Before and After: A $600 Mostly DIY Redo Cheers up This Grim Gray Bathroom

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Megan Baker DetloffHome Projects Director
Megan Baker DetloffHome Projects Director
Megan is a writer and editor who specializes in home upgrades, DIY projects, hacks, and design. Before Apartment Therapy, she was an editor at HGTV Magazine and This Old House Magazine. Megan has a degree in Magazine Journalism from Northwestern University's Medill School of…read more
published Jan 4, 2022
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Credit: Morgan Gomez

Describe your dream bathroom, and you might list words like “calming,” or “inspiring,” or “welcoming.” You probably wouldn’t include the words “just fine.”

But lots of people find themselves with bathrooms that are “just fine,” including Morgan Gomez (Morgan Stays Home). Since Morgan is an avid DIYer, though, she knew that she didn’t have to keep it that way.

Credit: Morgan Gomez

“The before of this bathroom was fine,” Morgan says. “Just fine. But it definitely did not suit us or our personality.” She’d tried to make a few small updates but it was still unsatisfied, and knew a larger transformation was in order.

Credit: Morgan Gomez

So, inspired by the One Room Challenge, Morgan “decided to just go for it” and give her gray-on-gray-on-gray bathroom a new lease on life.

Credit: Morgan Gomez

Over eight weeks and with just $600, Morgan made over her whole bathroom from top to bottom. On the floor, she installed peel-and-stick tile with a cool graphic black-and-white pattern. (While she likes the look, Morgan says that she probably wouldn’t do this again: “It already has some lifts and dented when I put a stool on it,” she says, though your results may vary depending on traffic and the type of floor you use.)

Morgan also painted the walls a warm coral-y orange color (aptly named Dreamsicle, by Hound Paint).

To suit her new warmer wall color, Morgan swapped the old nickel-toned light fixture for a trendy brass one in a cool mid-century-meets-industrial style. She also switched up the color of her faucet, hiring a plumber to trade out the old one for a new matte black gooseneck style. The new cabinet pulls and towel ring are a perfect match (and so is the mirror, which was there before but now looks so much more modern).

Credit: Morgan Gomez

Morgan removed the old shelves in the makeover, choosing instead to hang a potted plant and some new artwork. While she lost a bit of storage in the switch, taking the shelves off the walls helped make the small bathroom feel a little bigger.

Credit: Morgan Gomez

Finally, Morgan finished with accessories that include a new pompom-adorned shower curtain and a new set of towel hooks.

“The color is very striking but I think it all pulled together and I’m proud to see my vision,” she says. “I love the color so much and just the overall vibe. It feels like us now.”

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