When I was at Mom’s last year helping with the renovation of her master bathroom, we also did a small update to the small, second bathroom. (Mind you: Five children grew up just fine traveling daily through this “tiny” bathroom. Don’t even get me started with today’s 20-something house hunters who can’t LIVE in a house with a bathroom this SMALL.) For the small bathroom freshening, I count basically five steps or decisions — mostly inexpensive ones — that gave the bathroom a fresh and classy sassy new look. The most expensive and only “structural” change — but the one with a very fundamental quality impact — was tiling the floor, eliminating vinyl:
Step one: Replace vinyl floor with stock ceramic tile.
We pulled out inexpensive 1970s-era vinyl flooring, and replaced it with white octagon-and-dot ceramic floor tile. We got the ceramic at Lowe’s, it only cost about $2.50 per square foot, as I recall. We used medium gray grout so that the shape of the tile would pop. And so begins my small “graphic bathroom.”
Step 2: Choose the shower curtain.
The tile was an easy decision (it sort of coordinated with the hex tile in the master bathroom). The shower curtain came easy peasy, too. I was shopping around Target, there it was. I knew that this Peanuts shower curtain would coordinate just fine with the floor… It had simple, light colors and that nice punch of red… I knew that the large-scale graphics would look good in the small bathroom… kind of playing nicely against the conservative conventional graphic of the floor. Oh, and I love Snoopy. I just knew it work — that the shower curtain would become the not too big, not too small, just right focal point of the small bathroom. Note, this shower curtain is no longer available at Target online, but you may still find it on ebay (affiliate link):
Oh, behind the shower curtain is a basic, almond-colored fiberglass tub/shower insert. If I had more time, I’d paint the gold rod with a shiny black lacquer spray paint.
Step 3 (above): Repaint the walls.
Because we kept the original vanity — with its almond-colored plastic top — I chose a wall color that would bridge the white and the almond. I also wanted to keep the room light and bright… but with some gravitas. The color is Muslin from Sherwin Williams. I like it very much. It’s like the classic Navajo, but with a lighter touch. Glowy… classy… rich looking, even.
Step 4 (above): Paint the vanity.
Previously, the vanity had been natural oak. I wanted to simplify the palette, so white it was. Note, we used an outside painter dude, and he used the wrong finish paint on the vanity. Within a few weeks, you could see see the fingerprints accumulating on the flat paint. And I wasn’t paying attention when I took these photos, so I didn’t scrub them off first. My bad. See things I’d changed, below.
Step 5 (above and continuing below): Accessorize.
When I painted the vanity in Mom’s master bathroom black using Rust-Oleum Cabinet Transformations, I also painted this old shelf that I found in a storage area. The old color was blue, as I recall. The Rust-Oleum kit did a fab job. Originally, I had thought this would go in Mom’s bathroom. But it seemed too cramped in there. So into the second bathroom it went. Again, I was trying to go big and graphic black-and-white in this small bathroom. So this piece worked well.
It contains an important message for XX-chromosome users.
A key to being all graphic-like was not to clutter up the shelf. Mom collects these little sheep figurines, duh, hello. This is a fun and unexpected way to experience them daily.
New-fangled TP holder. Kinda works well.
What would I change? I’d paint the vanity and the light fixture base black, as well — to match the shelf and also the mirror I found at Target. The faucet also is new. And LoOk! I put the exhaust fan on a timer!
Towels and rugs are red — made possible by that red PuNcH! in the shower curtain. Overall, this cheap and cheerful bathroom update turned out great.
9 great details for a bathroom remodel – lessons from my mom’s bathroom renovation 
Graham and Monika’s mid-century modern bathroom remodel 
How can I add storage to my small bathroom? 
Become a fan
Great tips as we move on to the renovation of OUR small bathroom. And I agree with your feelings on ’5 kids used this bathroom over all those years just fine.’ I don’t lounge in my bathroom, it’s got a few functions and that’s what we use it for!
