Before and After: A $2200 Overhaul Gives This 1960s Bathroom a Fresh 2021 Spin

Older homes can sometimes become a hodgepodge of design styles as updates get added over the years. That was the case in Jess Bond’s (The Bond House) bathroom, which was partially original to her 1962 home — but was also partially updated with ’90s upgrades that included a vinyl floor and a dingy yellowed tub insert.

“Overall it was dated, aesthetically mismatched, and lacked storage,” Jess says, which was a problem since this is the primary bathroom she and her husband share. “We needed to better maximize the space and we needed to modernize and freshen the overall feel.”

To do that, they had a few goals: make cosmetic updates, try to fit in a double vanity to make the bathroom more functional, add storage space, and do it all themselves on a budget.

Jess and her husband were able to revamp the entire bathroom over a week and a half with help from Jess’s father-in-law. They started by ripping out the old vinyl floors, opting to replace them with engineered hardwood. “We have become pretty good at installing this ourselves, and we’ve used it for our entire house,” Jess says. That meant that the transition from the hallway to the bathroom was totally seamless — and because the flooring is waterproof, they didn’t worry about water damage.

For the vanity, the couple turned to IKEA, opting for a GODMORGON cabinet with the double sinks they’d hoped for. The drawers are way more practical for storage, and the floating cabinet leaves space underneath for toilet paper.

Installing the new toilet meant cutting into the old drywall, which then needed to be replaced. But instead of texturizing the fresh drywall to match the rest of the bathroom, Jess and her husband covered the drywall in paneling. “This added warmth and character and was also less labor intensive,” Jess says.

As for the old yellowed tub insert, Jess found a pleasant surprise: It was applied over the original tub. “We removed the liner and realized the original tub was an original ’60s shape and it seemed to be in good condition beneath the liner adhesive,” Jess says. With lots of elbow grease — plus Goo Gone, rubbing alcohol, and Magic Erasers — the original tub was good as new. “Restoring the original tub felt like such a win!” Jess says.

For finishing touches, Jess added an arched mirror over the vanity and a globe light fixture from Cedar & Moss. “The combo feels very mid-mod meets deco and adds softness and interest to the plain vanity,” she says. The total cost for the whole redo was just $2200, including fixtures, paint, materials, and all.

Not only is the new bathroom more functional and beautiful, but it’s also meaningful. “It feels super rewarding to take on a project like this start to finish by ourselves,” Jess says. “We love the process of designing, selecting the materials and fixtures, problem-solving the issues specific to our home and getting our hands dirty and doing it ourselves. It makes the new space feel that much more incredible to live with!”

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