With Josh traveling most of this month, I’ve been working on a few projects around the house. Our only bathroom has been bothering me for awhile, so I decided to take everything out in an attempt to create a Budget Boho Bathroom. See how below!
Our house has been on the market for a year with very little luck. We know we’re priced right, but it’s a buyer’s market and we live in a hundred year old home. It’s going to take the perfect buyer to sell this cutie, so we’re being patient and trying not to be discouraged. Since we knew we were going to sell, we’ve been hesitant to put any money into it over the last year. Once we came to the realization that we’re going to be here for an undetermined number of days, it seemed silly not to really love my house while I live in. I don’t say that because I hate it or anything, but we’ve lived here for twelve years and there are certainly things I’m getting tired of. If we were going to live here long term, we might would gut the kitchen and bathroom, but for now everything needs to remain as inexpensive as possible. Please understand, this project was far from a renovation. The goal was to breath life into our only bathroom over the course of one weekend, for as little money as possible. Are you ready?!
Warning: Affiliate links might appear in the following post. Although shopping the embedded links won’t cost you any additional dollars, it might contribute to an afternoon Starbucks run for me. Your support of my caffeine habit is always appreciated.
When we bought our house all those years ago, we were childless. 1800 square feet and three bedrooms seemed huge considering our rental house and we were so excited to update the rock house and make it our own. The sellers had done many “renovations,” but it wasn’t our style and, in many cases, the work wasn’t done well. While we haven’t changed everything they did, we have made significant strides and we’ll probably continue working on smaller projects as long as we live here. The floors in the bathroom are laminate, which I don’t love, but we didn’t want to remove the clawfoot tub at the time, so we’ve made do. They aren’t horrible, but given free rein, I would probably replace them with a painted wood floor. We hung the black and white toile wallpaper when we moved in and I did love it for a long time. I think part of the problem with your first real house is that you don’t even know what your style is yet. I feel like I’m just now figuring out what I love and it isn’t anything that I currently have. Uh oh.
The wallpaper was peeling, but since it’s adhered to some sort of plastic paneling which runs behind the wainscoting, we can’t exactly take it out. Again, in a perfect world there would be concrete plaster beneath that paneling, but we’re too scared to demo our only bathroom to find out. Sure, I regret not tackling that in the beginning, but since we’re on our way out, it doesn’t really make sense. I peeled as much of the wallpaper off as I could, sanded the edges and painted over it. Yes, I know that isn’t ideal, but it made a world of difference in this little room and I have no regrets.
I still really hate the sink / vanity / mirror / hardware combo. It isn’t at all my style and it will eventually be replaced. My dad is building a custom vanity, Josh is pouring a concrete wedge sink (just wait until you see it!!) and I’m planning to switch out the towel rods and light fixture for something more industrial looking. Part of the problem with the vanity is that it doesn’t go all the way to the wall. We lose almost six inches on both sides that would be hugely valuable storage! Another issue in a solid rock / concrete house is that since electricity was added many years after it was built, the wiring for many things is on the outside of the walls. I’m so over ugly conduit in our bathroom and kitchen! We can remedy this by moving the second outlet (behind those flowers) to the front of the cabinet and do a better job of camouflaging the wiring to the light fixture. I hope to tackle that project later this month, so I’ll be sharing a bathroom update at some point in the near future.
One of the biggest complaints we get from potential buyers is that you have to go through a bedroom to get to the only bathroom. When our house was built, there was an outhouse and a woodburning cookstove in the cellar. The bathroom and kitchen were added on at the same time and are across the back of our house. The bathroom actually has two entrances — one from the kitchen and another from the third bedroom. When we bought the house, storage was more important to us and since Sophie has slept in Ella’s room since she was about six months old, the weird entrance has never been an issue. At our real estate agent’s request, we’ve pulled the shelves out of the nook leading to the kitchen and opened that door up. We will probably keep the door latched to the playroom (it seems more obvious if the room is occupied when there is only one entrance) unless we are showing the house.
Neither of us were sure how it would feel to open the other door. It’s been completely closed off since before we moved in! We were both surprised with how huge the room feels now and we honestly didn’t lose much storage. The shelves were spaced pretty far apart, so there was a lot of wasted space and those two huge baskets on the top shelf were full of old linens that I actually threw away! The rubbermaid drawers held undies and pajamas for both girls, but we’ve managed to fit those into their rooms.
