Moody Botanical Bathroom Design & Facelift

In this post I’ll be sharing the design process and before & after shots of my moody guest bathroom facelift!

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I’m still in shock over these before and after photos! Who knew a few cosmetic updates would make SUCH a big impact?

Today I’m diving into the details behind my guest bathroom “reno” – if you can even call it that.

So, why the guest bathroom? To be completely honest, it was a room we NEEDED to fix due to a combination of issues. Our lack of an exhaust fan, a broken window, and high humidity in south Florida, all resulted in a major mold and mildew problem.

It’s almost embarrassing to share, but here are the before pics:

Although I would’ve loved to gut the bathroom and renovate it from top to bottom, we needed to urgently take care of the mold issue because it was well past due. So, we opted for some quick cosmetic (and more budget friendly) upgrades instead.

We started by scrubbing down all the walls and ceilings with a broom and combination of water/vinegar mixture, plus a few other household mold killing sprays.

We also took advantage and removed the medicine cabinet mirror, which wasn’t being used and looked very outdated.

Then, we moved on to installing the exhaust fan. This had to be done through the attic. We ran into some issues which caused us to have to open a few holes in the ceiling.

Needless to say, we had quite a bit of patching up to do.

Once the walls were patched, sanded, and primed (we used this mold and mildew resistant primer), it was time to move on to what I call the FUN PART!

Insert hours of Pinterest research and shopping online.

While the rest of my house is… well… very WHITE (I love the calm, open, airiness of white walls and neutral decor) I was really looking forward to designing an edgier looking space.

Since I knew we’d be installing an exhaust fan and fixing up the ceiling and walls, this was the perfect opportunity to take some risks with a more moody design.

I wanted something with wow factor. A bold room that felt like a drastic change from the rest of the house.

Initially, I planned on just painting the walls a dark color and changing out the shower curtain. But, when I saw this wallpaper design, my jaw hit the floor and there was literally no stopping me.

Sometimes you just find that ONE thing that totally inspires the rest of the room.

And of course, I had to pull all my ideas together in a mood board to better visualize the space before committing to ordering anything.

I do this by taking screenshots of products that I’m thinking of purchasing online and google images of flooring, cabinets, and wall tiles that are similar to my existing features that will remain as-is in the room. It helps to see all the details side by side so you can see how everything flows.

My trick to avoid wasting time and money on something you won’t end up using (because you’ve changed your mind or it no longer fits the aesthetic of the room) is to finalize the mood board, and then completely STOP looking/shopping online. There are just so many options for every little thing out there, and it’s hard to stay on track and not get overwhelmed if you’re not 100% set on what you want. A mood board really helps with all this!

The wallpaper is from an Etsy shop called XWallcolors. They are based in Poland and had the best customer service. I messaged them with questions about order quantities, sizing, and wall texture. They were always quick to reply and so helpful.

I was even able to adjust the scale of the print to better suit the size of my walls.

The wallpaper panels arrived pre-cut to my specific wall dimensions and numbered for easy installation. Seriously, 10/10 recommend!

Once I had the wallpaper sorted out, I chose a semi-gloss paint color by Behr called “Nightclub” for the ceiling. I’ll admit, painting the ceiling an almost-black navy scared me, but I have zero regrets. The rich hue adds the perfect amount of depth and drama to the room.

We then moved on to installing the wallpaper using this adhesive.

This wallpaper is what truly made the biggest impact in the space. The botanical print is so fun. There seems to be a new little hidden detail that catches your eye each time you look at it.

We also changed out the sink faucets, cabinet pulls, shower curtain rods, light fixture, and added a new mirror.

For the final styling touches, we added a wooden shelf above the toilet to tie back into the vanity cabinet color and some plants.