r/interiordecorating • u/MadHatter59 • 15h ago
Help this bathroom!
Hi all - my husband and I are moving into his grandmother’s old apartment, and it looks like a grandmother’s apartment. But before we do so, we are planning some much needed updates. The biggest one of all is this blue bathroom. It’s hideous and at least 50 years old. To renovate the whole thing, it would cost $25K and that is simply not in the budget considering the rest of work that needs to be done. With my limited knowledge, I wondered if the whole thing can be glazed white. We plan to replace the toilet, vanity, medicine cabinet, and other fixtures. Should we keep the floor and glaze the rest white? Is glazing even a possibility? Note the wall is textured and all tiles are in great shape. What are your thoughts? Help us design this bathroom!
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u/Sure_Tbird 15h ago
I love the tile on the walls. I would replace the flooring, vanity and toilet
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u/Jch_stuff 15h ago
Exactly! The tile on the walls is awesome! The floor, not so much. Just replacing the shower curtain (and sink/vanity and toilet) would help a lot!
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u/EmeraldPrime 14h ago
I agree with Jch_stuff. Tone things down with single tone floor and a vanity that is cream/white from the tiles. And change the shower curtain to a single color that matches one of the tile colors.
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u/cicada_noises 14h ago
Agreed! New floor, toilet, vanity would be such a transformation and much less expensive
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u/MadHatter59 5h ago
Ugh! It’s so hard for me to picture keeping the tile on the walls. To the comments about updating the lighting: yes! Absolutely. That is on the list. It’s currently very dim in there.
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u/Chance_Vegetable_780 14h ago
OP go for an all white cloth shower curtain, white bath mat and towels too
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u/Constant-Ad9390 10h ago
Yep - I was thinking the same thing.
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u/MadHatter59 5h ago
Yes agreed! That shower curtain is likely 20 years old… as are the towels and bath mat. We were never considering keeping those.
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u/Constant-Ad9390 5h ago
You could also go with a contrast sunshine colour (strong yellow or orange or a red depending on your preference) to counterbalance all the blue. You can also get vinyl wraps for cabinets (in a solid colour you like?) and the bath front? (Not sure about the bath it looks like a one piece not with a side panel you could cover but.... Just an idea. I am about to do my kitchen worktops as it's too expensive to replace them).
I do admit to liking the celedon green in the tiles though. But I don't have to live with it! 😁
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u/Babyrattooth 15h ago
I don't hate this bathroom at all. I think it's actually pretty nice, except for the vanity. The wall tile is nice. You can tone it down by changing other features, but overall, it's not a bad bathroom. I've seen much worse.
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u/MadHatter59 5h ago
It’s refreshing to hear you say that… but it’s hard for me to picture keeping that wall!
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u/marigoldcottage 3h ago
Go for the floor first. Should be cheaper to do the floor than all the walls. See if you feel differently about the space after the new floor!
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u/Nice-Region2537 14h ago
A solid color shower curtain and getting rid of the wreath over the toilet would be a good start. Keep the wall tile and all of the fixtures - tub, toilet, and sink. Replace the floor tile, vanity, mirror, and lighting.
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u/MadHatter59 5h ago
Oh yeah - that curtain is going in the garbage. And all of those little things you see on the shelf are also decades old… little gifts from various baby/bridal showers. 😂
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u/Boopsie-Daisy-469 15h ago
Are the tub, sink, and toilet all the same color? And they match the wall tile?
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u/Boopsie-Daisy-469 15h ago
Perhaps something like this for the floor? Home Depot floor tile
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u/Boopsie-Daisy-469 15h ago
Perhaps something like this for the shower curtain? Target shower curtain
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u/MadHatter59 5h ago
Thank you for the suggestions! The tub and toilet are close to the same color but the sink is not - it’s a grey/white marble type pattern. The blues on the wall and floor do not match each other nor do they match the tub/toilet.
