Room Reveal: My Guest Bathroom
After two and a half years, I’m finally finished decorating one of the rooms in my house. At first, I felt pressure to decorate quickly but then I realized that pressure was entirely self imposed. So, I decided to take my time in putting together a home I would enjoy, this room included. It’s important to me to not just fill my home with random things or decorate according to trends. I want each room to help me and my guests feel relaxed, inspired and transported to a beautiful place. I want my home to reflect my personality. Plus, I’m decorating on a small budget but I’ve felt confident that I could achieve all of the above. I just needed to be patient in gathering things that fit the aesthetic I envisioned. With that said, I’m so happy with how the guest bathroom turned out.
Before we get into all the styling details, I should tell you that to begin with this room didn’t look bad. The house had been recently remodeled when I bought it. In fact, this bathroom - the tiles especially - was one of the things that sold me on the house. The quatrefoil motif of the tiles appears often in Moroccan architecture/interior design and I adore Moroccan design. In addition to the tiles, I liked the tub, plumbing fixtures & floor. However, the overall look was not me; I found it plain. Not that it was surprising. Remodelled and staged homes tend to look generic. Below you can see what it looked like prior to my updates. (I lost all my other ‘before’ pics but hopefully, this one can still give you an idea).
It was bland but it was a good starting point.
Fortunately, personalizing the space didn’t require any renovation or drastic work…Just some elbow grease, time and simple diy projects. With the help of my brother Khari, I turned the space into a bathroom with boutique hotel vibes. I think that the simple changes I made in this guest bathroom have had a huge impact. There are a few additional changes I would like to make later such as having a skylight installed as well as raising and painting the shower curtain rod. For now though, I’m enjoying how the room has come together. Let’s scroll through the ‘after’ photos, shall we!
As I thought about how I could aesthetically connect the various rooms in the house, I knew decorating this bathroom around the tiles would be key. Also, even though I planned to use warm colors in other rooms, I liked this room’s light blue hue so I decided to keep it but do something fun by painting small brushstrokes to give the effect of wall-paper. The process took a few days but it was worth it. This is the fourth time I’ve used paint to create a wallpaper substitute. The contrast of the brushstrokes with the tile is just the type of pattern play I like.
I also incorporated colour and more texture through the decorative pieces. Combining different materials such as brass, wood, amber coloured glass and textured fabric created rich layers and depth. The portrait by Nashid Chroma was the perfect finishing touch. Before I chose this piece, I swapped out maybe three other art pieces. Even though each one was nice, none of them seemed quite right, this one immediately felt like the perfect fit, especially with the gorgeous frame I thrifted previously. When I found the frame, I did not have a suitable print for it but I’m glad I bought it anyhow. Seeing it with the Nashid Chroma piece confirms that my instinct was right.
I think that the small changes I made in this guest bathroom have had a huge impact. There are a few additional changes I would like to make later such as having a skylight installed as well as raising and painting the shower curtain rod. The first of the two is important because this bathroom has no natural light. In order for the room to not be cloaked in darkness, I always have to hit the switch, which sucks. For now, I’m ignoring that flaw and enjoying the transformation.
Here’s a list of most of the items in the room. Please note that I’m unable to share sources for the things that were here before I bought the house such as the shower tiles. I also can’t share links for things that I thrifted or that are sold out.
Towel bar, towel hook , hand towel ring & toilet paper holder: West Elm ; Cabinet pulls: CB2 ; Light switch cover : Amazon ; Mirror : Overstock - sold out but similar one here ; Vanity light fixture : Amazon ; Shelf : Ross ; Small picture frames : Target - sold out but these small ones are similar ; Black & white photos : one of woman from an old magazine ; smaller one from Coyote Trading ; Large art piece : Nashid Chroma ; Large frame : Thrifted ; Amber vases : Target ; Lotion bottle : Etsy; Rug : Urban Outfitters ; Faux orchids : Michael’s ; Faux leaf : Michael’s. Door towel hook : Ross ; Dark grey towels : Target ; Striped Turkish towel : Etsy ; Gold votive candle holders : Amazon ; Waste Basket: Thrifted ; Bath stool : Ross ; Shower curtain : Ross ; Shower curtain tie back : Fine Fabrics ; Bath caddy: Anthropologie - sold out but similar one here ; Coupe glass : Anthropologie ; Soap dish : Etsy ; Candle : Liha Beauty ; Bath sponge : Anthropologie .