Kids' Bathroom Makeover on a budget

It all started with a towel! I was walking through Target and spotted the cutest and most perfect striped hand towel sitting on a shelf in the Pillowfort bathroom section. And it snowballed from there!

Towels led to accessories which led to new flooring which led to a complete trim overhaul, courtesy of my husband. I love that he is just as insane as I am about randomly renovating things in our home! Come along with me as I share my styling process and how I refreshed Jackson's bathroom on a budget!

I have been dying to make some updates to my son's bathroom for a while - ESPECIALLY the flooring!!! The original floor was boring linoleum that did nothing for the space. I was itching to replace it, but didn't want to spend a lot of money after some of our more substantial home projects this year. When I brought my new towels home, I knew I couldn't just stop there and began looking into budget friendly flooring options. I discovered peel and stick tiles called FloorPops that come in the cutest patterns! You apply them directly over your old flooring like giant stickers! FloorPops stay in place and are waterproof, which was a must for a bathroom! Eventually, we want to replace the old outdated tub, and at that time, we will install LVF or tile, but peel and stick tiles are an awesome budget refresh option until we are ready to tackle the bigger project!

It would have been possible to just install these tiles without taking out the old trim, but Tim wanted a cleaner look, so he took on the task of ripping out all of the old boards - not that he needed any other projects right now!!! I am so thankful he pushed for new trim because obviously the updated style makes the bathroom so much more stunning! We had recently replaced most of the trim on the first floor of our home, so it was MUCH faster to replace a small room's worth of trim this time! If you missed our trim overhaul, you can find that here! It's a good one!

The trickiest part of this flooring refresh was making some of the cuts around the tub and closet door. I did the closet cuts first as practice because those tiles won't really be seen. I made a quick video tutorial of how I made my cuts, which you can find on my Instagram page under my bathroom highlight! In terms of the cutting itself, the tiles were so easy to score with a utility knife and then fold along the cut! I used the carboard box the tiles came in as my cutting surface to make sure I didn't make any marks on my new flooring! I was able to install the entire floor including all of my cuts in just under 2 hours, so this refresh would be a perfect weekend project!

Here are the materials I used. I linked everything at multiple stores so you can find the best price!

Our master bathroom is TINY, so Tim and Jackson actually share a bathroom. Mama gets her own! When styling this space, I wanted to honor both of my guys and make it kid-friendly while still feeling grown up. I think a lot of spaces in our home have a sense of playful sophistication, which helps our home feel warm and welcoming while still looking chic and styled!

We obviously all know how much I love the hand towels I found! I used that as my color palette inspiration for the space, bringing in small pops of color with art and accessories. I made a mood board to help me narrow down choices and to give me a preview of what all the décor would look like together.

The bold charcoal and white print of the floor balance well with the thick, rugby striped towels. I decided to choose a solid white shower curtain so that it would not compete with my statement patterns. I found this bath mat at Target as well, and I love how the dark gold color coordinates with the towels! Mixing small and large prints helps to elevate the space by adding interest and depth.

We have only owned these bathroom mirrors for a few years and they were an investment, so it wasn't in the budget to replace them. I didn't like how the gunmetal silver clashed with the rest of my new décor so I taped off the mirrors and painted the frames matte black. (This is actually the same mirror we have in our half bath!) Painted black, I think the texture of the frames competes less with the busy pattern of the countertop.

As for the busy countertop, I struggled with whether or not to paint the counter with white epoxy for a cleaner look. Now that the space is finished and styled, I actually don't mind the pattern of the granite...for now. What do you think??

I ordered some new art from Etsy that I could download and print at home. This always helps me save money because I don't have to pay for shipping and the downloads are generally cheaper! If you don't have a printer at home, Costco and Staples do an excellent job of printing art for a budget friendly option! I wanted to give a nod to the fact that this is indeed a bathroom by choosing a vintage shaving soap logo and my 'so fresh and so clean' typography print (which I already owned) For the feel of a curated gallery, I mixed art styles by choosing a vintage racing poster and a black and white lion profile. For my guys, I love the lion portrait as their mascot in the bathroom!

I finished the space by spray painting the lids of our old bathroom canisters, switched out the shades on the existing light fixture (holy cow did that change the look of that fixture!!!) and added new organizational accessories. Last but not least, I added a plant because plants make every space in your home look better!

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Scroll through to shop this budget friendly makeover!

Other Room Info

I hope you find some inspiration here! I cannot believe how much we were able to achieve on a small budget! Choosing a bold floor pattern was such a great way to upgrade this space! You see it as soon as you reach the top of the stairs, and it just makes me so happy! Don't forget to subscribe at the bottom of the page so you never miss an opportunity to be inspired! And make sure to follow along on Instagram and Facebook for more styling tips and a peek inside our every day life!

xoxo, L

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