An “All Gray” Bathroom’s Colorful Glow-Up Only Cost $230 (It’s Unrecognizable!)
Credit: Mary Darling Credit: Mary Darling
ABOUT THIS BEFORE & AFTER
HOME TYPE: House
PROJECT TYPE: Bathroom
STYLE: Colorful, Maximalist
SKILL LEVEL: DIY
RENTAL FRIENDLY: No
Some rooms are just itching for makeovers — especially blank-canvas bathrooms with white walls, white vanities, and standard, builder-grade fixtures. They’re basically begging for a little bit of pizzazz, whether that’s a new mirror with an interesting shape, a patterned wallpaper, or a bold-colored rug or shower curtain.
When Mary Darling (@marydarlingxoxo) and her husband were house hunting, Mary knew she wanted to add colorful flair to this “all gray” bathroom, as she puts it. “I wanted to make over this bathroom when I first saw it, before we even bought the house in 2018,” she adds on Instagram.
One thing she especially hated was the dark black vanity. But a little bit of paint changed everything.
The bathroom makeover features 3 bold paints.
Mary used HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams paint, and she chose Turquoise Tint for the vanity, Beach Blanket for the wall behind it, and Sweet Melon for the reddish pink accent wall and hand towel rack. “I only bought one gallon of the Beach Blanket color [for] $30,” Mary says. “The rest were pints that were only about $9 each, so the cost was quite low!” She says her paint total was about $75 with the paint rollers.
And painting the vanity was easier than expected. “I suggest using 4-inch sponge rollers, and make sure you let it dry so the layers get brighter and brighter!” Mary says, adding that best practice is to sand the pre-existing finish off the vanity and to use a sealer after your new coat so the paint stays on well.
The colors correspond with a bold wallpaper.
Mary says her paint color choices were guided by a retro-inspired peel-and-stick wallpaper (a go-to for Mary!) that she selected for the wall across the vanity. You can see the wallpaper in a photo on Mary’s Instagram here. “I picked paint colors to match!” she says.
Including the wallpaper, her project total came to about $230.
Inspired? Submit your own project here.
Further Reading
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