Judging by the final result of this pretty bathroom reno, you’d almost never be able to tell this bright room is actually a windowless space. That’s because Nole Garey of Oh So Beautiful Paper turned her only full bath from a space that felt dark and cramped into a light and airy oasis. Her winning formula? Saying goodbye to dreary tiles and dark paint, and saying hello to soft pastels and feminine touches. The final result is nothing short of a total transformation. Read on to hear how Nole was able to let the light in without touching the layout.

Before

What made you decide to renovate this space?

This is the only full bathroom in our home, but it’s tiny and receives no natural light. It was originally painted a dark teal color, with a black vanity, and very dark tile in the shower. All of this made it feel dark and depressing.

How did you decide on the style direction you went in?

Our home was built in 1923, so we wanted to create a classic bathroom that respected the age and era of our home. We also wanted to lighten up the space as much as possible in order to make it feel more spacious. I pinned about 20 to 30 images from Pinterest and then focused on elements that all of the bathrooms had in common (like pedestal sinks).

After

What was your biggest challenge?

Our biggest challenge was figuring out the right amount of storage in order for our bathroom to function for a family of four. We didn’t change the layout, but we did upgrade to the largest medicine cabinet we could find, as well as add more shower storage, and several more electrical outlets. All pretty mundane details, but with huge impact on functionality.

What was it like living through the renovation?

It was pretty rough, but so worth it! This was my first home renovation, and I definitely thought that things would go a lot faster than they did. I thought we would be done in about 10 days, but it ended up taking three weeks. Because this was our only full bathroom, we had to move into a small rented apartment for a few weeks. That’s pretty tough when you have two small children.   

Where did you choose to splurge and where did you choose to save?

We splurged on things like the pedestal sink, faucet, and medicine cabinet. We wanted this bathroom design to last, and didn’t want to skimp on fixtures that would live in that bathroom for years to come. On the other hand, we saved on labor costs by laying all the tile and grouting ourselves.

What do you love most about your new bathroom?

I love everything about it! The pedestal sink with the brass faucet is one of my favorite features, and I also really love the open shelving we created with wire baskets and apothecary jars. It makes even the most ordinary of bathroom supplies look pretty.

Tell us anything you’d do differently. We learn most from mistakes!

During the construction phase we opened up a few of the walls to fix plumbing and electrical issues but I forgot to ask our contractor to insulate the walls before adding the new drywall. It’s not an issue for heating or cooling, but it would have been nice to insulate the wall to block out some of the noise from the shower.