Let’s take a little journey back in time… to a time when first bought our house and you had to use THIS if you wanted to powder your nose downstairs:
The brass fixtures were a little less gleaming now than I imagine they were back in their heyday. The cabinet door was broken and falling down. There was a mysterious paper towel holder next to the vanity. (I shudder to think why toilet paper would not suffice.)
The grunge build-up on the laminate floors was not pretty. And if you used the toilet (which we avoided), you quickly learned that it wasn’t really screwed in to the floor, and rocked back and forth so you felt like you were on a fantastical roller coaster ride of emotion while taking care of your business. Not ideal.
You can’t really tell in the picture above, but inside the old cabinet, previous homeowners had left us a massive pile of hair. (Used weave, I think?) Dear previous homeowners: No thanks.
Also, the walls were a much grosser color than they look here. I’d name it Green Baby Poo.
And then I’d set it on fire.
So, we changed things.
We gutted the entire room, and left it that way for, literally, about a year. That meant an open toilet hole in our floor for a reeeeally long time. But finally we stopped ignoring this room, laid the same DIY hardwood floors that we put through the rest of the downstairs, put in a shiny new toilet and fancy little vanity, new lighting, new window and window treatments, crown molding and our own little custom striped paint job!
We painted the walls, then taped off stripes and filled them in with a Valspar pearlescent glaze. (They’re very subtle so it’s hard to photograph them well, but in real life, they’re all, “heyyyyyy!”)
I had a tiny budget, but big dreams of snagging a truly fabulous vanity. I’d been stalking this mirrored stunner online for MONTHS. But it was $1200. And that wasn’t gonna fly with my husband, or with our budget. So I waited.
TJ Maxx HomeGoods sells fancy vanities at a great price, but they only bring in one or two a week, so Andy and I made it a weekly ritual to drive out to HomeGoods and check for a decent vanity.
Then one day, one magical, glorious day, they had the EXACT SAME vanity I’d been watching for online! I almost cried. It was love at first sight. But we asked the manager to drop the price anyway, and they did! 
The whole thing came out to around $200. How’s that for fantastic savings?!
Wait, go back and look at that vanity again. *Swoon!*
We also scored the mirror at HomeGoods for about $20. I found the faucet set online for $40, then a week later I saw it in Home Depot for $140!
This was the last room we started, and the first room we finished. But I’m so happy that it’s finished!
P.S.: If you like this post, check out our $157 laundry room redo…
And the rest of our entire room reveals right here!
Let's connect
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Hi, I'm Kelly. Glad you're here! This little blog is where I chronicle our efforts to fix up our beaten-down home on a tiny budget. We're not there yet, but here's a peek at the view along the way...
Beautiful! I would love to powder my nose there…and I love the stripes, so Lettered Cottage!
Rock on! You're making me so proud girl! That's the way to do it – find what you like then wait til you find the right price for it. It's beautiful!! Good job to you and your mom on the painting, as well. Looks awesome.
you two are too impressive
that vanity is very swoon worthy!
great job
Wait, you can ask HomeGoods to drop their prices? Why didn't I know this?!
LOVE the way it turned out!
I am in the midst of a bathroom remodel – currently we're down to the bare studs – and I plan on doing the same paint technique.
What shades of paint did you use? I was leaning towards using gray and cream in our bathroom because our floors are an almost black hardwood and our tiles for the shower are faux cararra marble and black/white/gray glass/stainless steel tiles. I love the subtlene-ss of your paint job….very pretty
Thanks! Ahh you just made me realize that I forgot what paint color this is. (My worst fears come true!) It's some kind of cream (I know, SO unhelpful), but I do remember that the glazed stripe is Valspar pearlescent glaze. Good luck with your bathroom! Your ideas sound beautiful!
I can't believe you got that vanity! Score. I really like the hardwoods. I have left over from downstairs remodel and wonder if I should use it in my full bath.
WOW!! Here I was thinking I scored on the vanity we just installed in our 1/2 bath…this one is amazing! Drooling on my keyboard here!!
Great job!
Aloha,
Charlie
Oh, and can I ask where you scored the faucets? We have two more bathrooms to do in the next 4 months, and those are gorgeous!
Aloha,
charlie
Definitely! The faucet came from ebay. It's Pegasus brand. Only $40, new in box! Good luck with your reno!
So pretty! We are also in the get rid of gold stage
Next to go are the makeup room styled light fixtures. I really liked yours. Do you remember where you got it?
Kelly! It looks SO good! I love that vanity! As you may remember from my living room… I do have a thing for mirrored dressers! Love the stripes too…. SUCH a pretty bathroom!
LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! It turned out beautiful!! Would love if you would come share at Feathered Nest Friday sometime!
I’m swooning, too!
make me envious!!!! how gorgeous – shows determination and patience pays off in the end! Congratulations
This is probably my favorite vanity…ever! Score!! Your bathroom looks awesome.
where did you get your vanity lighting from?
I think it came from Lowes. Thanks for the comment!
Beautiful! I’m seriously in awe at the price on that vanity, too!! The hubster and I live in an NYC rental (our bathroom makes your before pic look nice!) but we’re making little changes where we can and taking notes for the day we finally get to own. Love this gorgeous transformation!
That vanity is to die for. I seriously stopped breathing for a second or two when it whizzed by in my facebook feed. Awesomeness!
This looks AMAZING, Kelly! LOVE it! Love the subtle stripes on the walls and that mirrored chest – wow.
Terrific job! We are in the middle of doing the exact same thing and I love your faucet. Where did you get it? I’ve been researching online and everywhere and can’t find one that cheap.