This Builder-Grade Bathroom Felt “Generic” Until an Elevated and Calming Redo
“When we first bought the house, the bathroom had standard builder finishes and felt fairly generic,” Lita Lee, founder of Stories from a Stylist, says. As an editorial interior stylist, Lita typically works with designers to create a room’s finished look, but in her and her husband’s home she took designing into her own hands.
Lita wanted to give the bathroom more character and move away from the “original builder-basic feel.” She wanted the space to feel “more personal, polished, and considered,” rather than overlooked and generic.
They Wanted to Elevate What They Already Had
“The goal was to work with what was already there while making thoughtful changes that gave the bathroom a more finished, personal feel,” Lita shares. “Overall, I wanted the bathroom to feel elevated and layered, while still connected to the rest of the house.”
She Updated the Original Vanity and Made It Feel Brand-New
Because Lita and her husband had decided to keep as many of the original features as possible, the design process was fairly straightforward. They started by painting the walls and trim Benjamin Moore’s “White Dove.” Then, after replacing the countertop with Caesarstone quartz, Lita painted the existing vanity Benjamin Moore’s “Crownsville Gray.”
“One of the smartest decisions was keeping the existing vanity and painting it instead of replacing it,” Lita explains. Then, with new “brushed brass” drawer pulls and bronze bathroom faucets replacing the previous chrome fixtures, the vanity looked brand-new.
Painting the vanity “completely changed the look of the bathroom without having to start from scratch,” Lita shares. “Paired with the new stone countertop, mirrors, lighting, and hardware, it gave the vanity a much more custom feel.”
They Kept the Same Layout and Updated the Fixtures Instead
In addition to keeping as many original features as possible, the couple also kept the existing layout. This meant that the focus of the bathroom transformation was “really on choosing the right finishes and details” and “making sure everything worked together and felt simple and cohesive,” she notes.
But the overall design direction was even easier than expected. After choosing brass and bronze finishes for the vanity, they also added matching shower and bathtub faucets. Plus, replacing the original shower frame and glass with a custom black-framed glass door added a modern feel.
“I knew pretty quickly what I liked and what I wanted the bathroom to feel like, so once those main decisions were made, the rest came together quite easily,” Lita shares.
Adding Vintage Pieces and Art Were Must-Haves for Her
Once all of the fixtures were updated, Lita started styling the bathroom — her favorite part. She decided to add art and vintage pieces because “they bring character and make the space feel less generic,” she says. She added art from Etsy and Elissa Barber, and finished the space with an area rug she cut to fit the proportions she needed.
Mixing the vintage decor with more polished finishes made the bathroom feel personal to Lita and her husband, and now the space “no longer feels like a standard builder bathroom.” And even though it’s recently renovated, Lita loves that it doesn’t feel brand-new, but rather collected and lived-in.
“It makes me feel calm and at home,” Lita adds.
Inspired? Submit your own project here.
Shop This Before & After
- Paints
- Products
- Amber Lewis x Loloi Billie Rug in “Aqua/Rust” from Wayfair
- Moody English Countryside Art Print by Melissamaryjenkins from Etsy
- Line Drawing by Elissa Barber
- Delta Nicoli Widespread Bathroom Faucet in “Champagne Bronze” from Amazon
- Delta Albion Single-Handle Shower Faucet in “Champagne Bronze” from Amazon
- Origin Square Handle Drawer Pulls in “Brushed Brass” from Lowe’s