A 100-Year-Old Bathroom Got a Renter-Friendly Redo (Even the Chair Rail Molding!)
Sarah Bryant’s (@sarah_louwho) over-100-year-old Brownstone apartment came with a lot of charm: original woodwork, two fireplaces, flower pots on the stoop, and friendly neighbors.
A few things that weren’t so nice or charming? The large window right next to the toilet in her bathroom, the dated tan-and-black tile, and the hardware in the space.
There Was Definitely Room for Renter-Friendly Improvement
“The upgrades [over time] left some room for improvement that I’ve been happy to build on,” Sarah says. For example, she “felt like the brushed pewter hardware was doing a disservice to the 100-plus-year-old built-ins.” Here’s how she addressed her concerns — and stylishly, at that.
The Window Still Lets in Plenty of Light, but the DIYer Added Privacy
“To ensure as much light as possible, I put up a frosted glass decal on the top of the window and a barn door half curtain on the bottom half that I can swing out to open if I want some extra light,” Sarah says. Her leaded glass-look decal is from Amazon.
The DIYer Added Renter-Friendly Color and Tiles
There are several stick-on details in the bathroom, in fact, including the flooring, which is brand-new but looks vintage, and it replaces the black and tan that were there before. “The original tiles had cracks and mismatched tiles that just weren’t taken care of,” Sarah adds.
She found her black-and-white faux tile from FloorPops. “Many people think peel-and-stick looks tacky, but when you’re renting, you don’t really have many other options — and the peel-and-stick that is made now looks amazing!” she says.
“I [also] added peel-and-stick chair rail molding,” Sarah says, but she ran into one slight problem. “I ran out of moulding when I was adding it … so I skipped adding it to one wall since it’s behind the door.” She says it’s no big deal because she can only see it when she closes the door to shower.
She painted the chair rail and the walls beneath it green (Magnolia Home’s “Regal Leaf”). The green and white color scheme recurs throughout the apartment.
The Bathroom Has Brass Details Throughout
Lastly, Sarah added new hardware to the bathroom and says the built-in bathroom storage, in particular, “deserved solid brass,” but she also added a brass-looking faucet and a towel rack (no longer available in the colorway) and vintage light switch plates.
To see more of her home improvement projects, check out her kitchen makeover and bedroom makeover.
Inspired? Submit your own project here.