How’s that title for ya? Good? Great, because it’s true. I hate finding a photo on Pinterest and then having it lead me to some ridiculously extravagant this-is-not-in-my-budget-nor-will-it-ever-be blog. I’m a DIY girl. A Dollar Store|Aldi|Goodwill girl. And I have to say, even if I had an unrestrained budget, I wouldn’t spend it on home decor.
If you’re in mood to refresh your space without spending a load of cash then here is how you do it!
Step 1: Find a design aspect you adore.
So mine is subway tile. And there happened to be Peel & Stick subway tiles that Aldi had in their Aldi Finds one week. [That wall of subway tile? Peel & Stick, yo.] I actually didn’t love them at first and truly debated on getting them but they were AldiFinds cheap and there was a limited supply so I grabbed all the packages they had. Yup, I was that person that week. Sorrynotsorry.
Thrift shopping Rule 1: if you see it then, BUY IT because it will be gone later.
When I got home I was then stuck trying to figure out where I could use them. Since I had a specific square footage that I could cover, I had to be choosey. They wouldn’t cover the kitchen. And they could’ve worked in our master bath but eh, not a lot of people really see that bath except myself and my husband so the next best bet was the teensy tiny half bath. Yes- 3 feet by 6 feet TEENSY TINY. And it was so neglected and boring that it was perfect.
BUDGET FIND: Aldi Peel & Stick Wall tiles. Total: $50 to cover a 3′ x 4′ area
Step 2: Pick a color you love.
I am a creative. My styles ebb and flow like the ocean and you can probably find pieces of rustic farmhouse, kitsch, modern, traditional, casual and more throughout our house. I’d lump it all together as eclectic. But not in that “My grandma’s eclectic…” style. 99% of the art in our house is something I designed and then I just find things [dollar store, goodwill, thrift shop things] that go with it. For this bathroom – and I have no idea why – I was obsessed with these deep, dark, greenblack colors.
I usually dislike green in any form other than a plant.
But I started searching and pinning bathrooms with dark green walls and with the subway tiles that I had found, I realized that it could work. And it could work in a very fun way.
Even though this half bath is very small, the dark walls don’t make it ‘smaller’. They make it very luxe and rich and classic. My husband usually doesn’t really care one way or another on our home’s decor but as soon as I started he immediately commented on how much he liked it. Prior to this, it was a pretty basic soft-ocean-aqua similar to the SW Open Air. It had been that color for like, 12 years and I was over it. And guess who just happened to be having their 40% off sale? Sherwin-Williams.
I chose their Matte finish which came in the Emerald line of paints and I LOVE it. I want to swap out everything to this matte finish. It
BUDGET FIND: 1 quart of Sherwin-Williams ‘Cascades’ paint in Matte Finish: $17, covered approx. 80 square feet with 3 coats.
Step 3: Use what you already have.
It’s that thing called ‘upcycling’. Instead of buying a brand new light fixture [and installing it or paying someone to install it] I knew that I could spray over the builder grade ball light strip and update it with fun vintage bulbs. I like how they give a nice warm glow to the space, making it very cozy and luxurious. The round mirror was my “splurge” piece at $100 from Amazon here. And yes, it took me 3 days to decide to order that mirror because I really didn’t want to spend $100. But it 100% makes the space fun and different from before and I love it and I wouldn’t have it any other way now. That old square builder grade mirror? Stay tuned- I have plans for that sucker!
BUDGET FIND TIP: Rustoleum Satin Finish spray paint in black and gloss finish spray paint in gold: $8 for both
BUDGET FIND: Vintage 60watt bulbs: $4.94 each
Step 4: Creatively fill in the gaps.
I knew I wanted a pop of color or design or something on the wall behind the toilet to that would be reflected back by the mirror to make the room appear larger than it is. I will say, yes, I’m lucky I’m a graphic designer and can just design and print my own wallpaper. If you’re not creative in that way, it’s still very easy to get a sheet or two of custom designed wallpaper. In fact, you can get it right here. And if that’s not in the budget – which is still pretty low- paint a stencil over one wall or cover it in Dollar Store framed pictures or art. Anything to break up the dark walls and give dimension.
I had this fern and feather pattern floating around in my head for about a week and decided to add in a few simple gold bumble bees and hexagons. It works perfectly to balance out the dark walls and brings some movement to the space.
No matter the style, find something fun.
My something fun was this velociraptor towel hanger. I had seen this created before and knew that it would be a unique little twist on what is a pretty heavy bathroom style. And because we have a long running velociraptor joke in our family- it was perfect. Plus, true to my manifesting abilities, Dollar Tree had the perfectly sized velociraptor toys and even a lightweight craftwood backer for me to assemble it all. Follow here to find out more about how easy it was to make!
As I waltzed through Dollar Tree- guess what else they had? A white ceramic feather shaped soap holder and a hexagon ceramic box with gold trim and a gold BEE. Feathers, hexagons, bees, gold…You guys. It’s like Dollar Tree was on board with this bathroom too!
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Custom artwork is not expensive.
The black and white prints were, yes of course, designed by me. HOWEVER, again, you don’t have to be a designer! There are a billion posters and fun pieces out there being produced by small artisans for you to shop from! [bonus points if they’re local as well!]
BUDGET FIND: 3’x8′ [24sqft] panel of custom peel and stick wallpaper at Sharp Big Prints: $72
BUDGET FIND: Dollar Store Decor: Plastic Velociraptor figurine, wood plaque, feather soap dish, gold wire basket, ceramic gold bee box [Instant diffuser! Find that DIY coming soon!]: $1 each
BUDGET FIND TIP: Rustoleum Satin Finish spray paint in black and gloss finish spray paint in gold: $8 for both
BUDGET FIND: B&W graphic prints: $10. Want those? Download them for free below for a limited time!
BUDGET FIND: Black RIBBA frames from IKEA. 16×20, $10, 24×36, $20
Total Spent: $202
That is, however, WITHOUT the cost of the mirror. Which was not completely necessary. You can refresh without buying a mirror. But, I knew I wanted to move that big boxy builder square mirror into another use in our house and this round mirror was perfect. But $200 to go from that to that is pretty darn good, I’d say.
ericahainesdesign.com 
