We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
Old houses often come with markers of the eras in which they were built, like intricate woodwork, vintage-style window panes, and more. Some of those old-school features are charming; others, not so much.
For more content like this follow
This bathroom, from homeowner Kristen Wineinger’s 1909 Craftsman, had a little of both. “The green tub, sink, and toilet was brought down by ugly beige tiles, vinyl flooring, and a very old medicine cabinet,” Kristen says. She saw the potential lying within, though, and decided to rescue the bathroom by keeping the charm and ditching the rest.
Kristen and her spouse Landon took four weeks to pull off their DIY bathroom makeover. To save time and money, they decided not to replace the beige wall tile; instead, they gave it a new look with a tile painting kit they picked up at the hardware store. Kristen notes that the process was harder than expected, and a little stressful, too. “Halfway through painting tile is scary,” she says. “It looks terrible. Just wait for the second coat and it will be OK!”
In her case, it turned out better than OK — the result is a crisp white tile that instantly brightened the room.
But the couple wasn’t about to stop there. The next weekend, they painted the walls a bright white to match the tile. And the third weekend, the couple took on their most labor-intensive project: installing a new hexagonal black and white tile flooring. The fourth weekend was all about the finishing touches. That’s when Kristen and Landon installed a new vintage-inspired light fixture and sleek black-framed mirror where the dated medicine cabinet had once been.
The result is a bathroom that’s so much more bright and airy — and one that makes those old-school green fixtures shine. Now, the whole room looks intentionally designed with retro appeal, rather than dark and dated. “We love that we kept the green bathroom fixtures, because it is so unique,” says Kristen. “So many renovations you see, everything is taken out and made to be white or gray. We love that we kept the original character, just enhanced it!”
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
We’ve seen bathroom upgrades that range from $30 refreshers to $30,000 gut renovations. Depending on budget, you can change out the shower curtain in your bathroom or totally change the shower layout — and either option might make a big impact or solve a particular problem with the space that always bugged you. This $7,000 bathroom redo by Princess London (@noire_motif) changes a little bit of everything, from head to toe.
For more content like this follow
Before, this brown and tan bathroom, which is used by Princess’s kiddos, “was a quintessential ’80s bathroom,” she says. It had dark stained cabinets, beige counters with built-in sinks, a no-frills sheet mirror, and a shower that was tiled only three-quarters of the way up to the ceiling. “No matter how much I cleaned the bathroom, it was just too dingy to feel clean,” Princess adds. “The tan-yellow walls never reflected good light into the space, making it feel even darker.”
The one thing Princess liked about the bathroom was the size of the linen closet, but “because it was right behind the door to the bathroom, it made accessing it feel really tight,” she says. “It needed to be more functional and organized.”
Other must-dos on her list: upgrading the vanity to include drawers and changing the linen closet to cabinetry. “The bathroom had not been updated since the home was built,” Princess says. “It was time.”
During the One Room Challenge, Princess got assistance from her father and her husband to demo the old bathroom. Then, on her own, she installed new tile for the floor and shower, built a new vanity and new cabinetry in place of where the linen closet was, roughed in plumbing with a new shower valve, built an accent wall with mirrors, installed drywall, roughed in electrical, installed a toilet, made a Roman shade, painted, and installed a vent fan. The only professional help she got was with cutting the new quartz countertop.
For her own projects, the tiling took longer than expected, Princess says, because of a “wildly out-of-level floor” and a tub and shower area that wasn’t framed to the standard dimension.” But the actual shower and sink plumbing was easier than expected. “It was my first time roughing plumbing,” Princess says. “I’d previously been intimidated by it, but we had PEX, a flexible plastic plumbing tubing, and with the clamp system it uses, I felt more confident trying it myself,” Princess says. And ultimately, the tiling work was worth it, as her glazed tile (in the shower) and matte tile(on the floor) elevate the space. Not only does the full tile job in the shower (all the way on the ceiling, too!) make it look luxe — it’s also easier to clean.
Princess’s favorite design detail is the mirror wall, though that wasn’t without its challenges, either. “I changed the design on it halfway through the project, and even with the challenges, I pushed through and completed it,” Princess says. “I’ve never seen another vanity wall like it.”
She elaborates on her blog: “On the back wall, I wanted to frame out the mirror — that idea never changed from the first drawing to the last — but I decided to elevate it by making reeded panels to surround the mirrors. I cut every dowel and placed them one by one.” The paint color she chose for her accent wall, vanity, and linen closet shelving was Sherwin-Williams’ Cast Iron.
Her advice for others taking on a full remodel from demo to daydream-y result? “Plan as much as possible, but maintain the ability to be flexible,” she says. “Projects hardly ever go smoothly. There’s always some issue that pops up. When it does, take a deep breathe and focus on the solution, not the problem.”
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
If you’ve traveled outside the United States, you probably know bath and shower situations in other countries vary widely depending on where you are. In Europe, for example, bathrooms often feature shower heads out in the open, with the entire room functioning as the shower enclosure. And the truth is, you’ll often find your fair share of bathroom quirks right here in the states. How many times have you tried turning on the tap at a friend’s house or a domestic hotel, only to be completely confused about how to get the water hot?
That’s the thing: Bathrooms (showers and tubs, in particular) are anything but standard. Clawfoot tubs, walk-in showers, jetted tubs, rain showers, — variety is the spice of life, at least when it comes to furnishing bathing areas.
For more content like this follow
And that includes using a beaded curtain instead of a traditional shower curtain! Honestly, I absolutely love the light and airy look of the bamboo style curtain Lee Alford hung in the bathroom of her Melbourne, Australia home. The curtain itself is, of course, from the leading purveyor of all things boho, Urban Outfitters, and it leans a bit Scandi modern with its oversized white circle design (that also comes in a black colorway, too).
This setup is not particularly practical, especially because there’s no shower curtain liner, but adding a clear one is super easy and doesn’t take away from the airy feel. You’ll still get the unexpected, cool look of the bamboo curtain here without worrying about the perceived lack of protection its providing from water spills and splashes.
Alford has blended her vintage, warm style with the bones of her home, what she referred to as “an open-plan, featureless white box.” This bathroom stands as the perfect example of that design mashup. The natural brown hues from the curtain, plant hangers, and wooden accents — along with plenty of plants — balance out a room that, with its large drop-in tub and white on white vanity, might otherwise feel sterile. I’d argue a regular shower curtain wouldn’t set off the space in nearly the same stylish way.
Blair is Apartment Therapy’s Style Shopping Editor, where she covers the latest brand launches, need-to-buys, and anything related to her two unofficial beats — cane and rattan. Whenever she’s not perusing for the latest home finds (a rarity), you’ll probably find her reading, watching a horror film, or on the hunt for the best tacos in New York (recs are encouraged).
