Before and After: A $2100 Redo Transforms This Bathroom from Grimy to Glamorous

Some “before” spaces just need a little bit of a spiff-up to look their best. This is not one of those spaces.

The bathroom in Anne Notdstrand’s 1980s home was “so grungy looking you didn’t want to step foot in the door,” she says, with a stained vanity, holes in the wall, crumbling grout, and a “tub and toilet looked like they had never been cleaned.”

It didn’t exactly make for an inviting retreat — and what’s more, it was the only bathroom in the home. Help was needed.

To give the bathroom some rehab, Anne brought in pros to remove the old tub and install a new shower lined with sleek black tile that carries over to the other walls, too. Accenting the black tile: a stripe of gray-and-white mosaic tile that adds a little extra interest.The pro also re-tiled the floor with a gray-and-white marbled tile.

The new shower looks extra sophisticated thanks to a designer door, which Anne says was the biggest splurge, at $500.

Anne also replaced the old (and maybe never-cleaned) toilet and the stained vanity; the new white base and black counter blend seamlessly with the tile accents. Final touches: a new round mirror and a fresh light fixture, which makes the whole bathroom look way brighter and more open.

The whole project took about 10 days, and even with Anne’s shower door splurge, the total cost was only about $2,100. “It is a total transformation, from a poorly lighted grimy place to an exciting new glamorous look,” Anne says. “The bathroom really is a focal point — almost as much as the kitchen.”

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