A dated master bathroom gets a quick and inexpensive modern refresh using paint, wallpaper, sheet vinyl, and hardware.
This post is sponsored by Better Homes & Gardens at Walmart.
Refresh, perk up, tweak… whatever you wanna call it, the master bathroom got a teeny tiny little style change-up last week. And we now have a more cohesive master en suite! (That sounds way super fancy for a girl who lives in yoga pants and paint splattered T-shirts 24/7.)
If you’ve been around these parts a while, you might remember our master bathroom that looked like this a couple of years ago.
The Vanity
Before
And then we pulled out a few quick and inexpensive tricks like painted the walls and cabinets, put sheet vinyl over the old tile, took down the worn our mirror and busted light.
We have big plans to fully gut and renovate this master bathroom one day, but what we once thought was only a year or two away, we realize now, it might be much longer than that. But that doesn’t mean you have to live with a space you dislike.
It was a night and day difference!
Phase 1
But theeeeeeeennnn… after we wrapped up the master bedroom makeover a couple of months ago, I kept staring at this bathroom thinking it didn’t really flow with our more modernized bedroom. (If you give a mouse a cookie…)
So we gave it a quick 2-day tweak. (Because that’s what isolation will do to ya after a while. You start ALL the project tweaking, apparently. Haha!)
Wanna play a game of spot the difference?
Phase 2
It looks just slightly less coastal/farmhouse and a little more modern & sleek to flow with our modernized master bedroom right beside it.
With a few panels of peel & stick wallpaper in a contemporary pattern and a hardware swap later, we were officially perked.
Better Homes & Gardens just released 3 new hardware collections at Walmart, and since we hadn’t fully replaced all of the hardware in here from the 80s/90s the first time, this was the perfect quickie project to change it out for more modern pieces from the Chandler line.
So we did this…
The Art
Before
Remember this corner?
I had hung up these thrifted frames I spray painted and filled with freebie coastal art printables. But it started to feel a little cluttered to me lately.
Anyone else craving simplicity these days or is it just me?
Phase 1
So I took down the corner gallery wall and put up this DIY leaf silhouette art and large artwork instead to make it feel slightly more modern and pared down.
Phase 2
The old shower door is still hanging in there until the eventual gut job.
The Shower
Before
But hanging up these curtain panels help soften it.
Phase 2
Hooks
We replaced the old hooks with these Chandler hooks since there’s really not enough wall space in this bathroom for a towel bar.
Even though we only did minor changes, the vanity feels more sleek now too.
Light
The previous two-light wall sconce wasn’t as bright as we wanted it to be, so this three-light vanity sconce solved that issue for us.
The tilt mirrors are so much better for when I’m putting on makeup or when Robert is shaving too.
Cabinets
The cabinet paint needed a touch-up and we replaced the pulls with these chrome ones to match the other hardware.
Faucets
And we fiiiiinally replaced the 80s-ish faucets with these chrome faucets that have been a nice upgrade.
Linens
For the little cherry on top, I picked up a new set of my favorite towels that stay thick and plush after lots of washes. I’ve been buying these for yeeeaaaars and always buy white for towels and sheets because they’re easy to bleach and just seem more clean than colored towels to me.
It feels like a fancy little spa in here now.
gm
I keep wondering if we should go ahead and paint the countertop and sinks in here like we once did in the girls’ bathroom refresh back in the day too. But with staying home currently, I wasn’t sure we could handle the fumes.
Maybe that’ll be the final tweak, who knows. 😉 Should we?!
You can find the sources we used in this bathroom here:
- Wall color: Benjamin Moore White Dove
- Cabinet color : custom match
- Mirrors
- Faucets
- Light Fixture
- Towel Ring
- Towel Hooks
- Toilet Paper Holder
- Drawer Pulls
- Towel Set
- Curtain Panels
- Soap Dispenser
- Soap Dish
- Bamboo Tray
- Vase
- Small Canister
- Large Canister
- Basket
So there we go. We’re done now, I hope.
That is until we can take a sledgehammer to the shower and rip out the janky cabinets. I’m still pinning pretty bathrooms to my heart’s content for when that day comes.
This little bathroom is just proof though… you don’t have to spend thousands to create a space you love. Your home should make you feel uplifted and inspired, even if it means working around what you already have… and even if it means not getting it just right the first time. 😉
If you’d like to save this post for later, you can pin it here:
Lovely! Could you please provide a source link for the peel and stick wallpaper?
It’s Target!
I so admire your vision. I love the two stage transition, and I love that your husband helps you do all this. That’s soooo half the battle. Ha. I applaud you both. Bathrooms get neglected, I think. Even though they are necessary, as long as everything is in working order and clean they are easy to forget since…life. Other things demanding our attention. But like every remodel/redecorate project I’ve taken on over the years, something will have to get to me for quite awhile before I devote the time to think through everything I want to do about it. I tend to overthink things, and my vision takes a while to come together piece by piece. Of course seeing photos of a finished project makes it look like….voila!…it all happened overnight. And I know in reality it took a lot longer than the two days you mentioned to work ‘it’ all out ahead of time before you started in earnest. I just can’t say enough about how inspirational I find your projects! Warmest wishes and blessing for you and yours in these unprecedented times.
Pop up to join your community covers part of your text and I can’t close it out. The little x is under the edge where you can scroll up and down and won’t let me click on the x. hard to read your text or see your pictures — except parts of them. Using Safari on a MacBook
Love it!!!! It’s just what that bathroom needed 🙂 Did I miss the link to the stick-on wallpaper you used? Love that!!
