Bathroom

IKEA’s IVAR collection is a very versatile system, with different ways to configure storage, and made of unfinished wood that’s a virtual blank slate for paint. But, in a recent makeover project, the big question became: could it become the centerpiece of an inexpensive rental bathroom makeover? Erika’s bathroom suffered from a distinct lack of style, so I wanted to start with a great vanity in a fun color. One of my first thoughts, when on a strict budget, is usually IKEA.

IKEA’s instructions are in(famous), with their illustrated diagrams, lack of words, and the oddly bulbous “IKEA man.” For the most part, with some head scratching, you can figure them out. But, as we discovered in our recent bathroom makeover, when it comes to installing a sink, the Swedish retailer left out one major detail, which is essential to the job. Read this before you shut your water off and get to work.

For our most recent budget makeover, I was working with a double whammy on the walls: textured surfaces on the top half, and oddly-cut sections of beadboard paneling down below. Combined, everything looked bad and very slapped together, not to mention dingy and depressing. In order to inject some style, I needed an inexpensive solution that was also practical enough to work in a bathroom. My solution? I replaced the awful beadboard with crisp white sheets of pegboard!

If you’ve ever lived in an apartment with an old, crumbling bathroom, you recognize Janna’s frustration with her Manhattan bathroom. “No matter how much we cleaned, it never felt clean,” she said. The small bathroom was dominated by an enormous seven foot tub, as demonstrated by the “before” pic above. In addition to the less-than-ideal layout, the walls and floors were in bad shape, the toilet leaked, and the vanity was beginning to fall apart.

Fall has its beauty, but it can be a little too fleeting. Only too soon are we dealing with winter’s bare trees, slush, and seemingly neverending cold weather. If there’s a season where everyone deserves a little extra self-care, it’s winter. Japanese culture has an age-old way to combat the chill, which we could all learn a lot from.

If you love pink faux marble Formica, do not click through because you will be heartbroken to see that this counter and backsplash have been (spoiler alert!) ripped out in favor of an impeccable slab of marble. As for the shutters, I have some further bad news… So gorgeous and graceful!

After a long search, Melina and Fabio finally found a two-bedroom place in their desired New York neighborhood — and at a price they could actually afford. The only problem? The bathroom, which hadn’t been renovated in the apartment’s 40-year lifespan, had seen better days. With its dated vanity, off-color tile, and always-dirty grout, it was definitely in need of an update. The new bathroom looks fresh yet classic, in shades of black and white, with a touch of gold.

You might have already seen my recent bathroom makeover, which I did in the span of a frenzied weekend and shared earlier this week. After all was said and done, I was very happy with how it all turned out. Then, I made one last-minute addition, which was about ten minutes worth of work, and cost less than $10. It made a small, but significant difference nonetheless. And here’s the good news. You can do it too, even if you’re a renter. Can you see the difference?

Chase and her husband bought a 1937 Key West-style house in Palm Grove, Miami and it came with a serious bathroom disaster. In a DIY job gone horribly wrong, the bath had serious structural issues, not to mention some very interesting (ahem) design decisions — neither of which did the home any favors. Chase was also itching to fulfill her dream of designing a room from start to finish, then actually enjoying it as her own. Then Hurricane Irma came.

I love tile. I might even be a little obsessed with tile. So the fact that tile, even very bold tile, is making a comeback in the bathroom has me very excited. Lately I’ve been noticing an interesting trend in tiled bathrooms: bathrooms with tile on the ceiling. That, my friends, is commitment. Is this something you would do? Or is it all just a little too much?

This “Before & After” involves a beautiful Brooklyn brownstone with a bathroom that had seen better days. While certainly not as dire as some “before” bathrooms we’ve seen it had an uninspired design, a clunky sliding metal door that broke up the space, and a distinct lack of storage — especially for a bathroom of this size. Before we focus in on the other charming aspects of this bright new bathroom, let me just say: I love that floor.

