Before and After: With $200, a Plain Bathroom Gets a Major Dose of Personality

If you have a guest bedroom or guest bathroom, they’ve probably gotten a lot less use since we entered a pandemic—which makes this an ideal time to make any updates.

Starr Simpson (@ohanahouseco) and her husband recently moved into their new home and began decorating rooms one by one. Their guest bathroom wasn’t high on their priority list since it wasn’t seeing much action from guests due to COVID-19. But it had become host to something else: all of the couple’s tools, paint, and other supplies they were using for upstairs projects.

The makeshift storage space eventually started wearing on the couple. “We decided to make a change because we had been putting off cleaning out that bathroom for a while and we were tired of looking at it,” Starr says. “Not to mention, it is the bathroom right next to our office and we couldn’t even use it while working because of all of the tools in the way.”

Over the course of a few hours and with only about $200, Starr and her husband were able to completely transform the feel of the space. The far wall got the biggest and most time-consuming change via peel-and-stick wallpaper in a navy botanical pattern, as well as a bamboo window shade that gives the room more texture. A hanging macrame planter; white, beige, and blue rug; ruffled shower curtain; and wicker baskets also add warmth and texture to the once-plain space.

All of the items manage to seamlessly match the gray flooring and speckled countertop, while creating the character that the room was previously lacking. While this wasn’t a major update by any means, it was a super impactful one—proof that sometimes all it takes is a few little swaps to totally transform a room’s look and feel.

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