New Bathroom Lighting + Bold Paint = Heart Eyes


  • Add new mirror to replace the old builder basicย one — CHECK
  • DIY shiplap to brighten the space — CHECK
  • Find an affordable, more stylish vanity light (all options here) — CHECK
  • Replace the shower head for something more powerful — CHECK
  • Test out 50 shades of grey to find the perfect grey paint colorย — CHECK
  • Decide on a color and paint — CHECK
  • Hire an electrician to install the vanity light and change the outlets to white — CHECK

We are making some serious progress in this tiny bathroom and I’m so excited to share the latest updates! It’s only taken me half the summer, but I swear this space is almost done.

Last time we chatted, I just installed my new shower head and was still deciding on a new vanity light and the perfect grey/greige for this space.

Testing paint colors in different shades of grey for the bathroom update. After testing what felt likeย 50 shades of grey/greige… I think I finally found the perfect shade for this space. I stepped way outside my light/bright paint comfort zone and went with a “darkish” grey.Bathroom with grey paint above the vanity.

I went dark because I wanted the white shiplap to really POP next to the paint. And after testing out a lot of different samples, I finally thought, “WHY NOT?!”. Why not try something new and totally outside of my norm for this tiny space?! I could easily re-paint it if I hated it. AND, if I hated it I learned the super valuable lesson that dark paint isn’t for me, which would have been worth the investment of giving it a try once and for all.

But surprisingly enough (so far at least), I learned that a splash of dark, moody paint is a lot more me than I anticipated.ย Don’t get me wrong, I still love light and bright and will probably continue to paint everything else in my house light and bright, but a hint of bold is a fun change.

Bathroom with bold grey above the vanity and shiplap update. The paint color is Behr’s “Creek Bend”. When I asked for grey/greige suggestions on our social media, I was overwhelmed with the suggestions and SO thankful for the ideas. I literally looked into each and every one! I was exposed to such a variety of great color suggestionsย that I think I’m going to put together a separate post for all of usย to find these suggestions all in one place. Stay tuned for that if you’re in the game for popular/highly recommended grey and/or greige paint colors.New light fixture in the bathroom makeover--vanity lights with silver accents.

In the meantime, let’s chat about that new vanity light. When I put together that vanity light round-up a few weeks ago, I realized that stylish vanity lights were 1. hard to come by and 2. EXPENSIVE. I didn’t want to break the bank on an expensive bathroom fixture since this tiny spaceย isn’t my “dream bathroom”. Maybe one day I’ll splurge on a more expensive fixture, but for now, an affordable and stylish one was all I was looking to buy.

Industrial style vanity light with silver accents. I chose this one from Lowe’s because it was “airy”, stylish and only $79 <—- which happened to beย the cheapest fixture I found.

This great vanity light fixture was inexpensive and looks great with the grey paint. It’s almost impossible to tell via photos, but the light that this glass fixture gives off in the bathroom at night is 100x brighter!! I LOVE that. Plus I feel like the glass in the fixture attracts less attention than the white sconces did, another aspect I really appreciate about this look.

All together I think this tiny space is really taking shape! I’m digging the transformation and I am pleasantly surprised that this mini bathroom makeover has taught me far more about my style than I ever anticipated.

Beyond the obvious of learning how to DIY shiplap all by myself, this bathroomย “makeover”ย forced me to make the most of whatย I have and inject my own style everywhere I can. I was never a huge fan of this bathroom and it’s crazy to me that a few simple updates have made me find a whole new appreciation for this space!

Bathroom with grey accent wall above the vanity and silver accents on the fixtures.Instead of focusing on how much I hate the dark brown vanity and beige tile/counters, I’m focusing on the parts of this bathroom that I now LOVE and the parts that are far more “me”.

I can’t wait to continue to inject my own, evolving style into other areas of my house that I’m not currently obsessed with. But before that, a few more items on this room’s to-do list before I can officially move on.Deep grey bathroom wall with shiplap.

  • Find/hang new art above the toilet
  • Find a new bathroom rug that isn’t super bathroom-y
  • Accessorize … add a few things that are functional and pretty. (i.e.ย Hide the toilet paper in something different)

 

Bridget


The Year of Casey

Hey there!

Iโ€™m Casey Finn, the voice behind The DIY Playbook. I’m a Chicago gal teaching you how to design, DIY, and maintain your home…by yourself! Learn more about me right here.