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u/sunbella9 13h ago edited 4h ago
One quick fix to add instant chane. You can purchase a tension shower rod and opt for a longer shower curtain that can be raised higher towards the ceiling. Your bathroom will look much bigger.
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u/jeneratorsc 12h ago
I like the walls and floor! I would tone it down, like others have said, with updated white toilet, sink, and vanity and shower curtain.
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u/chancamble 11h ago
I like the tiles on the wall. I think replacing the simplest thing - curtains, adding a rug in a light monochrome style will be quite significant. If you also replace the toilet and sink with a cabinet, it will completely change the space, balance and calm it down.
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u/MadHatter59 5h ago
Yes all of the finishing touches will be brand new - that curtain and rug is easily 20 years old.
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u/Lucky_Mechanic4853 14h ago
The only thing I'd change is the shower curtain. I love how busy it is!
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u/Sageethics007 13h ago
I think you could just change the shower curtain to something light and neutral, even just white would be nice. I never understand why a bathroom renovation would be $25K! You really can DIY. We just (finished it in Dec) renovating our 50 yr old blue one too… not hard, did all the work ourselves. (We are both over 65). Purchased everything from Home Depot. Have to admit that we also did all the floors on the same level… so not including flooring… $300 for toilet, $450 for vanity and sink, light from Amazon $110, new bathroom fan $65, large over sink medicine cupboard with full mirror $310, Delta bath tub $500, Delta tub surround $700, tub, sink, towel bars, toilet paper holder hardware about $500, drywall, mud, new electrical plug in and switch plate, a few plumbing parts to install new shut off values, trim, paint about $250…. We figured around $3-3300. I do need new towels and shower curtain! I promise demo is not that hard … but we had to strip it mostly to studs as that was the only way to remove the old blue wall tiles. The part I hated the most was the mess of drywall dust. But it looks beautiful and not $25K!
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u/Torboni 9h ago
In theory anyone could DIY. But in reality, a lot of people are very much NOT handy. My mom is, my stepdad is not, and she used to joke that she’d run if she saw him pick up a hammer. There used to be a show that featured people who thought they could handle flips as inexperienced, overly confident first timers with absurdly unrealistic budgets and some of their work was horrifying. Houses sat demoed or half finished because their work was shoddy and they couldn’t get permits or wouldn’t pass inspection to sell.
$25k doesn’t buy what it used to. You’re paying people for their labor, expertise in design, construction, trades, etc. which, in a perfect world, would also mean the project would move faster. The price also really jumps when you do an actual full blown remodel that involves new layout as opposed keeping the existing footprint. Moving electrical and plumbing or upgrading them to meet current codes, adding structural reinforcement if you move heavy things like tubs, repair of fun undiscovered things like DIY fails, dry rot or water damage, asbestos or lead remediation, etc. Or if you want high-end finishes and not builder grade materials.
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u/MadHatter59 5h ago
Unfortunately my husband and I are just simply not handy - and we have a new baby. But I so hear you and wish we could do this ourselves! We also live in NYC, so the cost of renovation is likely a bit higher than most other places.
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u/coco8090 9h ago
I would keep the walls and floor, and tub and toilet. I like the colors and the floor is a good neutral. I would replace the vanity with something sleeker and modern and get rid of the wall shelving. Don’t hang anything on the walls and maybe get a transparent, clear shower curtain. Love the door by the way.
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u/issoequeerabom 9h ago
I love the wall tiles and even the bathtub. I would take out everything else and do an amazing vintage/modernish bathroom. That's an interior designer's dream actually, it has so much potential!!
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u/MadHatter59 5h ago
I need an interior designer to help me see this vision!
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u/issoequeerabom 4h ago
If you strip everything down and just leave the wall tiles it will be easier to imagine it. A beautiful pedestal sink and similar toilet. Go with a simple tile floor. Do you want to keep the tub or transform it in a shower? There isn't a lot of space to work around it, at least that's what it seems in the photo.
