DIY // A Budget-Friendly and Quick Bathroom Makeover

I'm in a "lots of jobs started and not a single one finished" rut.  I'm still in the process of painting the accent wall {if you've liked me on Facebook then you've already seen some work in progress photos and if not, you'll just have to wait to see the big reveal}, which means the open shelving and trim have to wait and the hubs is still working on mounting the microwave and putting up the window trim since the nice weather has allowed him to work on the foundation beam and mudroom flooring.  With all these left-undone projects hanging over our head, I've been getting a little ants-in-my-pants anxious about getting something done.

The kitchen was out of the question.  I mean, I could have worked on the accent wall some more but I just couldn't bring myself to wrap my now-arthritic fingers around that damn paintbrush and paint the same form over and over.  A quick project was in order.  One that would go from Before to After in a matter of hours and not get stuck in that awful During trap.  The bathroom was the perfect small space where, with a few quick changes, I could transform it from Blah to Ahh...in under an hour.

Our only bathroom is small, lacks storage and has no sense of style.  It does have nice natural light and we can work with the tile and builder grade vanity...for now.  We've had the supplies to give it a nice little makeover for weeks now, but the kitchen has taken precedence over any other DIY project.

Until today...

My first change was replacing that awful mirror {which was a mirror glued onto a piece of laminate wood} with an amazing Moen Glenshire Oval Tilting Mirror in Brushed Nickel that I picked up on sale from Amazon for $55.22.  I'd like to say that hanging it was easy and for most people I'm sure it is, but not me.  I was having issues with everything...I couldn't get the anchors in and threw a pretty embarrassing fit over it then realized reading the directions might help and discovered that I had drilled the holes too small.  After I put the anchors in and screwed on the mounting bracket, I attached the end post to each bracket and then struggled with attaching the mirror to the end posts.  I even dropped one of those tiny screws that tightens the end post down the drain.  Another tantrum ensued.  After a long cool down I realized that the end posts probably attached to the mirror PRIOR to being mounted to the brackets...and I could have avoided all of this if I would have read ALL of the instructions from the beginning.  You live, you learn...and you hide your face in shame, in my case.

Next, I tackled our storage issue by mounting two Baren glass shelves that I picked up from Ikea for $12.99 each.  The first shelf was mounted above the toiled months ago and, with the mirror in place, I mounted the second underneath it.  The downsides to these shelves?  They don't provide mounting supplies so the screws and anchors are up to you and they are only offered with a stainless steel finish.  I'll be breaking out the brushed nickel spray paint so that all our finishes match, but I can live with the SS until then.

With our countertops clear, I continued tackling our storage issue by implementing some towel storage.  Before, all we had was an over the door hook so we definitely needed additional storage for the bathroom staple. In a bathroom as small as ours, we wanted it to feel as big as possible so we chose brushed nickel hooks over a towel rack for their simplicity and lack of bulk.  I scored our Liberty Hardware hooks on Amazon for $1.68 each, now they're selling them for over $4.

So, let's check that list...Replace Ugly Mirror, Check.  Tackle Storage Issue, Check Check.  Now all that was left was to pretty it up a bit.  In addition to my beloved "By Order of the Management" etiquette print that I purchased years ago from John W Golden's Etsy shop, our white shower curtain from Target, an Ikea bath mat and a few vintage mason jars, I added towels that I picked up from Ikea for $7.99 each, a framed watercolor and a pretty plant the hubs got me for my birthday.

What'd we do with that strange mirror we replaced?  It's now hanging on our small entry wall.  I'm thinking a little revamp work on it with some driftwood is in order.

And that's it.  An updated bathroom in under an hour for under $120!  That sure makes me feel a whole lot better!

Is this bathroom really finished?  No, I have dreams of doing a board and batten wall treatment, peg board storage on the back of the door and replacing that builder grade vanity with a pedestal sink, so technically this "After" photo should be a "During" afterall.  But I don't forsee those dream changes happening for quite awhile especially with all those other projects hanging over our head.

And now I'm back to feeling anxious...better take another look at that After!

Do you have any quick and budget friendly updates?  I'd love to see them!