I know so many of you are going to think I’ve literally lost my mind because we are doing a room makeover one month before we move out of our rental. But let me explain before you jump to too many conclusions like thinking that you need to regulate my meds or come and check my temperature. I have wanted to paint this bathroom in our rental since the day we moved in 6 months ago. It’s dark, dingy, & so purple that barney is jealous. I just never got the bug. That bug that makes you want to do a DIY project right when you catch the bug at 1am. I caught the bug the other night when I was showering in the said dungeon bathroom & just had to make some changes for our sake, but also for your sake. Say what?! Yah, I mean I always say that you don’t have to live in a home that you don’t love & that it doesn’t have to cost a fortune to change it or take a long time to complete it. So guess what? I’m re-doing this bathroom on a MAJOR budget using things I already have & of course the power of paint. Over the next week I will be sharing that journey with you. Starting today with the before & a progress shot. It’s not the prettiest blog post… but it’s real life… & real life is pretty beautiful.
There you have it. The downstairs bathroom in our rental. Dirty towels & empty toilet paper roll & all! This small space was dark, & quite frankly as soon as I showered I would run out of there as quick as I could because it just wasn’t an enjoyable place to be.
So, my original thought was to paint the walls white. Just a crisp & clean white to really just make the space look larger & more clean. But after starting the white, I realized I hated it in the space. It made the tile look too almond & I thought the contrast of the white & the tile was a little too much. So I tried something else with another color I had on hand.
So here is the “final” paint color choice. It’s gray shimmer by Behr & even on this cell phone photo at night with bad lighting I don’t hate it. & actually these tiles don’t look this tan in person I don’t think, maybe it’s the lighting? We will see! Now of course if this was my house I’d rip the wall tiles out, but for a rental? I work with what I have. I enhance the beauty around me. I am not quite finished painting yet, but so far I already had the paint on hand & I’ve only spent an hour or two painting {which would have been less if I chose the right color to start.}. Not bad!
Up next: finish the painting, paint the cabinet, DIY a shower curtain, add some accessories, hang art, add shelving, & bam. New bathroom! I hope that through this you can see what you can do in a rental to feel at home while you are living there. Also a makeover again doesn’t have to take forever or cost a lot. So, what do you think of this rental bathroom makeover adventure? Are you excited to see the after? Let me know what you think in the comments below, find me on Facebook, & chat with me on Instagram! xx
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So love the color choice! Pale grey and beige are my obsession! When the purple paint was there, I thought the tiles were either purple or pink. Imagine my surprise when you put up the white paint and the tiles were beige! Anyway, looking awesome. Can’t wait to see the end result! And? How sweet of you to leave it nicer than you found it for the next renter!
I’ve always been afraid of doing anything to a rental. But not anymore! I’m sure my hubby will be like why are you doing this we are renting but, your right a little paint doesn’t hurt anyone….
Great color choice! We lived in a rental for five years before building our house last year. I painted all kinds of rooms to make it feel more like home! Do not blame you one bit for painting just before you move.
Looks great!
Your post just make me laugh. Because sometimes it just hits you that you can’t LIVE with something anymore….in this case it was that purple paint. Good for you. And we can see that there isn’t a lot of wall to cover, hence just a bit of time to get it done. And by using what you already had on hand there is no extra expense and you probably don’t want to take all the leftover paint to Michigan anyway. And it is now brighter and cleaner for you and the next folks who occupy that house. It certainly is an improvement.
You have made numerous improvements to this residence (the mint green door and porch, etc.) and your landlords should love you to pieces!
I can’t wait to see what color you paint the cabinet. I am thinking of gray for our bathroom.
Heey very interesting blog!
You’re funny!!! Right now, I’m doing exactly the same, painting the walls of the guest bathroom in our new house, saying goodbye for the horrible green and saying hello to some grey, let’s see how it will turn out. Thank you for your inspirations, I’ll be painting the vanity as you did in your house. Your blog makes me really excited to paint and do so many DIY’s, I’m starting to drive my husband crazy 🙂
Its like you read my mind! You seem to know a lot about this, like you wrote the boo
in it or something. I think tha you could do with some piocs to drive the message home a little bit, but instead oof that,
this is excellent blog. A great read. I’ll certainly be back.
You’re my kind of crazy! 😛 Love the color choice!
Liz, I cannot wait to see the finished projecr. In my rental bathroom we have a horrible open closet full of towels and sheets that I cannot figure out how to make look presentable. Any suggestions?