A $100 Makeover Transforms This “Boring, New-Build, White Box” Bathroom

Sarah EverettHome Projects Editor
Sarah EverettHome Projects Editor
I organize the Before & After series and cover DIY and design. I joined AT in October 2020 as a production assistant. I have an MA in Journalism from the University of Missouri and a BA in Journalism from Belmont University. Past editorial stops include HGTV Magazine, Nashville Arts Magazine, and local magazines in my hometown, Columbia, Missouri.
published Sep 24, 2024
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There are a lot of vintage bathrooms from the 1950s or ’60s that feature pastel pink, but DIYer Sophie (@hausof_sophie) found a contemporary way to incorporate the color in her more modern bathroom with a peel-and-stick printed wallpaper.

Before, her bathroom was “was easy to maintain, but it was a boring, new-build white box,” she describes. She wanted to give the room a little more personality. 

Credit: Sophie S
Credit: Sophie S

 The tiles made the rental bathroom slightly difficult to change.

“I struggled for a long time about how to make an impactful but reversible change,” she adds. “The room is mostly tiles, so I didn’t want to use paint on them.”

She also considered stick-on tiles, but worried that in a bathroom with poor ventilation they might not stay sticky. “I eventually chose peel-and-stick wallpaper to create a feature wall,” Sophie explains. And her project cost about $100, and now she has a soft pink theme throughout her entire home.

Credit: Sophie S
Credit: Sophie S

Follow these steps for a smooth peel-and-stick job.

Sophie says the steps to the bathroom makeover were as follows: Measure the wall, order the wallpaper (hers is from Hovia), “peel, stick, cut, and line up the next piece.” She did accidentally hang one panel upside-down, but thankfully it was only about half-stuck on the wall and easy to adjust. 

She also used a squeegee and a utility knife to get a smooth finish with crisp lines. “I have zero DIY skills, but genuinely enjoyed this project,” Sophie says. “It was so much easier than I anticipated.”

And her simple project paid off. “The room feels warmer,” she says. “It’s bright, joyful, and it feels like MY space now!