Guest Bathroom Ideas

Obviously there was quite a bit of room for improvement from where things started with our guest bathroom…

Yep, white on white on white and a broken toilet. Yikes! The good news is that it was pretty much a blank, white slate and there was nowhere to go but up! Fast forward after a few weeks of planning, installing, and of course fixing the broken toilet and here’s what my space is looking like today:

So much better, right?! These are the guest bathroom ideas that I incorporated when making over our space:

1. Replace The Pedestal Sink with a Small Space Vanity

Most guest bathrooms are small so many have a pedestal sink. Pedestal sinks are fine for hall bathrooms where people are simply washing their hands but they leave little to no room for guests to place their toiletries. Replacing the pedestal sink with a small space vanity provides so much more space for you guests plus you gain some extra storage space with the drawers and shelves.

It also upped the style factor of our guest bathroom big-time:

My exact vanity was discontinued but {this 24″ gray vanity} that has a single hole for the faucet and {this gray vanity} that has 3 holes for a widespread faucet are the same size and have a similar look. Check out my post on small bathroom vanities for several other beautiful options.

Don’t shy away from a vanity that you love the look of but has ugly knobs or pulls because they can always be replaced. I replaced the knobs that came with my vanity with {these brass & mother-of-pearl knobs} that are a long-time favorite:

Check out my post on bathroom cabinet knobs for other beautiful options.

I also ditched the old, there-was-no-place-to-put-anything pedestal sink and ugly, dated one-piece faucet complete with a rusted drain:

and replaced it with {this gorgeous bathroom faucet}:

I LOVE the cross handles so much – it’s the perfect mix of classic, traditional styling with updated, elegant design details:

2. Add a Towel Bar or Hooks for Hand Towel Plus Bath Towels

I hung {this towel ring} next to the sink to hold a hand towel that’s out of the way instead of cluttering up the countertop. I went with the chrome finish because I wanted a timeless look and it’s typically the least expensive finish option:

I also added the matching toilet paper holder (found {here}) and towel bar (found {here}):

If you don’t have any wall space for a towel bar, consider placing two hooks on the back of the bathroom door. See my post on how high to hang your toilet paper holder, towel ring, and other bathroom hardware for more help on hardware placement.

3. Provide Extra Towels

Always make sure your guest bathroom has plenty of extra towels for your guest. You can leave a stack on the dresser in their bedroom or, if you have a vanity like mine, on the vanity shelf in their bathroom:

If you have wall space above the toilet, you could also choose to hang a train rack which combines a towel bar with a shelf for towel storage. See my post on over-the-toilet storage ideas for my favorites.

I also put out nice towels for my guests instead of giving them our old cast-offs. Check out my post on the best bath towels for info on my favorite towels at all price points.

4. Leave Extra Rolls of TP & Toiletries

No guest wants to have to ask for extra toilet paper so be sure to provide some extra rolls. It’s nice to leave a few toiletries too for guests that may have forgotten their toothpaste, shaving cream, etc. I put all of our extras in our vanity drawer and let our guests know where they are:

5. Repaint or Add Wallpaper to Freshen It Up

If your guest bathroom is looking tired and you want to freshen it up, repainting or adding wallpaper is one of the easiest ways to give it a whole new look! I added black and white cane patterned wallpaper to ours and it made such a difference:

The wallpaper was fairly pricey so it would have been too expensive to use in wallpapering a regular room. But since our guest bathroom is small and has beadboard on the bottom half, I only needed two rolls which made it doable.

While you may be concerned about using wallpaper in a bathroom with a shower due to the humidity, coating it with a clear flat varnish to protect it is key. Check out my post on wallpaper in bathrooms for all the details. If you’re repainting, I recommend using Benjamin Moore Aura paint that has a mildew-resistant finish.

6. Add Fresh Flowers to Make It Welcoming

Since we have loads of hydrangeas in our backyard, in the summer it’s super easy for me to clip a few and bring them inside to add a welcoming touch to our guest bedroom and bathroom. But you could also grab an inexpensive bouquet at the grocery store too!

On our toilet, I placed a black marble toilet tray (my exact tray is no longer available but {this tray} is a similar look & size) with a vase of hydrangeas:

and tasseled brass jar holding Q-tips and cotton balls that sits on an extra hand towel:

I also placed a few stems of small flowers in a little vase next to the sink:

The guest bathroom is also a fun room to add a few festive accessories to during the holidays:

7. Have a Large Bathroom Mirror or An Extra Mirror in the Bedroom

Most of our visitors are couples so I think it’s nice to either have a large mirror in the bathroom that both of them can use to get ready at the same time or have a second mirror in the bedroom. I’m not always a fan of wall to wall mirrors in bathrooms, but in this one it worked well and made the space seem larger than it is:

For a more decorative look, you could add wood molding around the edges of your wall-to-wall mirror to frame it out or use another of my bathroom mirror ideas.

8. Leave Your Guests a Night Light or Two

It can be hard for guests to navigate to the bathroom in the middle of the night when it’s dark and they’re unfamiliar with the space so be sure to leave them a night light or two. In our guest bathroom, we installed {this toilet seat} with a built-in night light – it’s one of my favorite guest bathroom ideas and always a topic of conversation the next day 😂.

Another option would be to put one of {these snap-in night light outlet covers} in the bathroom or right outside of it:

It’s literally a snap to install and provides a soft glowing light under the outlet without taking up either of the actual outlet sockets like a night light does.

The last change we made to our guest bathroom was to install {this beautiful (and inexpensive!) flush mount light} to replace the sad, itty bitty flush mount that was there before:

Want to see some other great flush mount light options? Check out my post on my favorite flush mount lighting. Also see my post on bathroom lighting ideas for more lighting tips for your next bathroom remodel.

Thank you as always for stopping by – I hope you found a little inspiration in today’s post! If you’re thinking about making over your own bathroom, check out my posts on bathroom remodel ideas on a budget or my post on master bathroom remodel ideas.

See you back on the blog soon,