See How I Gave My Overly Fussy Bathroom a Family-Friendly Makeover
During my house search with my husband in 2024, a bathroom with great style fell to the bottom of my must-have list. This 1960s home was a good match for my family, despite some of the stylistic choices not being exactly to our taste — specifically in this bathroom, the largest bathroom in our home. We figured we would update it someday.
The bathroom is shared by our three sons, Leo (4) and Roman and Max (1.5), and is also the guest bathroom when we have visitors.
The Tuscan and ornate feel of the bathroom didn’t quite match the bombastic energy that storms through there every bathtime, and after spending six months staring at that huge mirror I decided that within the confines of a weekend project and a tight budget, I could make this bathroom a calm, fun, and playful sanctuary for my family.
I gave the cabinets a (free) glow-up with leftovers.
Over the summer we completed a couple of major updates to the home, including painting the interior and exterior and a kitchen remodel (those were done by professionals). Because of that, our basement was home to several half-empty paint canisters in shades I loved.
I saw this as a time- and money-saving win and used a leftover can of Sherwin-Williams’ Shaded Gray to paint the bathroom cabinet. I removed the doors and took them outside to paint (it took two coats, plus primer, to get the finish right). I also swapped out the cabinet hardware with pulls left over from the kitchen project that were a perfect brass-silver and so easy to install.
The new decor is refined — perfect for a busy bathroom.
Removing the massive mirror was my favorite part of the project. I had a round brass Threshold mirror from our previous apartment that was just waiting for its new home. This swap instantly updated the bathroom from heavy and metal to more whimsical and modern.
Because the space is a shared space with guests, I didn’t want to go overboard by filling it with my kids’ passions of the week (like dinosaurs or the solar system).
The decor is very subtle, with a print of Positano from HomeSense (where we spent our honeymoon!) and just one dinosaur.
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