wait! don't renovate! follow these tips to makeover your bathroom on a budget
A couple of weeks ago Surf Road was hired to help a client makeover two bathrooms in her house, with a relatively limited budget. A makeover, as opposed to a renovation, means that we will not be replacing counters, cabinets, toilets, flooring, etc. We will stick to cosmetic changes like painting, new lighting, new hardware, etc.
As I started this project I realized that a lot of you would probably be interested in upgrading your own bathrooms, and may also have limited budget or time or whatever to do so! Here are the 5 things you can do over a weekend to upgrade your bathroom and make it feel fresh and new!
My Surf Road Kids Bathroom Makeover
When we first moved into our house on Surf Road 3 years ago we did a massive renovation. I gutted the first floor, and a big portion of the 2nd, but there were some areas we had to leave for budgetary reasons. One of those areas was our kids bathroom. You can't tell in this before picture, but the vanity was a cherry wood (my least favorite) and neither the mirror, shower curtain nor light fixtures were to my taste.
kids bathroom before
Surf Road's 5 Tips for a Bathroom Makeover: kids bathroom edition
New Mirrors: Oftentimes our dated bathrooms have contractor grade mirrors (you know, the huge ones that extend the width of the vanity and have no frame). Simply removing this mirror (and repairing the wall underneath, if necessary) and replacing with one or two beautifully framed options is a great way to immediately feel a difference in your bathroom.
Paint the Vanity: A dated color or wood tone on a vanity can make the whole room feel drab. I love to use Lightroom's mobile app (the pro version) to try on different paint colors on a vanity to see what will work best with the existing countertop.
New Lighting: Now that you aren't working with your ugly mirror, some elegant sconces or a delicate vanity light will not only improve what you SEE in the MIRROR (hello, good lighting is key!) but also instantly upgrade the overall look of the space.
New Hardware: I love Etsy for fun and whimsical hardware in a kids bath, and am super into the modern look of a finger pull in a grown-up bathroom. Don't worry about mixing metals with your faucet, this is totally fine!
Paint the floor: This can be tricky, but think about it - your bathroom is always walked on with bare feet, and you can (and should!) cover/protect high traffic areas with rugs/mats. Painting an old and dated tile floor can obviously do WONDERS for your bathroom, but it does take some professional equipment. Stay tuned for a guest blog post and tutorial on this subject in the coming weeks!
the reveal: kids bathroom after
What do you think?! Want to work together to make your bathroom look this transformed, without picking up a sledgehammer?! Contact me to get started today: liz@surfroad.me