Adore the flooring, and that’s what we’ll be going for. We’re talking about white octagon with black spacers.
Your Mom’s bathroom came out great – love the red ‘POP’!!
Can I ask about the binoculars hanging by the window????
Mom lives at the top of a big hill. Binocs are for… watching tornados come or something like that! Hey: I liked the fact they added a graphic pop of black! If they had been blue or green — I would not have allowed them in the bathroom! Hi Mom!
LOVE the Peanuts shower curtain! The bathroom looks great and is a prime example of how you can spruce up a bathroom without doing a total (expensive) gut.
Thanks, Jenny! Yup: Cheap and cheerful is my middle name!
A sweet example of what an artist can do when she has a passion for home decorating, Pam. Lovely to look at and experience.
Thank you, Just Another! I sure don’t consider myself an ‘artist’ — I just learn as I go…
This was pretty helpful. My bathroom is TINY, miniscule. It’s horrible too, ugly brown splotched tile from the 70s which doesn’t fit in with the rest of the house. I don’t know what to do with it since it is so small. There is literally only about 4sf of floor space. The tub has one of those sliding doors because I can’t even fit a shower curtain in between the tub and shower and there is a huge window in the shower right at boob level haha. Clearly the lady who lived here before me (for 50 years!) never took showers. I really think I’m going to yank up the brown and put down some clean white to help open the space.
I’m glad you’re encouraged, Sarah. Before ripping out stuff, be sure to have it tested for vintage nasties like lead and asbestos!
Also, Sarah, I think the key to keeping a small bathroom sane is keeping all clutter out. Put your daily stuff in the medicine cabinet or in the vanity.
Looks Great Pam! I too love the shower curtain, but I’m also loving the gold bar that it hiding the shower curtain hooks. What is that thing? I’ve never seen that before. Is it an authentic vintage piece?
Yes, I think the gold bar is original. It’s a decorative shower curtain rod — with mechanism with hooks for shower curtain and liner behind the cover. The same idea as decorative traverse rods. I’m guessing it’s original to the house circa 1974.
Mom, I know you are reading this — is it original, or did it go in later??
The binoculars are used to check for the bad guys [coyotes] and the good guys [deer].
Hi Mom! I hope you like the story. I think I forgot to tell you I took these pics when I visited last week.
xoxo Thanks for the clarification! Do you see lots of coyotes and deer still these days?
Great timing on this post for me. My son may be getting a house with a small second bath. It’s from the late eighties and quite plain. This post will calm any ideas of suggesting major updates. A little inventive and creative design will go a long way. Thanks, Pam.
Oh, Pam. Ideas are popping like popcorn in my head after viewing these photos. We have a very similar small bath which is the next project on our renovation agenda. Its cheap and curling ’80′s vinyl flooring could be replaced by the great octagon dot tile quite nicely.
I’m in flooring mode at the moment. We’re replacing horribly worn carpeting with as-near-as-possible-to-mid-mod-style light oak laminate; i.e., cover of Fall 2011 “Atomic Ranch”. That is, until the carpeting came up last night and revealed, as I suspected, original sheet vinyl in the orange/tan Persian tile pattern. It’s in surprisingly good shape. Now, about the asbestos thing…….argh. Always something.
ooooh, original vinyl sheet in orange/tan Persian tile! yes, consult with a licensed professional regarding how to handle so you can make an informed decision. Other readers: Warning — do not leave advice on this issue; I will delete it; each homeowner needs to “own” this issue themselves — again: consult with licensed professional.
Thank you, Pam, You are so right about seeking the advice of a professional in this field; in fact, we have one coming over next week to see what needs to be and can be done.
But, my oh, my. The orange Persian vinyl covers the living room, the dining room, and part of the hall. Fire up your la-va lamp – it is sweet!
Gold star for you, Annie B. !!!!
Pssst…..I think you meant XY.
At least in my experience, the XYs have more difficulty hitting the target than us XXs.
Oh yeah. I even looked it up. Scrambled brain!