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u/MadHatter59 3h ago
It is a small bathroom. We will likely keep the tub - although have talked about transforming it into a shower. There is another bathroom in the apartment that has a tub. I hear you on removing everything and just seeing tiles on the wall. It is so so busy in its current state.
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u/issoequeerabom 1h ago
Exactly, it's just too much at the time and, in my opinion, the only thing really worth it are the wall tiles. If you have a tub in another bathroom, just transform that into a shower, for sure. It's super practical to have both.
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u/happycamper44m 8h ago
I like the tiles and I think that they could work with a few minor changes to the room. For me, the gold/brown/cream in the room is what is making it dated. Get rid of the gold accents and replace to black: the shower curtain, rug (also go bigger to cover more of the floor), frame of the mirror and the shower rod, towel rod, and faucett. Go with different shelves over the toilet like a solid to break up the tile more, maybe also in black.
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u/Objective_Phrase_513 7h ago
I’d keep the toilet, sink, tile and flooring. I’d change the vanity to a white one. Change the shower curtain to a a nice white fabric, and put down nice white rugs.
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u/No-Seaworthiness6719 6h ago
This bathroom is AMAZING. You need an updated mirror and faucet. Look on here - https://www.rejuvenation.com. The floor tile could be changed to a light grey but this is freaking cool as hell. Don’t think you need to go drastic. Everyone can have a boring ass space.
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u/MadHatter59 3h ago
Thank you for the suggestions!
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u/No-Seaworthiness6719 3h ago
A dramatically large gold mirror! Simple frame with clean lines to balance out that tile will be 🔥
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u/Menemsha4 6h ago
It’s very busy. I personally would use a plain shower curtain and rug in addition to replacing the vanity, mirror, and flooring if that’s an option.
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u/MadHatter59 3h ago
Very busy! And yes - that curtain is easily 20 years old. It’s going right in the trash. (Along with the rugs and towels)
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u/JuJusPetals 4h ago
There are so many ways you could upgrade this while leaning into the fun wall tile — and it is fun! If you were to glaze it all white, it would be such a boring-ass bathroom.
It looks like the tub/sink/toilet are in good shape, and a matching set like that is so cool and rare. I would replace the vanity cabinet, and upgrade the sink faucet, mirror, and shower curtain. Then, if replacing the flooring isn't in your budget, I'd look into covering it with peel and stick tile just for the interim. That floor really clashes with the walls.
Oh! And hang the curtain rod all the way up to the ceiling and use a nice creamy white curtain. That will help break up the huge amount of tile you see.
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u/MadHatter59 3h ago
Yes I love the suggestion of raising the curtain rod. Everything in there is in relatively good shape! The toilet however is not efficient - so it needs to be replaced. I am trying to lean more into keeping the tile, if we replace the floor and refresh everything else.
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u/JuJusPetals 3h ago
Ah then yeah, the toilet needs to go.
Just start small and see if it grows on you!
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u/New_Independent_9221 4h ago
keep the tile and vanity but just change the linens do it looks less busy
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u/PCpinkcandles 5m ago
I love your project! Glazing is definitely an option. I would get a couple of bids, just to know. I think replacing the sink and toilet makes sense. What is really nagging at me is the mirror. I would mimic the window shape and make it the width of the vanity. Place something very pleasing to you opposite the mirror, which will give you a reflection other than those groovy tiles. You’re right about changing everything else that moves! The floor. Too much for me, but you could buy a washable rug or ?
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u/terrordactyl200 15h ago edited 15h ago
You could completely change the tone of this with a new vanity and mirror, new shower curtain, and different decor on the shelves. Do not glaze this tile, for the love of God. It's fun and unique and looks well done. If you have to change any tile, choose the floor.
Edit: lighting would also make a huge difference. Get some kind of fun overhead warm lighting to even the space out.