This bathroom had everything: mauve jacuzzi! Mauve marble! Hexagonal sinks! Add in black walls and an abundance of glass block and you’ve got one very sexy early ’90s beast. You know this bathroom was A++ in its day. It’s just that its day was 25 years ago. A note: few of the before and after photos line up perfectly, so please use your spatial imagination to place yourself within the room. That being said: WOW!

The bathroom in the Brooklyn apartment that architect Brian Kaplan shared with his family was one of those “it’ll do” jobs. The space, last renovated in the ’80s, was a bit tired and dated — but perfectly serviceable. But when a leak from the bathroom upstairs ruined the ceiling, Bryan took it as a sign that it was time for an overhaul. Rather than updating the bathroom to look super-modern, Bryan was instead inspired by the past.

It may seem strange to Americans, but they also make a lot of sense.

In its previous iteration, the bathroom in Meredith and Jason’s Chelsea home was the epitome of late ’90s truck stop chic. A fancy truck stop, mind you, with a stone countertop, fancy mirror, and mud-colored shower tiles in a staggered configuration. But it just wasn’t working for them.

It’s rare we get a makeover project from a renter, with all the complications and limitations that entails. Wendy Carwardine has helpfully provided the budget, timeline, and logistics behind her awkward bathroom’s “weekend facelift.

The bathroom in Katie and Lance’s Park Slope home was not without its quirky charm. But it also had a few odd and even irritating features, like the pedestal sink placed between two tiled storage cabinets, the storage niche with ill-fitting saloon-style doors, and the icky, perma-dirty grout on the floor. When, suddenly, a giant water leak joined the list of less than desirable elements, the couple decided that their bathroom was due for a serious overhaul.

Sure, attics are known as musty, dark places, but with some imagination, they can be beautiful, inspiring rooms. Depending on how steeply it’s sloped, there might be a lot of square footage hiding right under your roof. For a little inspiration, check out these examples of attics that were transformed into beautiful and useful spaces.

I’m old enough to remember when a black, grey, and silver bathroom with shimmering wallpaper was the very height of style, and while there’s still a lot to love in that look, it is a bit dated—especially when there’s a brown tile floor involved! Let’s see the makeover which involves plenty of tile and zero brown… WOW.

Megan’s small powder room is tiny at only 4 by 4.5 feet deep. It’s located downstairs right off the kitchen and family room, so the bathroom gets used a lot. Before, the original builder-grade fixtures and the medium gray wall color made everything feel cramped and dated (hello 1990s!), so it was the first project they tackled after moving in.

I think many of us have spaces like this one in our homes: crammed with secret stashes of stuff that, over time, get a little out of control. We often don’t even need most of the things in there, which makes it a colossal waste of square footage. This year, Robin and Ed not only cleaned out their 44″ x 43″ closet, but found a completely new use for the little room. Here’s a hint: it’s not storage any more.

I’m old enough to remember a time when sliding shower doors were considered very innovative, and the height of bathroom fashion. When my family moved to Houston, in 1994, our new house had one, and to me that was a very big deal. Fast-forward about 20 years and the shower door in my parents’ house just seems a little moldy and gross.

As one of the most intensely-used areas of our homes, bathrooms are popular candidates for remodeling. Though they can recoup a good portion of the costs at resale (usually 56-70%), bathroom renovations tend to be pricey. That’s why it’s important for homeowners to plan their budgets well. Given that more than two-thirds of renovation projects go over-budget, many homeowners could benefit from more thorough, accurate planning. Just how much does it cost to remodel a bathroom?

Covetable ideas for your next remodel, or just your next weekend project.

Green bathtubs, sinks and toilets — and especially avocado green bathtubs, sinks and toilets— are usually the thing of bathroom nightmares, and the one of the first things to go during a renovation. But we just spotted a recent renovation that might help change your mind about uniquely colored fixtures. This beautiful bathroom arrived in my inbox and caught my eye, with its green fixtures, light blue walls, and marble sections of wall and floor.

