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Exciting Guest Bathroom Design Plans

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Last Updated on August 8, 2022 by lindseymahoney

Today I am sharing my budget-friendly guest bathroom makeover design plans! The guest bathroom on the main floor of our house is the only bathroom that had been updated prior to when we moved in. The shower was updated, the countertop was replaced with marble, and new wallpaper was installed.

It is silly to tear out all of the newer materials and replace them with the finishes that I want. That is not cost-effective and a bit wasteful, in my opinion Like so many other areas of our home, I will be doing a budget-friendly bathroom makeover to modernize the space and improve the function of our family.

The guest bathroom has two areas. The sink room and a separate room with the toilet and shower. The sink room has lots of doors, including one to the hallway, guest bedroom, walk-in closet, and toilet/shower room.

Here is the sink room when we first moved in (before replacing the blue carpeting).

Guest bathroom design plans that are budget-friendly and DIY friendly | Building Bluebird

Toilet room before the updates began.

*Check out the reveal of the toilet room with pink walls and picture frame molding!

Guest bathroom design plans that are budget-friendly and DIY friendly | Building Bluebird

Sink Room Project Punch List:

  • Remove the soffit over the sink
  • Move the overhead lighting: the two lights can light over the two sconces doesn’t make sense to me. I would like to move the overhead lighting to the center of the ceiling
  • Remove the medicine cabinet: The medicine cabinet door is currently blocked by the sconce and does not fully open. I would like to create a niche with open shelving and brass rails where the current cabinet is located
  • Update the mirror: While the mirror is large and practical, it feels a bit dated to me. I would like to replace it with a smaller one centered over the sink
  • Remove wallpaper and replace: The wallpaper in the sink room is actually very pretty, but it will need to be replaced once we remove the soffit, medicine cabinet, and mirrors
  • Paint the vanity: I will be painting the vanity and updating the hardware on the doors.
  • Paint: I am still deciding if I will paint the trim and doors the same color as the vanity, but either way they will be painted. I also need to determine if the wallpaper will go all around the room or if I will install it on one wall and I will paint the remaining three walls.

Three years ago we updated the carpeting in the house, which includes the sink rooms in all of our bathrooms. I would prefer tile in our bathrooms, but it doesn’t make sense to make that change if we eventually plan to update the entire space. I have no idea when that time will be, so we will keep the carpeting.

Toilet/Shower Room Project Punch List:

  • Remove wallpaper
  • Install box molding: This room is pretty small, so I think some trim detail will make it stand out
  • Replace fan: The current fan is very loud, I definitely want to update it with a quieter fan
  • Replace lighting: I will be updating the ceiling fixture and sconce on the wall
  • Paint the walls
  • Install towel rack: The original bathroom had two towel rods, but I would like a rack to place folded towels over the toilet

Guest Bathroom Design Inspiration

This bathroom design is by Monica Stewart (The Misfit House) and it stops me mid-Insta-scroll every time. I love what she did with the niche next to the sink. It definitely inspired me to remove the medicine cabinet in our bathroom and create something similar.

Guest bathroom design plans that are budget-friendly and DIY friendly | Building Bluebird
Design by @themisfithouse via Instagram | Image by Kristin Karch

Sarah Gibson of Room for Tuesday has beautiful designs that are always so clean and crisp. I will be creating box molding in the toilet/shower room similar to the lovely design in her guest bedroom.

Guest bathroom design plans that are budget-friendly and DIY friendly | Building Bluebird
Design & Image by Sarah Gibson, Room for Tuesday

I love the pink and green color combo that Lindsay Atabattu from LEB Interiors designed in this sweet bedroom.

Guest bathroom design plans that are budget-friendly and DIY friendly | Building Bluebird
Design by LEB Interiors | Image by Jared Kuzia Photography

Guest Bathroom Design Plans

The guest bathroom is attached to the guest bedroom/office with access to our hallway as well. The guest bedroom has a bay window looking over the garden in our backyard which inspired the design plans. The large bedroom window is south facing and gets lots of natural sunlight during the day.

*Check out the design plans and reveal of the guest bedroom makeover!

Guest bathroom & bedroom design plans that are budget-friendly and DIY friendly | Building Bluebird

I decided that the design theme for the bedroom and bathroom would be “European garden”. It works perfectly with the view outside of the window, and if I’m being honest, I have more design control in this space and am excited to experiment a bit and make it as feminine as I want.

Guest bathroom design plans that are budget-friendly and DIY friendly | Building Bluebird

The York Wallcovering wallpaper, Luxembourg, was the inspiration for this bathroom design. Fun fact, six years ago I traveled to Luxembourg with a few cousins and became a dual citizen of Luxembourg the country. This wallpaper is based on the beautiful French palace gardens and I love all of the vibrant colors. I am adding box molding to the shower room and will paint the walls a light pink. Brass fixtures and new lighting will complete the look.

I plan to install the wallpaper in the sink room, install a new mirror, and swap the lighting. I will be updating the vanity with new hardware and painting it dark green. The artwork and “bathroom” sign add fun European flare to complete the look.


Thanks for checking out the design plans for our guest bathroom. I have a handful of DIY posts I am excited to create based on the project in this bathroom and am looking forward to sharing all of the details with you!


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