A “Sad” and “Gross” Brooklyn Bathroom Gets a Bold and Cheery Makeover

Olivia Harvey
·3 min read
white plain bathroom before makeover
Floral shower curtain in newly renovated bathroom.
Yellow, gray and white bathroom

ABOUT THIS BEFORE & AFTER

HOME TYPE: Apartment

PROJECT TYPE: Bathroom

STYLE: Colorful, Eclectic

SKILL LEVEL: DIY, Professional

RENTAL FRIENDLY: No

When a bathroom has dated tile, sometimes all it takes is the right paint color — plus a few accessories in the right color scheme — to take that tile from drab to designer.

Brooklyn loft dweller Danielle Kelling (@daniknyc77) “really didn’t like the paint color or the tile color,” in her apartment, she tells Apartment Therapy. It was like many apartment bathrooms out there — dark, dated, and, honestly, “kind of gross,” as she puts it. “The lighting was sad, and the outside mounted medicine cabinet was gross and needed replacing.”

The one thing going for the bathroom, though, was the size. “I loved how big it was, but that was all,” she says. “I just really needed a bathroom with better lighting that didn’t feel so gross to be in, so I needed to make adjustments.”

white plain bathroom before makeover
Floral shower curtain in newly renovated bathroom.

Lighting and hardware upgrades made the bathroom less dingy.

The first step was replacing the original light above the bathroom sink. “I found this nice three-light bathroom sconce from Pottery Barn that had a little bit of a retro feel and would give off good light,” Danielle says. “The main thing that improved the function [of the bathroom] was finding the right light fixture. It just gives off a lot more light and allows me to put makeup on and get ready a lot easier.”

Once the lighting was checked off, Danielle then replaced the medicine cabinet and mirror to further brighten up the space. “I bought an inexpensive plain white medicine cabinet from IKEA [and] installed it over the toilet instead of over the sink. I bought an Art Deco mirror I found on Etsy for over the pedestal sink.”

Yellow, gray and white bathroom

The DIYer incorporated a cheerier color scheme.

Next, that “generic” white paint color, as Danielle called it, had to go. She opted for a bright and happy yellow (Benjamin Moore’s Damask Yellow). The ceiling is Benjamin Moore’s Paper White, and Super White. “It transformed the room so much,” Danielle says. “It was the perfect complement to help transform the gray tile and make the room more exciting.”

Finally, Danielle brought in some playful textiles to really make the bathroom pop. She chose a shower curtain from Anthropologie, picked some contrasting red striped hand towels, and brought in an old Anthropologie rug she already had to add softness.

“Changing the paint color and installing a playful shower curtain made the biggest difference,” she says. “It took a couple tries to get where I am with the bathroom, but now when you see the space it just is so cheerful and pretty.”

She adds, “The new space just brings me so much joy, and I actually love being in my bathroom now.”

Inspired? Submit your own project here.

Further Reading

We Tested (and Rated!) Every Sofa at West Elm — Here Are the Best for Every Type of Need

We Tested (and Rated!) All the Sofas at Pottery Barn — Here Are the Best for Every Type of Need

See How a Stager Used Paint to Transform a 1950s Living Room

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