You beat me to it. But let’s not forget those XX who “hover.”
I know…. we call that the “Helicopter Pee” in my family.
Makes for really icky ladies’ rooms. Blech.
overshare tee hee
Sorry — I’m the Queen of TMI. (Too Much Information.)
However, in my defense, I personally have never performed the helicopter maneuver — yuck. Nor has anyone I’m related to.
So is it really oversharing if I’m just making an observation about a public place? (Insert Scooby Doo laugh here!)
Pam — by the way, I did win a 1936 catalog and will send you some jpegs sometime soon. I think I need to read up on format and such on your homepage/contact area.
LOVE what you did with this bathroom!!!!! You are a good daughter!
Exciting! I have the world’s tiniest master bathroom and am ramping up to do a little facelift on it…paint the vanity/light fixture, repaint the walls (thanks for your tip about bridging the gap between white and almond)…just little things. We want to install an exhaust fan but have no idea where to even begin…
Perfect timing with this post as I am getting started on this stuff this weekend!
I love the octagon and dot tile! Very retro and very cool! I love how the rug contrasts with that tile as well.
Hi. What a good daughter you are to help out your mom. Hey, if she ever wants to change out that shower curtain (and send it to me, a big Peanuts fan), she could get this one with sheep on it:
http://www.wholesale-faucet.com/search.php?encode=YTo1OntzOjg6ImNhdGVnb3J5IjtzOjE6IjAiO3M6ODoia2V5d29yZHMiO3M6MjA6InNoZWVwIHNob3dlciBjdXJ0YWluIjtzOjE6IngiO3M6MToiMCI7czoxOiJ5IjtzOjE6IjAiO3M6MTg6InNlYXJjaF9lbmNvZGVfdGltZSI7aToxMzI3Njc4NTEwO30=
Really, REALLY nice, Pam!
As much as I liked your makeover of your Mom’s master bath, I like this one even more: the simple touches and limited expenditures show how much impact you can have with carefully considered changes. And I’m right there with you on eliminating clutter in a small space. Some people can pull off the “jewel box” effect, but not being so talented, I’d much rather have a small room that is clean and simple.
This inspires me to rethink a planned makeover of our main bath: both our baths are small, but in that room we were going to “do it all”. Although we have pulled back from that in favor of retirement savings (and getting to retire!) this example seems right in keeping with what will satisfy me and still not cost an arm and a leg.
YAY for retirement savings and getting to retire. YAY YAY YAY, yes THAT’S THE POINT HERE on this ENTIRE BLOG!
Wow, thanks for the validation. Retirement is good but you do have to make choices that support it. In the best of all possible worlds, money would be no object, but we know better about reality!
The shower rod is a Sears outlet find in the 80′s.
Nice, Mom!
Awww, very nice! I just think it looks so…..classy!
Nice job on the small bath! We just moved away from our MCModest small bathroom house. To make it look nicer for sale I replaced the flooring with a sheet of vinyl that mimics Marmoleum in a blue-grey, and painted the walls that “spa aqua” color that is so popular now. That bathroom doesn’t have any original tile left; just a “cultured marble” bath/shower surround and very basic white porcelain wall-hung sink and potty. I loved how having the same tone for all the floor and walls opened up the space and wished I had done this before we moved out. Like you, I added a more decorative mirror — one I found at Goodwill with a white rattan frame — chose a white waffle weave shower curtain to match.
Yes: Watch for decorative mirrors at the Goodwill!
This story is just too cute. I love the voice of MOM (all in caps) popping in with commentary!
I love the sheep! I make sheep similar to these in my clay studio… they are so fun and easy to make and you can crank them out in any size or shape! Everyone loves sheep! Llamas are also fun!
I love the sheep, too. Just did lunch hour speed shopping at one of our local thrifts and kept an eye out for sheep for Mom.
Sorry, Mom, lots and lots of rabbits, but no sheep. I’ll find ewe one!
