Before and After: An Easy, Low Risk Way to Go Bold and Big in a Small Bathroom

Written by

Tess Wilson
Tess Wilson
After many happy years living in tiny apartments in big cities, Tess has found herself in a little house on the prairie. For real.
published Mar 9, 2018
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Post Image
(Image credit: Spotlight Home Tours)

Here’s a perfectly fine, perfectly plain bathroom! The sink is cute, the walls look like they’re freshly painted, everything is fine—but could this bathroom perhaps become something beyond fine, maybe even fabulous?

(Image credit: Small Fry)

This is so fun! Small bathrooms—this is a half-bath—are the perfect place to go bold and go big. And if the Johansson family, whose home renovation was featured on Small Fry, ever get sick of this whimsically wild wallpaper, no problem: it’s peel-and-stick. If you’d like a removable wallpaper somewhere in your home, this and many other gorgeous ones are available from ColorRay Decor.

I think it was smart to limit the paper to one wall; the mirror reflects the wallpaper for an added dimension, without the overall effect being claustrophobic or overwhelming. This is also obviously a great way to save money (and time), especially if there’s a particularly irresistible but pricey paper you’d like to splash out on. The one-wall approach works especially well here because the background of the paper is white, so it blends seamlessly with the other white walls. It almost looks like a mural!

(Image credit: Spotlight Home Tours)

When I saw this before shot, I crossed my fingers that the fun, slightly trippy black-and-white tile survived the makeover . . .

(Image credit: Small Fry)

. . . And not only did it survive, but its appeal has been enhanced by its juxtaposition to that fabulous wallpaper. The geometric aspects of the two play off each other perfectly, while the regular pattern of the floor grounds the more stochastic nature of the wall. That lovely trash can—as vehemently opposed as I am to open weave, liner-free, lid-free trash cans in the bathroom! —adds a final splash of triangles, and the gold is perfect with the warmer tones in the paper.

(Image credit: Small Fry)

Here’s a final photo, just because I wanted you to see the absolutely perfectly hued hand towel. It could be swapped out for an aqua or black one for a change, but this soft rust color is really lovely and unexpected.

Thank you, Small Fry!