Boho Modern Bathroom Redo | Apartment Therapy

Sometimes it takes a bit of a budget crunch to really get creative with your decorating. For instance: When Heather Barnes of Our Barnes Yard moved into her home, she knew the early 2000s master bathroom was on the reno list. But so were lots of other spaces, including the kitchen and the living area. “When it came time to update the en suite bathroom, there just wasn’t a huge budget for a large scale renovation,” Heather says. “One of the main reasons we purchased this home was because we could see the potential and knew that the amount of natural light was being dampened by the abundance of dark earth tones and warm wood. That’s where the power of paint came in!”

Rather than knock everything out, Heather reached for a few different types of paint to make the most of the space. First up: painting the walls and trim a creamy white. “This step did WONDERS for brightening the room,” Heather says. Next up: refreshing the original oak vanity, which was “in great shape and had a modern profile,” Heather says. Gray paint (Benjamin Moore’s Bone Black), a new faucet, a crisp white vanity top, and gold hardware from Amerock went a long way in pulling it into 2020. All this cost about $500, but “it was much cheaper than replacing the vanity entirely,” Heather says.

Next, Heather spray painted the tub’s faucet gold and painted its surrounding tile white. Finally, she painted the floor stark black. “It really brought the drama to the room,” Heather says. “It was a simple update which took boring old, ugly tile, and made it look modern, sleek, and sophisticated.”

After adding in some new artwork and plenty of plants, the space looks almost unrecognizable. What was once a dark and dim haunt has become a bright, breezy boho-modern bathroom. Heather knows she’ll have to shell out for a more extensive update in the future, but for now, she’s created a space she’s happy to spend time in. “While this update won’t stand the test of time durability wise, it does increase the aesthetics of the room and will bridge the time between the old bathroom, and a full scale renovation,” she says.

“What I really love about the after is that it is a true testament to the power of paint,” Heather adds. “It really shows people that you don’t have to live with that ugly tile you hate, or that faucet you wish you could replace. You can paint it and hate it a little bit less!”

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