This photo doesn’t look too bad, but click through to find out why reader Sara refers to this bathroom as a “two-toned linoleum bath pit” — and how the situation was dramatically remedied in less than two weeks for less than $2,000. Here’s more detailed information on this 1950s bathroom, pre-renovation from homeowner Sara: The before picture pretty much sums up why I needed a change from this two-toned linoleum bath pit.

With so many home maintenance tasks that "should" be done, it's inevitable that a few go by the wayside for a bit longer than is ideal. Let's check this one off the list.

This bathroom has a lot of charming quirks, but upon further inspection, we’ll see that it’s falling apart at the seams a bit. Fortunately, a thoughtful design company is about to help this little room be its very best self. Before we ogle the bathroom now, let’s let Courtney and John Achilli of Content + Company describe their process: Not every renovation is a total overhaul.

This bathroom has a lot working for it — streamlined sink, flowered toilet, a cute tiled floor, and boats, boats, boats — but, as we’ll soon learn, it has a lot working against it. Let’s just say you never want something making your wallpaper bulge out… This is a tricky room to photograph, so I’m leading with a few more before shots to get you oriented in the space.

Some vintage bathrooms are incredibly charming, but I’m afraid the same could not be said of this one. One of the bathrooms in Jonathan and Cecilia’s Queens apartment was a mishmash of styles, with a black and gold sliding shower door, an uninspiring vanity cabinet, and wall and floor tile in a particularly unappealing shade of mauve.

Peggy Wang, Buzzfeed’s founding editor, decided one day a few years ago she was ready to move out of tiny apartment living. “It was like a weird sudden existential outburst in my usual lazy put-everything-off-forever mindset,” she writes. When she purchased this 1100-square-foot home in Queens, it felt like the right fit. But boy it needed a face lift. She worked closely with White Arrow—Keren Richter and her husband Thomas Richter—to remodel this home.

This bathroom was very, very orange, but no longer. The once-colorful bathroom still has plenty of color, just not quite as bright and “day-glo.” Here’s the full-length version of the bathroom before, so we can see the pedestal sink and what the homeowner describes as “yucky” floor tiles, but let’s take in the full expanse of ORANGE. I kind of love it, actually.

This penny tile floor is fabulously snakeskin-like, but an unstable subfloor caused tiles to pop out. Similarly, that pedestal sink is graceful but offered no counter space, while the intriguingly low tub was unused and unnecessary. After 15 years, this remodeled bathroom was remodeled again and the results are dreamy. So pretty. Pink, black, white, and wood is a fantastic combo that I might not ever have thought of.

Wow.

We’ve enjoyed a few bathroom renovations which preserved the vintage tile—dreamy blue and seafoam green—but know this right now: This is not going to be one of those situations. Don’t worry, though, because the results and the story behind this 1939 home are absolutely amazing. The designer behind this remodel shares the story of this family home: My client has lived in this home since she was 12 years old. She bought it from her mother and has raised her family in it.

What do you do when you have two bathrooms right next to each other? Knock down a wall and transform them into one luxurious space. When we moved in to our Edwardian house there were two bathrooms next to each other. One had a corner bath, toilet and sink and the other a shower, toilet and sink. Both had lowered ceilings, stained carpets and really the most hideous windows I think I have ever seen.

The biggest issue with this master bathroom appears to be a possible overabundance of beige, but the real problems were smelly and—literally—shocking. Since this website somehow still doesn’t have scratch-n-sniff capability, let’s let reader Lisa Carolla give us a bit more insight into what this bathroom was really like: You had to squint really hard to see the potential in our master bath, but it was there.

I’m sure you’ve seen them—the elegant, modern showers that, with no door to separate them from the rest of the space, seem to meld seamlessly with the rest of the bathroom. This is a very popular setup right now, and one that has lots of advantages—but it also has one big disadvantage. Can you guess what it is? First, some of the pluses.

The before version of this bathroom was perfectly functional and updated, but bland. It has great storage, but completely lacked in character. This is the first home I have owned (and lived in) in my adult life. Even as a kid, I grew up in rentals. I’ve always harbored dreams (and vision boards) of how I would customize my future home. None of it was too radical, but they were rarely rental-friendly edits.

