Main bath: Phase 1 Makeover Complete

Our “Phase 1″ bathroom makeover is complete!

In case you missed it, this is what we started with:

We’d like to completely gut this room and start over, but decided to make some affordable upgrades in the meantime.

I started by swapping out the lighting, removing wallpaper, painting the walls (Behr’s ‘Silver Shadow’) and vanity (SICO’s ‘Kensington Grey’), and updating the vanity hardware. I also bought new towel hooks and stained the existing mirror. You can find more details and product sources in this post.

After my first choice of flooring proved too expensive for a ‘Phase 1′ update, I installed black and white peel and stick tiles in a diamond pattern (see more here).

I also painted the tub and tile surround using RustOleum’s Tub and Tile Refinishing Kit (I wrote about my experience here). The bright white tub and tile prompted me to repaint the walls and trim (this time in CIL’s ‘White on White’). I also replaced the rusty shower rod and finally got to hang my beloved linen shower curtain.

With all the hard work done, I did a little shopping – a new plush bath mat, new trash can, and a ladder bookshelf. The bookshelf fills the awkward space next to the toilet, adds some needed storage, disguises a plumbing access panel, AND looks pretty. I also like that it doesn’t clutter up the room like a closed shelving unit might.

My goal was to spend less than $500 updating the room, and I came in at $620 (so not bad considering the overall transformation). While it’s far from my dream bathroom, it’s bright and clean, and so much better than what we started with.

Read more at House Pretty