A little over a week ago I shared the before pictures of my son’s small bathroom as well as the spaces that were serving up major makeover inspiration. As I mentioned in that post, since this house was built in 2010, this bathroom isn’t in disrepair or in need of a major overhaul. However, as it stands currently, it’s a little basic and void of personality.
I’m excited to once again be partnering with Lowe’s Home Improvement on this small mini-renovation project. (Many of you may remember when I partnered with them a couple of years ago to makeover our powder room.)
I can’t wait to see this makeover plan come to life!
Makeover Goals & Thoughts on Home Improving
My goal is to give this basic bathroom a much more custom look. I’m planning to make a few small, yet impactful budget-friendly changes. While our current living situation grants my teenage son pretty much exclusive access to this bathroom, the reality is his bedroom is the largest of the three extra bedrooms in our home. And if we were ever to sell this house (not that we’re planning to do so anytime soon) his room would more than likely be marketed as “a guest room suite” or “mother-in-laws quarters” as it’s almost like a second master in terms of size with it’s own small, but private bathroom and small walk-in closet. Pretty much my almost 14 year old son has it made right now. 😉 And my 11 year old daughter is anticipating his leave for college. 😉
Why am I telling you all of this background information? Because this is what is driving this makeover and the changes that I’m planning to make in this small bathroom. Being that we have moved around quite a bit, I am always thinking about “return on investment” when it comes to home improvements. And while we have no immediate plans to put our house on the market, I don’t think it’s ever a bad idea to consider what will add value or be attractive to potential buyers when you’re making changes in your home.
Tile Plans
First up I’m changing the floor in here. The tile floor in here isn’t necessarily ugly or outdated, but it is pretty boring and basic. A small bathroom does have some perks, at least from a flooring standpoint! Small space = small amount of materials and a small amount of work! I’m having my tile guy take care of the floor for me because A. Demo is a dirty business. B. It would take me days, more likely weeks, to get this done. And he can do it in one day, like 6 hours tops. and C. I have no experience with laying floor tile. He’ll be cutting these porcelain charcoal 12 x 24 inch tiles down to 6 x 12’s and laying them in a herringbone pattern with white grout! I can’t wait to see this done!
Next up I’m going big with some white subway tile on the walls. In a similar fashion to what I did in our powder room I’m installing this subway tile mosaic. But this time to really make a bold statement and to make the fiberglass shower stall feel a little more custom I’m going to wrap the subway tile all the way around the top of the shower. I think the reflective quality of this white subway tile is going to make this bathroom feel and look so much larger and brighter which is a solid step in the right direction for a small, windowless space. I may regret not having my tile guy do this for me……….but I’ll be proud of myself when this project is behind me. 🙂
Small Scale DIY Projects
So the floor and wall tile will be the two major changes in here, and then I’ll be tackling a few smaller projects like framing out the mirror, replacing the faucet with a more modern looking faucet (that matches the faucets we have in the other upstairs bathroom), swapping out the light fixture, adding in towel hooks and possibly painting the vanity……..I’m not sold on painting it just yet. And if I do paint it, I’m not quite sure what color. Grey possibly? Or blue? I plan to make that decision down the road after the tile on the floor and walls is done. Many people tend to think you need to nail down paint colors in a space right at the start of a makeover or remodel. But paint is almost always best to choose toward the end. You can always find a color to match or flow with what you’re doing, but it’s not always as easy to work in reverse.
The Fun Details
Once all of the major work is done it will be time for the fun part – styling! I plan to keep the bathroom decor super simple. It’s a small space, so not much is needed. I feel like this artwork is classic and silly at the same time – kind of perfect for a teenage boy’s bathroom.
Time to Get to Work
The planning stage of a project is always the most fun……well, that and the styling. It’s that middle section – the messy, dirty, work part that’s no fun. 😉 But I’m so excited to see this bathroom get made over! And thanks to all of your amazing book recommendations I have lots of audiobooks ready to keep me entertained while I tile and paint! But hey if anyone wants to come help me tile the walls…..misery loves company. 😉
Can’t wait to see how it turns out friend.