Before and After: A Grey to Gorgeous Glam Bathroom Makeover
I’m old enough to remember when a black, grey, and silver bathroom with shimmering wallpaper was the very height of style, and while there’s still a lot to love in that look, it is a bit dated—especially when there’s a brown tile floor involved! Let’s see the makeover which involves plenty of tile and zero brown…
WOW. That kaleidoscopic wallpaper from Urban Outfitters is to-die-for, brass and pink are a match made in heaven, and the bright white is the perfect canvas for all the playful yet sophisticated decor. Ashley Wilson of At Home With Ashley is the creative force behind this girly glam makeover.
Here’s another shot of the bathroom before, with a good look at the impressive stencil work.. The grey walls pair well with the silver accessories and black vanity and shelves, but according to Ashley, things were worse than they appear here:
The before was blah and dated. I had done as much as you can do to a bathroom with paint and a stencil. The floors were the saddest brown slate tile. Combine that with a black banged-up vanity and grey walls and it was an eyesore! The toilet barely worked and I am embarrassed at how dirty the tub and bath tile were. This room was begging for an update!
This is the only bathroom in our tiny condo and I was sick of the dingy tile and dated finishes. I wanted a room that works for our family’s current needs. My dream was to create a sanctuary that feels like an escape from the chaos of the world.
Sanctuary is the perfect word for this room. It’s so pretty and luxurious, and so special.
Just looking at all that tile work is intimidating and exhausting, but Ashley has some words of wisdom for when the renovation going gets tough:
Dive in and do it! It helped having a strict timeline so that there was a light at the end of the tunnel…Remember how far you came. The middle part when it doesn’t look better and there is no turning back is the hardest part — keep working, you can do it!
I know from experience that the middle point is the worst: the moment when everything looks so much worse than the before you’re trying to fix, when the room no longer resembles a room (no floors, no walls), and when it seems like you’re a million miles from the finish line. Remind yourself of Ashley’s wise words if you find yourself stuck in the middle!
Ashley was good enough to share a few nuts-and-bolts details with us. The price is fascinating; it’s incredible how much renovating a small room can cost, even when you do all the labor yourself!
It took 6 weeks to completely redo the bathroom and thank goodness it wasn’t longer since this is our only bathroom! The two days without a toilet were definitely the longest. It cost $5,296. My husband and I did all of the labor (bless his heart — there is so much tile in that tiny bathroom!). When we were installing the shower rod (the last thing on our to-do list), we cut it too short. It was held on with gaffer’s tape for a few weeks before we got the energy up to fix it!
We have all been there, Ashley. One tiny thing left to do at the end of a major project, and not enough oomph to get it done. Well done on finally fixing it!
That be-tasseled shower curtain brings such joy, and I love the wooden accents in the white and pink room, but the best part of this makeover is that Ashley loves everything about it.
I love that it is 100% my style and it makes me smile when I walk in the room. I love that we really focused on the details — from switching out the toilet lever to brass to the corbels that make the prettiest cove in the shower. I really wanted this bathroom to shine. What would I do differently? Well, I would have learned better how to put in a hex floor. Turns out it is pretty difficult! It is not perfect, but because it has a vintage look I think it passes.
Thank you, Ashley! Her bathroom reveal post has all the details for the tiles, towels, and more!