably one of my favorite ORC transformations! I LOVE the wallpaper. It’s simply stated & chic. Great transformation!
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
Thanks so much Carrie!
celine@aquahaus says
Wow!! I am so impressed. The bathroom is just beautiful, and the stenciling is just pristine. Love it. Great job.
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
Thanks!!
Frances @ Improvment List says
Love that stenciled wall. Such an improvement. Great job on the room.
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
Thanks Frances – the stenciled wall ended up better than I had hoped and for less than $50 you can’t beat the bang for the buck!
Jessica @ Dear Emmeline says
Love it all. The colors, the stencil, the curtain, the mirror. Love, love, love!
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
Thanks so much Jessica!
Albertina || Mimosa Lane says
What a huge change! I love how chic and sophisticated the bathroom is now! Beautiful!
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
Thanks so much!
Stacey says
Such a great transformation Kris! I love that stencil so much! Great job!!
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
Thanks Stacey – I’m looking forward to seeing your bar area!
Carla says
Absolutely stunning Kris, I adore it all x
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
Thank you Carla!
cassie says
i was dying to see the curtain you chose and i was so excited to see it was that one!!!!! looks AMAZING!!!!!
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
Funny story behind that – right as I was trying to figure out which shower curtain to go with, I got an email from Serena & Lily offering a $50 gift card if I took a survey. It was totally not related to my blog because I got it at my personal email address. How’s that for timing?? So with that $50 incentive, the Serena & Lily tasseled curtain it was!
Rosa Beltran says
Aha I’ve found you! I saw your fabulous stenciled wall come across my instagram feed and I thought, that girl will be a project to watch 🙂 I adore the stencil, the Chelsea Grey walls, and the way you added a warm-toned wood mirror to the mix. It’s good. I also LOVE the framed agate in this space … I thought I had grown tired of seeing them, but nope! You made it feel fresh again! Love your ORC space!
Best,
Rosa
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
Thanks Rosa – that’s high praise coming from someone who knocked their ORC out of the park like you did!
mrs. V | Chez V says
No way that is a stencil!!!! Incredible. I just love this bathroom sooo much. It is beautiful – love how the medicine cabinet finally worked out and it looks great paired with the colors in the room. Great styling – the framed agates are perfection! YAY!!!! Congratulations!
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
Thanks so much – I really appreciate it! The medicine cabinet is my favorite part because I was sooo sick of the toiletries littering that sink!
Jennifer Smith says
This is a gorgeous transformation. How does your husband like his new bathroom? The stencil and wall color look perfect. I love the medicine cabinet. I know it was high maintenance, but so nice.
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
Thanks Jennifer! My husband was a little leary when I showed him the stencil that I was using but he ended up really liking how it turned out. Surprisingly, he even went with the flow with the tasseled shower curtain :). It’s our powder room too so I didn’t want to make it too masculine.
Kim@ The Green Room Interiors says
Amazing job Kris! The walls turned out so beautiful and I’m just crazy about those framed agates. Perfect choices!
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
Thanks Kim – it was a last minute “I have no art” solution that I thought would just be temporary until I found some “real” art but I think it’s staying!
Tracy Laverty says
Stunning Kris! You must be thrilled how it turned out! I love the shower curtain you got and your stencil job is gorgeous. Super classy!
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
Thanks Tracy – I’m really happy with it and just crossing my fingers that the floor painting doesn’t end in a big disaster so that I can cross of this room as officially done!
Jodie @ Sypsie Designs says
I cannot believe the before and afters on this room! Everything from the stencil to that amazing medicine cabinet and the framed agate stones are just amazing. I love it all!!
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
Thanks so much Jodie!
Cheryl @ Artzzle says
Wonderful. I especially like all the textures: woods, greens, metals, fabrics … such a beautiful mix!
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
Thanks so much Cheryl – there weren’t all that many things going into this room so I tried to mix up the textures and finishes on the ones that were!
Carrie says
Hip hip hooray! You picked my favorite shower curtain!! The stencil looks so amazing!! Everything is just gorgeous! Way to go, Kris! 🙂
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
Thanks Carrie – I wasn’t sure if my husband would go with the tasseled curtain but surprisingly he gave it the thumbs up!