Before and After: $500 Turns this Dated Bathroom into a Modern Farmhouse Oasis

A brand new home means all those Pinterest board dreams can finally come to fruition. But it also oftentimes means starting from square one. One space that often shows its age is the bathroom; without a big renovation, it’s easy to tell that those standout black tiles hail from the ’80s or that the not-so-chic pink carpeting is a relic left over from the ’70s.

Case in point: the 1950s home of Megann Thompson (@gresham_houze). Although it had received some updates over the years, Megann and her husband didn’t have quite the same taste in bathrooms as the previous owners. “They had a real love for beige and, apparently, maroon? I couldn’t stand looking at the space with the beige floors, counters, sinks, toilet, shower, and walls. It was literally driving me insane,” says Megann. “The bathroom functioned absolutely fine, thankfully, and the cabinets were high quality, real wood. I didn’t see a need to change up the footprint, I just needed to bring a little calm and soothing to the space.”

Megann knew she wanted to change that particular space from the minute she had laid eyes on it, but couldn’t justify price tag that typically comes with major renos. But she refused to settle for a space that bummed her out, so she started completing smaller DIYs around the bathroom, including faux concrete on the countertops, new faucets, and fresh hardware.

When her husband took a short trip, Megann decided to jumpstart the project again, hanging the vertical paneling, painting the walls white, painting the cabinets deep green, and painting the beige floors gray. “This entire transformation, including the pieces purchased in the past, would have definitely come in at $500 or below,” she says.

Final touches: plenty of plants in cool graphic containers, round mirrors to replace the old frameless ones, and some cheeky new artwork. “I love the after because it reflects me so much more. I love green and incorporate it in almost every space in my home,” Megann says. “This bathroom feels calming and serene now, whereas before it just hurt my eyes to look at.”

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