This “Gloomy” Bathroom’s $1,000 Glow-Up “Makes Life So Much Easier”
Most room transformations are made up of smaller projects that, when they come together, make the whole room feel new. In DIYer Delia’s bathroom makeover, some of those mini projects were removing the popcorn ceiling, replacing the flooring, upgrading the lighting, and adding wallpaper. “Each change layered on the next, and together they completely transformed the space,” she says.
Her advice is to embrace these mini DIYs where you can. “Even small projects like painting, installing peel-and-stick wallpaper, or updating hardware can make a huge impact,” she says. “Don’t underestimate the power of a $1 frame or Dollar Tree florals to add charm.”
Here’s how she gave her bathroom a whole new look for a little over $1,000.
“I definitely kicked things off with some demolition,” the DIYer says.
Delia says the bathroom was “safe but bland” before. She started out with a beige builder-grade bathroom last updated in 2007, then painted it navy, but that felt “heavy and gloomy, she says, so it was back to the drawing board — and that meant demoing it back to a very bare-bones drawing board.
Delia lifted up the old linoleum flooring, took out the dated vanity, and pried off the sheet mirror that “was glued to the wall like it never wanted to leave,” she recalls.
During this step, Delia smoothed out the ceiling and painted it a blue-gray. “Removing the bumpy-textured popcorn ceiling was a first for me, and wow, what a messy adventure,” she says. “Dust flew everywhere, but I cleaned up right after and kept pushing through.” (Note: If you’re going to try this at home, read this information about asbestos first!)
Delia hired a pro to replace the old linoleum floors with marble. “The marble floor tiles brought in that luxe feel I was craving,” she says.
Wallpaper was the biggest difference maker.
“The wallpaper was a total game-changer,” Delia adds. “It instantly elevated the vibe and gave the room personality.” She picked a leaf-print peel-and-stick wallpaper that’s now sold out.
“Installing the peel-and-stick wallpaper was a breeze — way easier than I expected!” she says. “It went up so smoothly, and I even got creative with the switch and outlet plates. Covering those turned out beautifully and gave the whole space a seamless, custom look. It was one of those satisfying little details.”
New hardware was also a game changer.
Smoothing out the ceiling and painting the ceiling were DIY “firsts” for Delia, but she left hardwiring for a new modern vanity light to a pro. It adds “a sleek, stylish touch,” Delia says, as does the new vanity, mirror, and the new towel hooks.
The latter is a hardware project Delia definitely recommends to beginners. “Choose hooks instead of towel bars,” she says. “Swapping out that lone towel bar for hooks was a game-changer. No more fussing with neatly folded towels. Now it’s just hang and go, which makes life so much easier,” she says.
Here’s to Delia’s easier, breezier blue-green bathroom!
Inspired? Submit your own project here.