I absolutely love the way this bathroom refresh project turned out. However, it didn’t always look this great.
The before…
This 7 foot x 7 foot space felt every bit of small and dark. To be honest, I’d neglected this room for quite a while because my kids were little and time just wasn’t on my side.
Now that they’ve gotten a bit older and I’d grown tired of looking at this ugliness, I devised a design plan to update this space.
First, I decided on what would be updated in the room. I knew the fixed elements would stay (i.e., layout, plumbing, tile, tub, and vanity). Because of this, I knew most of my design would involve decorative accessories and soft finishes.
My budget for the space was $4k; and I needed to make sure each dollar was spent wisely. So I decided to go custom with the shower curtain and window treatment; allowing them to be the main stars of the room.
I also wanted to “finish” off the space and add some architectural detail with crown molding. Painting the room and vanity to give it a more light and bright feeling was also on the list. Throw in a bit of accessories and styling, and I was ready to select pieces for the design.
I always start any new design plan with a textile. In this case, it was the Schumacher Antelopes fabric for the window treatment. I love the vibrant colors and dose of whimsy. I knew everything else would be designed around this gorgeousness.
I wanted to pull out some of the blues and yellows from the fabric. Initially, I couldn’t decide on whether blue or green would work best for the vanity. However; in the end I decided on a perfect green shade from Sherwin Williams. I also found some cute marble and brass cabinet hardware that would add a nice contrast against the pop of green! I decided I’d layer in the blue with accessories.
Next, I chose the fabric and trim for the custom shower curtain. I knew I wanted a cotton/linen blend white fabric. I also wanted to incorporate a fun green trim to reiterate the color scheme. Once the main investment pieces were out of the way, I narrowed down the accessories like lighting, artwork, area rug and counter top decor.
The After
The room feels so much bigger thanks to the neutral, soft and airy paint tones. I selected Sherwin Williams Creamy for the walls and Sherwin Williams Pure White for the trim. I think the contrast of these two colors are subtle and complement each other well.
Of course, the stars of this refresh is the custom window treatment and shower curtain. I really wanted to add something unique and special since nothing from the fixed elements really stood out. Mission accomplished!
If you haven’t noticed, the custom shower curtain rod is ceiling mounted. This is a great trick to use in making a small space appear bigger. Mounting it to the ceiling causes the eyes to look up; thus creating an illusion of height and depth.
I mixed metals here and totally love it. Since I’d used brushed nickel for the current plumbing fixtures, I decided to spice things up with antique brass for the light fixture, shower curtain rod and hand towel bar. There’s a method to doing this that I swear by; I’ll right a blog post on it soon!
The brass fixtures adds warmth against the cool green, and coordinates nicely with the yellow in the window treatment fabric. Another element that adds warmth are the wood tone frames for the artwork. The artwork is so cute and fun; you can never go wrong with toilet paper and toothpaste art for a kid’s bathroom.
Finally, rounding everything out is a little bit of texture and greenery with the orchid. My love for blue and white ceramics is obsessive; I incorporate it in every design if possible. This blue and white potted orchid was perfect for the space.
This was such a fun project, although there were many snafus along the way (back ordered items and delays with my workroom). In all, my mini clients are happy to have a “big kid” bathroom and I’m pleased to have a space the kids can transition in over time that doesn’t look horrible.
I came in under budget at $3,502.80. Below is a breakdown to give you an idea of where each dollar was spent.
Be sure to check out my Full Service Decorating services if you have a space in your home that needs to be refreshed.
Kids Bathroom Refresh Budget Breakdown:
Paint bathroom/install crown molding =$780.00
Vanity hardware =$38.12
Light fixture =$250.92
Drapery hardware =$92.43
Fabric for window treatment (1 1/2 yds) =$235.39
Fabric trim for shower curtain (6 yds) = $184.39
Fabric for shower curtain (7 yds) =$246.98
Window/shower curtain labor and install =$1,037.70
Bath rug = $46.18
Orchid =$64.40
Art Prints =$60.94
Shower Rings =$16.11
Hand Towels =$74.20
Hand Towel Bar =$50.03
Frames =$187.27
Wastebasket =$44.80
Apothecary jars (2)= $33.07
Diffuser =$33.50
Exhaust fan cover =$26.37
Total Budget=$3,502.80