Adding Personality to a Small Bathroom (Corner Shower)

This bathroom was one tough customer. With its corner shower and pedestal sink, it was less than functional and super fugly – unless you’re a fan of fluorescent pea soup green. And while I could definitely improve on the vanity and paint colour, there wasn’t a lot I could do about the corner shower.

Holy Hannah, I kind of forgot how ugly it was…

In the ideal world (and because there was AMPLE room for it), the shower would have run across the back wall, approx 3′ deep by 6′ long. HOWEVER, because the toilet was installed too far over (1/2″ clearance with shower door), we couldn’t extend the shower without having to move the loo. And seeing how this was all installed on concrete, I wasn’t about to haul out my jackhammer and wallet.

Really, they could have chosen to not even PUT in a shower and made it into a lovely little powder room, which would have also given me more closet space in the hallway. This is one reason why I LOVE to look at clients floorplans, so I can suggest alterations before the walls go up – preventing mistakes like this from happening.

I wanted the colours in the bathroom to jibe with the family room as they were related to each other in the floorplan

Another important factor in NOT re-doing the shower was that this bathroom was built for the family room, meaning it didn’t have a bedroom that needed it. So while I HAD relegated Tim to this bathroom, MOST people wouldn’t ever even USE the shower in here.

Soooo, I decided to save $4000 and left the shower as-is and just added a little KLC to the rest of the space!

You ready Betty?

It’s hard to believe its even the same bathroom!

Let’s do a quick refresher of those green walls again…

And now…

I wanted to add some personality to the room without killing my budget, so I decided to do a marble herringbone feature wall to add some SERIOUS visual value. Now when you walk in, its the pattern that grabs you, not the day-glo paint colour.

Read more: The Best Paint Colours to Coordinate with Marble Tile

And of course, the floor tile and feature wall were installed by Brett and his team of stud muffins from BE Tile. They also had to chisel up the old tile floor – poor buggers, but better them than me!

If it were me doing it, that big orange bucket would have been full of wine.

Read more: Bathroom Update Ideas: High-End Style for Low-End Prices

Lighter, brighter and DEFINITELY more clean and fresh looking.

Now, here’s a shot of the vanity area in the ‘in-between’ phase, where I slapped some paint on the walls just for the short-term. It definitely helped, but was kind of a ‘putting lipstick on a pig’ situation, ya know?

And now…

Much better! I got the vanity from Lowe’s for $399. I fell in love with the marble top, no fuss handle-free drawers and was excited to do a wood vanity, rather than white or gray. I’m not REALLY a gray gal, but it’s good for resale and the wood brought some warmth back to the room.

The paint colour I chose was Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray, one of my fave soft stormy grays. I had it lightened by 25%, just to freshen it up a stitch.

Read more: Colour Review Comparing Stonington Gray and Gray Owl

The light fixtures were a SUPER score from Canadian Tire at $49 apiece and with their rounded shade, were JUST what I was looking for. Because this room had no windows, the lighting situation wasn’t great. The old walls sconces with their lovely mint green shades cast a weird light on the walls and didn’t do anything for ma purdy lil’ face when I looked in the mirror.

And ABOUT that mirror! I couldn’t find what I wanted and it HAD to be round, courtesy of the awkwardly placed outlet (and yes, it needs to be updated to white, not janky yellow). I found this wood mirror at Home Sense for $39 and painted/distressed it to give it up some personality.

And just ONE more shot of that glorious green…

Project Cost

• Vanity – Lowes: $399
• Faucet – American Standard: $129
• Mirror – Home Sense: $39
• Light fixtures – Canadian Tire: $49
• Feature wall – Lowes: $275 (24 sq ft)
• Floor tile – City Tile: $250
• Paint – BM Stonington Gray: $45
• Tile installation – $1300

TOTAL COST: Approx $2500

So, what do you think, $2500 well spent? I think so!

Need help with your small bathroom?

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Chat soon,

Read More:

Our Greige Bathroom Remodel

Our Kitchen Remodel – No More Maple! 

Our ‘Real’ Family Room – The Final Reveal!

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN 2017, AWESOMELY UPDATED IN 2020