Take a look at any new bathroom, and you’ll notice some commonalities: sleek frameless doors rather than curtains or bulky sliding ones, bold statement mirrors in place of traditional medicine cabinets, and even a resurgence of cool colored tiles (think bright blue and emerald green!). But you know what they say: in with the new, out with the old. Just as these design elements fall into favor, others fall out of favor. So what will we see fade into distant memory?

Most people say the kitchen is the most important room in the home, but I would argue it’s the bathroom. Let’s be honest, some pretty important… business… goes on in there, and most people start and end their day in the shower or at the sink. When I started looking to buy an apartment last year, I couldn’t help but pay attention to the bathroom first.

Some of you are going to mourn the loss of these pink ’60s tiles, but after 18 years of living with multiple similarly-hued bathrooms, the owners of this home were ready for anything but pink. Reader Jennifer Anderson has kindly submitted this project—here’s some insight into what led to it: Our 1961 ranch only has two bathrooms, one of which was this sad pink nightmare.

Full bathroom remodels can run you tens of thousands of dollars. If that amount of money isn’t in your budget right now (or it makes you cringe to spend that much at any stage of the game), take inspiration from these light remodels, all of which cost under $3,000. These reasonable and affordable redos show it’s possible to get a brand-new-to-you bathroom without taking out a huge loan.

This was a pretty standard bathroom—nothing notably terrible, but definitely not to its new owners’ tastes. After just six weeks, there is an unrecognizably fabulous bathroom and a newly minted DIY renovation expert. Let’s here a bit about what this bathroom was really like: When we purchased our home last year, our master bathroom was one of the most unsightly rooms in the house.

Maybe this little bathroom didn’t have spectacular style, but its real issue was a maddening one that many can relate to: “No matter how much I cleaned it was still dirty.” The window is so lovely, but all that daylight probably just helped to highlight the issues reader Amanda Walker was dealing with: When we bought the house the bathroom was dirty and dingy, no matter how hard I scrubbed it never looked clean.

With just six weeks of work and $500, this bathroom was transformed from ’80s wonderland—complete with peach tiles, wallpapered outlet cover, tiny triangle sink, stained glass medicine cupboard, and robot curtains—into a bright, modern sanctuary. Thanks to The Handyman’s Daughter, this is like an entirely new bathroom, but in a fun twist, the blue from the old bathroom made it into the new.

In just 56 square feet, one experienced DIYer needed to fit a shower, toilet, sink—and, ideally, some beauty. After just six weeks of hard after-work work, this little bathroom has reached its full potential. It’s difficult to take great establishing shots of small spaces, but luckily the owner of this petite bathroom is here to describe its issues in detail: Our bathroom wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good.

Yes, they are so luxurious, but there's a catch.

Bathroom renovations take time and come with a hefty price tag. The national average for a restroom remodel is $9,724, according to Home Advisor’s 2018 True Cost report. And in the upcoming year, homeowners plan on shelling out an average of $2,406 on upgrading their baths, according to the cost analysis. You don’t need to break the bank to upgrade the look of your bathroom.

Hannah Wilson and her husband own a home remodeling/design company called Blank Slate Renovations, and the home they currently live in is a 1,300-square-foot condo in Dallas, Texas. They had to remodel the whole space and they had to stick to a pretty low budget. Now finished, it’s got a minimal/modern/organic/Scandi/boho style.

This “stuck in 1989” bathroom needed a lot more than just aesthetic improvements, as its tile, vanity, and toilet all had issues. Not unexpected after 30 years, but it was time for a makeover. Graphic designer Malcolm Simmons of Mas Means More gave this guest bathroom a fresh, modern look that looks clean and welcoming for guests, and embraces one of the year’s biggest trends.

Although this guest bathroom had a lot going for it—spaciousness, tons of natural light, lots of counter space—it was also, in the words of its owner, “truly a flashback to 1993 in all its bathroom glory.” The scalloped sink and peeled wallpaper had to go, so the entire bathroom got a 21st-century makeover.

