An $800 Bathroom Makeover Adds Vintage Vibes into a Modern Space
Credit: Tracy Bennett Credit: Tracy Bennett
Credit: Tracy Bennett Credit: Tracy Bennett
Credit: Tracy Bennett Credit: Tracy Bennett
Credit: Tracy Bennett Credit: Tracy Bennett
Credit: Tracy Bennett Credit: Tracy Bennett
ABOUT THIS BEFORE & AFTER
HOME TYPE: House
PROJECT TYPE: Bathroom
STYLE: Colorful, Vintage
SKILL LEVEL: DIY
RENTAL FRIENDLY: No
When Apartment Therapy asked several TikTok-famous DIYers their predictions for DIY project trends in 2025, DIYer and home stylist Claire Douglas (@clairedouglasstyling) said, “Dark woods will no longer be painted over but instead take center stage along with other vintage finds and lots of classic and timeless details rather than faddy trends.”
And that sentiment represents this bathroom makeover to a T. The bathroom belongs to Tracy Bennett (@4009decorates), who says, “Over time, my design style has evolved, and I have grown to love timeless, vintage vibes with moody colors and drenched colors.”
Her bathroom before wasn’t bad-looking by any means, but she updated it in 2020 as one of her first DIY projects. She painted a brushstroke pattern on the wall because she ”was still too nervous to try wallpaper at this beginning point of [her] DIY journey,” she explains, but over time, her taste changed, and she wanted something more dramatic.
A faux painted wallpaper makes way for the real deal.
During the Fall 2024 One Room Challenge, Tracy decided to give real, regal-looking wallpaper a go. “To start the process, I smoothed the walls for the wallpaper by applying joint compound to the walls and smoothed with a drywall knife,” she explains. “I then primed it with a semi-gloss white paint so it would be super smooth.”
She then added a pasted wallpaper in a green and gold floral pattern. “I bought a wallpaper kit on Amazon and used a smoothing brush and roller for the seams,” Tracy says. “The paper is very forgiving and easy to adjust and move into place to get the perfect alignment without hassle or mess. I love it and will definitely do it again in other rooms and spaces!”
New architectural details make the room feel fancier.
After smoothing the walls but before installing the wallpaper, Tracy also gave the lower third of her walls a little architectural interest with a chair rail and box molding that she installed herself — a first-time DIY project. She also added crown molding toward the ceiling.
“The only setback I had was with the crown molding corners meeting at perfect 45-degree angles in the corners,” Tracy says. “We found out the room [corners are] VERY much not 90 degrees … this left me with a huge gap between the corners, so I problem solved this by filling it in with spray foam insulation and cutting it with an Xacto knife and sanding it as smooth as I could. I then caulked over that and painted. You can hardly tell!”
Tracy painted over the molding and lower portion of the walls with a bold green (Behr’s Trailing Vine).
Vintage details complete the powder room.
“I love thrifting and finding vintage finds on FBMP, Etsy, and estate sales,” Tracy says. She sourced her new vanity on Facebook Marketplace, which ended up saving her about $500, she says.
Another detail in the room that looks vintage but is actually a budget-friendly DIY project is the floating shelf above the toilet. “By DIYing the ‘brass’ gallery rail on my floating shelf, I saved at least $100,” Tracy explains. “I used $10 wood dowels and finials and drilled holes in them, then connected them with wood glue after painting them with gold spray paint. This super-easy DIY created a timeless look.”
Her project total came to about $800, and the whole bathroom is now “vintage and collected” and “cohesive,” she says.
Inspired? Submit your own project here.
Further Reading
Everything You’ve Ever Wanted To Know About Article’s DTC Furniture
We Asked 8 Pro Travelers What They Never Pack in Their Carry-On, and Here’s What They Said
