Before and After: An Over-the-Top, Yet Elegant $500 Bathroom Makeover
The new owner of this home became fixated on its “varying shades of split pea soup green” powder room and was determined to give it a makeover—but wanted to spend less than $500. Enter absolutely fabulous wallpaper!
First, let’s hear a bit more about this bathroom’s pre-makeover state:
To be honest, I don’t remember seeing this bathroom in the real estate listings or when we toured the house. I knew it was there, it just made no specific impression. Once we moved in, however, it’s all I could think about. Directly front and center in our foyer, this bathroom was cavernous and depressing. Featuring someone’s failed paint technique in varying shades of split pea soup green, it was begging for an update.
It’s funny how certain spots in the home or certain to-be-done projects can get under your skin!
Like I said: absolutely fabulous! I love such a high-impact wallpaper in such a small space, I love how this utilitarian room is now something truly special, and I love how all the rest of the room’s elements are fresh clean white but the room does not feel white at all. The little wall cupboard is both super cute and super helpful to guests. The black mirror, light fixture, and orchid pot stand out boldly against the wallpaper, in perfect contrast to the white fixtures.
Teri Moore of T. Moore Home redid this bathroom on a budget and shared this insight into the process—and problems:
My goal was to complete this makeover for under $500 and I narrowly achieved that through the use of paint and wallpaper. However, our budget was nearly destroyed when we determined the flange had broken and our toilet was actually caving into the floor. We called a plumber and he quickly came out and installed a contraption to secure our flange, rather than completely replacing it. This saved us over $1,000! Total timeline was meant to be a weekend, but this delay caused it to run two weeks overdue.
About a month after we moved in, I began planning this bathroom. I wanted something fresh and modern, so I pulled a wallpaper sample that made my feel like I was at a beach resort—in a landlocked state.
This was the first photo I saw, and my eyes got so big—it’s so fun! Can something be over-the-top and elegantly restrained at the same time? If so, this bathroom definitely is. Fortunately Teri Moore is happy with the results of all that hard work:
I love this wallpaper. I love the mirror. A year later, I wish I’d installed a different light and replaced the sink. But all in all, I’m pretty happy. It’s not too bad for $500!
This is a rare treat—we get to see how this room’s decor functions in the larger home. It looks like the adjacent rooms are predominantly white, which makes that amazing wallpaper stand out even more, while that pretty blue pot on the right helps tie the adjoining spaces together.
If you’re doing any work in your bathroom—literally ANY work—Teri has some advice for you:
Reach out to your neighbors for a plumber recommendation before you start. Even if you think you’re just going to be installing decor, you definitely want to have that number on hand in case of emergencies.
Thank you, Teri Moore of T. Moore Home!