I see sheep all over the place, being a spinner, knitter, weaver, etc.
My kind of shop and get-together always has people selling sheepy things.
MOM, do you want a sheep magnet that says, “I don’t ask for too much – just my own way”? It has been on my fridge for several years and I don’t even notice it anymore. It’s probably time for it to move on to someone else, anyway.
Nice Job! You answered my question about the black shelf over the toilet. I wondered about its origin. I had the icky peeling wallpaper removed from my windowless hall bath. i primed the walls which are in great shape, unlike the deteriorating robins egg blue wall tile. I think I am going with light teal paint and the black shelves over the white toilet would look nice, now that I have seen a picture. I like the shower rod valance! Thanks for sharing.
3 cheers for showing ways of re-doing small baths without adding on! We did a complete gutting of our master bath and gave up a closet in the process, but that bath was poorly laid out.
The one I am about to take on is standard issue mid century layout. The only reason I am replacing the vanity is it is falling off the wall anyway, and the floor is coming unstuck. All due to foundation damage.
Everything else stays, and is just getting a face lift. New paint and a smile, as it were. A few cosmetic touches to give it the feel of space.
I think we learn so much more from this column than we do from years of reading home decorating magazines!
This makes me revisit a dilemma I’ve been having about the one and only bath in the house. The tub/shower has a window in it that was covered in the last remodel probably in the 70′s. I have a very large linen/vanity closet in the bathroom with shelves and drawers that could be taken out and that space made into a nice tiled shower stall and then the window could be reclaimed above the tub with no worries about water problems. Linens and toiletries could move to a large coat closet at the end of the hall but just steps outside the bathroom. Sounds great but there’s just this little thing inside my head telling me not to alter the original linen/vanity closet. But oh how I want that window back!
I’d vote to get the window back…
Hi Pam–
Love seeing someone else’s bathroom project. I really like the retro look of the tile and the Peanuts shower curtain.
Mostly love seeing it simple, as we’re mired in one that started out with a leak and mushroomed into…a really big freakin’ deal. If you want a good laugh, you can check it out here: http://www.thissortaoldlife.com/2012/01/17/how-to-renovate-a-bathroom/
Nice, clean feel to this bathroom. I love the Peanuts shower curtain, but if your mom ever wants to continue the sheep theme, I spotted this sheep shower curtain which is a hoot (except sheep don’t hoot):
http://www.wholesale-faucet.com/products-2364-Small-Cartoon-Sheep-PVC-Shower-Curtain-MM1507-.html
Our “big” bathroom (don’t bother asking about the small one) is tiny, and was noticeably lacking in pizzazz. But it does have the original 1954 pink ceramic tile on the floor and surrounding the tub/shower, so not all was lost.
To make it stick out, I painted the walls battleship grey, and put in a pink fabric shower curtain (to get that classic 50′s pink/grey look). For storage, I added a vintage 50′s clothes hamper, which we use for clean towels.
Some vintage starburst towel rings, and steam-proof vintage wall art (plastic molds of Grecian ladies with urns in tasteful Formica frames) and the look was complete. For now…..
What great tile!! I would love to incorporate it into my tiny 1925 bathroom. Just need ideas on how to prop up the very very heavy clawfoot tub enough to rip out the vinyl and lay the tile!!
“my aim is to keep this bathroom clean. your aim will help.”
hahaha! i *need* that sign. i think i will make one soon. perhaps it will help with situations like when i went to scold the small boys about which of them needed to clean off the toilet *again*, and my adult brother-in-law giggled and admitted to being the culprit.
anyhow, this 20-something homeowner has been fine with one tiny bathroom…though it needs notably more than a 5-step remodel =)
Am new here. We have a ’40′s 900 sf bungalow. Do you know where I may find blogs/ reno ideas for that decade?
Hi Sona, and welcome. I don’t know of another blog — but know, I have plenty of content relevant to 40s houses. Check out the categories… and spend some time going back… I hope you can find what you need. Let me know…