When we first moved into our home, I thought – this bathroom has pretty good bones! Nice clean cabinetry, penny tile floors, white subway tile accent. I mean, this bathroom was barely going to be used, maybe once or twice a year when guests were in town. So I sort of just threw some guest towels in there, switched out a truly awful (think frosted glass, home depot circa 2003) light fixture, slapped up the shower curtain from my old house and forgot about it.
Fast forward. Enter Hart. At 6 months old, our baby boy LOVES bath time. I feel like we are spending more and more time in this room scrubbing as he discovers solid foods (only 1/2 of which make it into his mouth). Suddenly the little room I thought was just fine was giving me all the wrong bath-time vibes. I wanted to create a space that was stylish and cohesive with the rest of my house, yet playful for my growing little boy. I dreamed and schemed about finishing the space.
Then I saw Cynthia Harper posted her #2days200dollars challenge and I was completely inspired! I’ve officially roped off this weekend to get to work so I have my 2 days – now how will I spend the $200? Continue reading for tips and a sneak peek of my planning process.
Don’t design with the intent to un-do
If you (like me!) know you’re planning on spending more time and money on the space eventually, this $200 makeover might mean focusing on one or two bucket list items or styling with accessories you will love for the short term AND the long haul. Look at the big picture first, and scale back from there. For me this meant going to the drawing board, and making a list of all of the areas in the space that are offensive – (counter tops, mirror, fixtures, paint, styling) and all of the areas I love! (floors, tile, cabinetry, light fixture).
Re-use what you’ve got.
Before you spend a dime, go shopping – in your own home! Do you have any storage baskets collecting dust, un-used in other rooms? Some half-empty paint cans that could be put to good use? Decorative pieces or art that you’ve stashed away? Now is the time to resurrect these items and create a new look around them. When I went through this exercise I found a gold wire basket, white towels, a hand-drawn and framed caricature of our dogs, spray-paint and almost 2 full gallons of black and white paint! We’ll see what else I can scrounge up when it comes time for final styling…
Troll the hashtags.
Instagram is an amazing place to find and share inspiration. When I saw this beautiful little bathroom by a Room for Tuesday my jaw hit the ground. The vertical marble subway tile… the black ceiling… the floor! Hart’s bathroom is a similar size and layout – with some of the extra paint I found in the garage I just might be able to put forward a decent homage to Sarah’s bathroom by going to the dark side.
Shop the sale pages
The treasures I find buried on sale pages never cease to amaze me. Try H&M, Urban Outfitters, Zara Home or Anthropologie sale pages to find really great items at even better price points. And time accordingly with retailer promotions. I was able to buy the wood mirror pictured for just $84 during the World Market Friends & Family sale.
Finally, don’t be afraid to fall in love with a key piece. Do you ever feel like you’re centering an entire design around one minor item? Go with it! Sometimes being completely head over heels in love with one element can inspire the rest of the design – and that is exactly what happened for me when I found this ADORABLE faux hide bath mat from Urban Outfitters. Seriously – it’s that good!
I’m eager to get to work pulling this all together this weekend. More to come when I reveal the space, what items I was actually able to purchase (linked of course) and where I netted out budget-wise!