In addition to painting the upper walls navy, I repainted all of the trim and woodwork with a fresh coat of white paint. With a single three inch brush, because I’m a glutton for punishment. I started out rolling, but it was clear I would have to use a brush for the cracks, so it was probably quicker to do it with a brush anyway. I didn’t realize how dingy the bathroom was until I emptied it. The “white” trim was so yellowed and dirty, that I was embarrassed that people had been using it! The fresh white paint makes everything look so clean and fresh!
I hung three prints that I bought for my parents in London when I was fourteen. I needed some wood tones in here and the pine frames on these were perfect. The towel rack is made of heart pine and vintage doorknobs and was a Christmas gift from my dad when we were first married. He has been making us fun, handmade gifts for as long as I can remember. That plant is temporary, but I knew I wanted something green in here. I’m thinking about a small boxwood topiary and I already have the perfect glossy, white pot.
It’s crazy to have this extra floor space, since it’s always been covered up! We can all fit in here so much better now. I added two small rag rugs from 5 Below and I love the color they bring into the space. I’m considering swapping them out for this runner from Urban Outfitters, but I’m not spending any more money in here for now.
How adorable are these Turkish hand towels? We rarely use washcloths, but Josh wants a hand towel within arms reach at all times. I decided these were much prettier than the ones we had been using and I love that they will get softer with use. I case you don’t already know about this deliciousness, I use this scent additive in all of our bathroom laundry and linens, so they always smell so good!
We’ve been using plastic shower curtains for twelve years. Just let that sink in. I have ALWAYS hated the way they looked, so I’m not sure why I didn’t just buy something pretty to cover the liners. That was actually the first thing I bought for the room and it was the first thing that Josh commented on! We do pull it out of the tub when it’s in use, to keep it dry, but it looks much prettier all tucked in. Speaking of a long time. We’ve been using the same towels for fourteen years. FOURTEEN YEARS!!! Those same towels we got as wedding gifts are so threadbare and don’t match anything. There is something about spending money on towels that is so unglamorous, that I have been avoiding it forever. A few weeks ago, Josh finally said, “Can we not afford new towels?!” I picked up these navy beauties at Homegoods a few days ago and I plan to check TJMaxx next week to see if I can double our inventory.
Don’t you love this little print? I bought it for Josh for our anniversary one year and I kind of love it. I found this similar one on etsy if you need a tandem bike in your life.
Since we lost major storage by removing the shelves, we needed to move a piece of furniture in to hold some things. We debated between this dresser, another deeper one and a tall glass-front bookcase from the playroom. Ultimately, this piece won because we desperately needed more wood in this space. I love that the highboy has a mirror, so we don’t all have to fight over the vanity. The chew marks are courtesy of a tiny Beemer, so even though they look rough, they are so sweet to me.
There was just enough room underneath the dresser for a few baskets, so I filled them with extra toilet paper and more hand towels. The bath towels all live under the sink, but I’m considering another rack behind the door where a few can hang within easy reach.
In case you were worried about where all of our stuff is, we managed to squeeze it here! We used to have a cabinet over the toilet, but I moved it out to paint and loved how much bigger everything felt. I think having two cabinets across from each other was a big mistake. Instead, we each have a drawer where we store our toiletries and so far, it’s working fine. Josh told me he preferred the functionality of the cabinet, but he agrees this looks so much better. I’m actually enjoying the drawers, believe it or not!
It’s probably not the most functional space and it’s definitely not the best decorated, but it’s much more our style and I hate fighting over the bathroom so much less than I did last week. It’s hard to believe I was able to transform this room over a weekend, BY MYSELF, but I’m pretty proud of my handiwork. Josh was traveling for work and the girls were occupied with a few projects in their rooms, so I was able to tackle this project in about 36 hours last weekend.
BUDGET BOHO BATHROOM BREAKDOWN
All told I spent $129 on this room and I can’t believe how far I managed to stretch that! I’m linking a few similar products below, so that you can shop for your own budget boho bathroom.
1 gallon white semi-gloss paint – $12
1 gallon navy eggshell paint – $12
1 can oil rubbed bronze spray paint – $6
white ruffled shower curtain (similar) – $20
two rag rugs (similar runner) – $10
navy bath towels (similar) – $40
set of 8 Turkish hand towels – $29
