A “Dull Gray” Bathroom from 2001 Gets the Loveliest Wallpaper Makeover
ABOUT THIS BEFORE & AFTER
HOME TYPE: House
PROJECT TYPE: Bathroom
STYLE: Colorful, Cottage, Traditional
SKILL LEVEL: DIY, Professional
RENTAL FRIENDLY: No
When you move into an older builder-grade home, the home probably isn’t going to line up perfectly with your personal style, necessitating a few changes here and there. In interior designer Amy Cortell’s 2001 home, that “here” was her daughter’s aughts-era “dull gray” bathroom.
“We disliked the linoleum flooring, the dated countertops, and contractor-grade mirror,” Amy says. “The bathroom really needed some updating and more personality and durability for my daughter.” By adding some fresh paint, wallpaper, and flooring, she brought her daughter’s dream bathroom makeover to life.
Most noticeable about the new bathroom? Pops of pink.
Amy kicked off her renovation by stripping the bathroom down apart from the vanity base and removing all mouldings. She decided to give the room a bold, eye-grabbing pop of color from the top up, painting the ceiling, door, and moulding mauve (Sherwin-Williams’ Carley’s Rose.)
“I had never painted a ceiling a bold color!” Amy says. “I really took the opportunity to have fun in this space as it is my daughter’s bathroom, and she is young, bold, and vibrant!”
To complete the bathroom’s pink theme, she installed a flowery wallpaper from Livette’s Wallpaper, which she praises as “an amazing way to transform a space” on “a small budget.” “Wait for sales, use coupons, and use Google Image Search to find similar wallpapers [and] compare prices,” Amy recommends.
The floors got a tile refresh.
Next, Amy replaced the bathroom’s basic gray flooring with white tiling emblazoned with a chic diamond pattern, and removing the old flooring was the most arduous part of the bathroom makeover. “It took a lot of time removing all of the staples and glue,” Amy says. “I did not think it would take us so long, or be so labor intensive.”
Another labor-intensive step? Adding the new tiles. “I chose this flooring because I wanted something classic, and I love it, but I wish I had shopped around a bit more,” she says, adding that something larger in scale would have taken less time to install and the labor been less expensive.
“We spent about $1,500 on flooring material and install,” Amy says, and the bathroom redo in total cost about $2,000.
The vanity stayed but got a style upgrade.
One of the only things Amy liked about the space “before” was the size of the vanity (that, and the large window). She kept the base but gave the vanity an upgrade with a professionally installed, gifted quartz countertop.
Amy disliked the “contractor-grade mirror,” and she replaced it with an oval-shaped one she scored on Facebook Marketplace, completing the vignette with two sconces, a tray, a glass soap canister, and a storage container.
The DIYer recommends swapping out hardware.
If you’re looking for small ways to revitalize a space, Amy recommends switching out your hardware. She did so by replacing the bathroom’s original hardware with new drawer pulls and fun bow-shaped hooks, and by installing medallions around the room’s fresh recessed lighting. The result is a fun, youthful space that has all the personality that the bathroom once lacked.
“I love that this space has so much personality,” Amy says. “We were able to add durable and long-lasting materials in the space so that my daughter can really enjoy this bathroom for years to come!”
Inspired? Submit your own project here.
Further Reading
I Tried the 90/90 Rule and My Closet Is Now Fully Decluttered
I Just Discovered the Smartest Way to Store Paper Towels in Your Kitchen (It’s a Game-Changer!)
See How a Stager Used Paint to Transform a 1950s Living Room