I really think you’ve done an awesome job without breaking the bank. I personally would not bother with the countertop…but if it was mine to do anything with, it would be to paint the vanity and cabinet the same color as your bedroom wall. That would make the 2 rooms pop, bringing them together. But I really applaud you for all the work you do to make your home a special place.
Love the light fixture and the peel and stick wallpaper. Where did you find those?
Where is the tall cabinet from?
Home Depot. Here is the link.
I would not paint the countertops. Think they look just fine the way they are with your new and delightful Phase 2!
It looks great! Do you feel an urge to repaint your cabinets? Just wondering:) Also can you give us the wallpaper source?
Could u please share the wallpaper details?
It’s from Target!
Kudos to you both….great job done….link for peel and stick wallpaper?
It’s from Target!
You did an amazing job, Lauren!
This is just so amazing! We’re towards the end of our new build and I must ask you about your tilt mirror. I clean every single day (happy obsession Ü) and was afraid the mirror would be to loose and move around while wiping down. Can you adjust the tension on the tilting brackets? Thanks so much! I love everything you’ve done ♥
Looks great to me!!!
Thank you!
This is great! And very timely for me – I’m trying to inexpensively update the master bath in the 20-year old house we just bought. Where did you find your peel and stick wallpaper? And was your wall textured? Thank you !!
It’s from Target! And no, our walls aren’t really textured.
Love it! What a great tweak. I was half way expecting to see the cabinet black like the walls 😀. And yep, go ahead and paint that counter.
I love your refresh! I have been looking for ideas for my own bathroom remodel and I like your light fixture, only I wasn’t able to get to a “site” to order?
Wondering about the wallpaper also.
Target!
I also love it and need the wallpaper hook up!
Yesss to craving more simple lately! I feel like I’m redoing little things to so many of the rooms I’ve already done; along with decluttering. Gorgeous as always Lauren! I love how BHG has stepped up their game recently.
I know, right?!
Love!! It looks so sophisticated now! Was it difficult to remove the original mirror? I want to replace the mirror in our powder room, but I’m afraid it’s glued to the wall. This makeover has brought me hope that the mirror can be removed.
Love the quick makeover. I like that you didn’t have to spend a fortune. I’ve never seen the sheet vinyl that looks like that. Also, clever idea to cover the shower door with the wood and fabric. This bathroom can last you 10 years this way.
Where did you get the wallpaper?
Target!
Isn’t it funny how changing one space is like dominoes and you have to also do the adjoining space!!! This is a great post showing how you can have a dramatic transformation without a gut job:)
Love it all! I concur that we need the wallpaper link!
It’s from Target!
I love it.Did you bust out the old floor tile to put in the new?
Nope! It’s sheet vinyl laid right on top. I did a whole post on that process!
It’s lovely but why didn’t you paint the cabinets the same color as your black bedroom wall? That would have been more cohesive, modern and striking. I love your bedroom. Your creativity is so inspiring. I am tired of farmhouse and love your new modern approach to decorating without breaking the bank.
I love the large art work in the bath. I made your other large art piece which turned out great! Do you happen to have a source for this one?
Love what you have done with the tweak! Check out what Tracey at Tracey’s Fancy did to her laundry room countertop for an idea if you decide to do something with your countertop. It’s amazing.
https://traceysfancy.com/epoxy-countertop/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=see_what_we_did_to_our_laundry_countertops_and_if_your_outdoor_space_needs_a_little_love_ive_got_an_idea_for_you&utm_term=2020-05-19
Lauren, I love your refresh! Especially the mirror change. I need a tilt mirror!! I went and checked them out and was expecting them to be way expensive, but I was pleasantly surprised. They were out of stock though, but we are putting in a new vanity and this would be perfect so I will keep it in mind. Thanks. Also love the simple upgrade of the artwork. Some of my things are making me feel too cluttered too so I know what you mean by that.
These this master bathroom ideas are really useful. Sometimes I rearrange my stuff to refresh the look of my bathroom. Decluttering is also a great thing.
Beautiful transformation. Love the large scale artwork. Can you source it? If those are fiddle leaf fig stems in your vase, do you know where you bought them? I enjoy following your blog and thanks for sharing!
I am new to your site and enjoying it. Thank you. I have an idea for our guest Bathroom room in a 27 year old house we just bought. I am changing out the faucet, towel bars etc to black. I have already painted the cabinets gray, so pretty. Now for the gold shower door trim. I read gold is returning & suggestions are to mix the blacks, chromes & gold – I like this idea as my mirror is edged in gold too.
Here is my thought but not sure how to make it happen. Instead of painting the trim solid black or gray, I would like to brush stroke some black over the gold allowing some gold to show through then possibly a little gray in places over that to soften the look. Because I want the gold to show I can’t sandpaper it nor do a primer. It will only be on the outside of the door and possibly only on the largest panels, I will decide as I go. This way my mirror can remain gold and some of the shower door. I think it can look modern (my style) and artistic. I can see it in my head now to make it happen. 😁
Do you have thoughts on how to achieve this because I can’t sand and primer? Thanks for any help you can give.
Charlene
This sounds like a GREAT question for our free community on Facebook! You can post pictures in there and get tons of feedback quick! You should come join us, all the cool kids are doing it 😉
We’re redoing our baths also. Had new floors last year put in. We’ve ordered vanities and sink tops. Plus a new shower for master bath. We have those big mirrors behind our vanities too. Yuck. Want to remove them and replace with oval mirrors. But I’ve been told they are probably glued on . Was your a mess when your removed yours?
It is a process to remove mirrors. There are tutorials out there to follow. BUT, the work is worth it when you have pretty mirrors in your space. 🙂