This totally ’80s bathroom was “a beige nightmare” with a few issues beyond the aesthetic, but two stalwart DIYers managed to remedy all that and create a fabulously inviting space, all with just two weekends’ of work and $2,000.

When you picture a bathroom, what do you see? I envision a fairly standard space—lots of white tile and a vanity with a few drawers and a cabinet. If it’s clean, modern, and functional, I’m largely satisfied. But according to the pros, the bathrooms of the future have much more to offer. Here, the biggest, most surprising bathroom trends you’ll see in 2019. “Color, color, color,” says Nancy Epstein, founder and CEO of Artistic Tile.

Though this bathroom functioned just fine on paper, it was clearly a bit cramped—that’s the shower stall on the right just inside the door—and, according to its owners, “old, cheap, mismatched, and just plain ugly.” While all the finishes and fixtures look nice enough in the photo, and the palette is cool and understated, photos never tell the whole story. This tiny bathroom is about to get a big upgrade.

This little ’70s bathroom had some serious space limitations, poor ventilation, and failing plumbing. Though its owner admired some of its best features—that teak vanity!—it was time for a functional overhaul and a major makeover.

The fixtures and finishes in this bathroom were, perhaps, a bit builder standard, and its owners were less charmed. They set out to create a bathroom that fit into their 107-year-old home—and one that had a shower, please.

This bathroom was quite cool, but had a lot going on: dark marble, metal scrollwork, a sculpted sink bowl, a divider wall, and lots of tile. Now it’s lighter, brighter, more serene, and far more spa-like. Christina and Robert of New Darlings—@newdarlings on Instagram—have created such a fresh new look. Removing the partial wall truly opened up the space, letting the light flow through beautifully.

For everyone who has ever mourned the loss of a colorful retro toilet or sink in a bathroom renovation, this project is for you. The cream and white fixtures were replaced with far more charming versions, leading the installation team to clarify, “So you want to put this IN?” Minty vintage perfection! Marley of Bug & Bean—@bugandbeanstitching on Instagram—took this standard and heavily beige bathroom back in time to create a room full of color and retro delights.

There’s so much to consider when taking on a big renovation—especially one as crucial as a bathroom or a kitchen. In fact, if someone could figure out a way to ensure a project of that magnitude could be completed on time, on budget, and with no errors, they’d probably win a Nobel Peace Prize.

Some bathrooms are modern and sleek, others are luxurious and spa-worthy. And then there are those adorable ones that you just want to squeeze. This is one of those bathrooms. If the diminutive size wasn’t enough, it also helps that this bathroom is now blush pink, which ups the cuteness factor by 100 times. (For the color curious, the shade is Sherwin-Williams Intimate White). The shade looks great with the brass accents and black hardware and fixtures.

Elise’s bathroom was tiny and a hodgepodge of somewhat new, but super generic, finishes and fixtures, and a mismatched paint job. She wanted to both enlarge and update the space for her planned family, and do it on a very tight budget. The bathroom is now an incredibly relaxing, earthy space that Elise loves to be in. The stone countertops, combined with reclaimed wood vanity and black fixtures is a great combination that feels rustic and comfortable.

Project by: Shauna Location: Naples, Florida Our beach cottage in Naples, Florida was a dated 1960s, 2600 square foot home that was dying for an extreme makeover. In just under three months we gutted the kitchen, master bathroom, guest bathroom, guest bedroom and home exterior. The before and after photos are pretty incredible, especially the kitchen and master bathroom. This is our vacation “getaway” home so we kept that in mind with budget and design choices.

Project by: Christina Location: Jackson, Mississippi We had a small leak in our guest bathroom that required a hole to be knocked in the wall in order to access the pipe. I had (at that time) a wonderful idea to just go ahead and redo the entire bathroom to something a little more fun and light.

Project by: Rochelle Location: Wolverton, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, UK We moved into our Victorian terraced house a few weeks before the birth of our first child. We knew we would need to redo the bathroom as it was in a terrible state, though we didn’t expect to have to wait so long to do it! It was finally finished just before Christmas – almost exactly seven years after we’d moved in.