Before we dive into the guest bathroom mood board, let’s first talk about poor flooring choices. When buying a new home, there are a handful of things I can overlook or even live with for the time being. Poor paint choices everywhere? Not a big deal. Mice in the ducts? Easy peasy! Warped hardwood flooring? Bring it on!

But carpet in the bathrooms?? Yuck!

Installing carpet in a bathroom, in my professional opinion, should be avoided at all costs. Carpets in a high-humid environment, like a bathroom, will take a long time to dry out once they absorb moisture, ultimately creating a breeding ground for mold and mildew. Because of this, the carpet and pad should be replaced frequently, which means it’s not cost-effective either.

(Not to mention, what happens if you have a kiddo learning to potty train (or an intoxicated friend) that misses the toilet? Gross…)

However, we bought our house full well know that every piece of carpet, including in the bathrooms, was getting ripped out on the closing day.

This means we needed to come up with a game plan to at least have one bathroom fully functional and renovated for our use, our boys, and guests.

So, let’s take a look at the guest bathroom mood board and our goals!

Mood Board:

Goals:

1. New bathroom-friendly floors to replace the carpets.
2. Modernize the bathroom, but since it will be primarily used by the boys, keep it kid friendly (aka messy and useable)!
3. Our budget is around $500-$600 for the bathroom, with flooring taking up most of the budget.
4. Be smart with our renovations to keep costs down. Some cost-effective reno ideas are:
   • Keep the existing vanity as is and update only the hardware (faucets & knobs).
   • Keep the existing prefab tub/shower unit and hide it behind a cute shower curtain. (I would love to rip out the enclosure and replace it with a tile surround, but that’s neither necessary nor cost-effective.)
   • Add a DIY mirror frame to the existing mirror to spruce it up. (Honestly, I hate this mirror in this room, so someday it will get torn out – just not right now!)
   • New paint.
   • Budget-friendly, modern accessories.

Sources:

Flooring
Vanity Wall Sconce
Door & Drawer Pulls
Sink Faucet
Hand Towel
Shower Curtain
Towel Bar, Toilet Holder
Robe Hook
Doorknobs
Toothbrush Accessories
Wash Brush Hang Wall Decor