A Quick & Easy Bathroom Refresh with Organization Ideas

If you are looking for a quick and easy bathroom refresh, take a look at what I’ve come up with!  Changing the window treatments, getting a new shower curtain, and painting some existing furniture are just a few ideas to keep a budget low when updating and organizing your bathroom!

(This post contains affiliate links for your convenience! This means that I may make a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on a link.)

Hot-Mess House Challenge:  Quick & Easy Bathroom Refreshes and Organization

The second space in my “Hot-Mess House Challenge” is one (or two) that gets used a lot.  After organizing and refreshing my Linen Closet, I decided that I’d start on the bathrooms!  Since the bathrooms are small, I felt like they would be an easy way to feel accomplished and keep the momentum going!

I’m laughing at the fact that I’ve titled this post “QUICK” & Easy Bathroom Refreshes and Organization.  Although this bathroom update took me several weeks to complete, it seriously could have taken one day!  I took my time, and I also was searching for a certain look that took me longer than I expected!  I tried out a few things that weren’t exactly right.  Sometimes I find it harder to achieve a certain style or look for myself than for my clients! 

We have one and a half baths in our house.  Our full bathroom has one sink, which isn’t a problem now, but will most likely be an issue in the future for our family of four.  I’d love to get a double vanity in there, but the space is smaller than most stock vanities.  We would most likely need a custom vanity.  On our list of priorities, the custom vanity is low, so our antique wooden cabinet will stay for now!

We completely remodeled both bathrooms since we moved in about ten years ago.  We made the full bathroom larger by moving a wall several inches.  Who knew a few inches could make a big impact!  When we updated our kitchen, we moved the half bathroom door from the kitchen to around the corner through an old coat closet.  It pays to get creative with space!  No one wants the bathroom door off of the kitchen…no one.

Bathrooms Before We Moved In

The “before” pictures were taken when we were looking to buy the house.

Bathrooms After Remodel (Before Refresh)

You’d think I would have cleaned up before taking these pictures, but it really shows you that I did NOT have a good system for organizing and putting things away.  After my refresh, I now have way more storage and less stuff.  Since everything has a place now, I’ve been able to keep it neat and tidy!

(The powder room has been organized and cleaned, but I haven’t given it a refresh yet.  I’m joining the $100 challenge in September to revamp the space!  Stay tuned for that!)

How to Refresh and Organize a Bathroom

(Scroll down for all of the sources!)

Organization Refresh:

1. Declutter-Take out EVERYTHING!  I threw away things that I didn’t need or use anymore.  I gave away items that were in good shape, but no longer used at my house, and I kept the things that I still needed and used.  You can make three piles-trash, donations, keep
2. Clean-Do a deep cleaning session to get the room in tip top shape for your refresh.  This is just as important as getting rid of the clutter in order to refresh your space and love it again!
3. Organize like items-Place similar items together.  I organized my items into the list below.
   1. Wall cabinet-toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, and cups
   2. Wooden floor cabinet-skincare, makeup, cotton balls/pads, grooming materials, and a few miscellaneous items
   3. Belly baskets-large bath toys (Check out how I made these baskets waterproof and how I made the hanging bath toy holder in my post, “DIY Bath Toy Storage with the Dollar Store.”)
   4. Hanging mesh net-smaller bath toys
4. Purchase storage containers-Measure and buy storage containers after figuring out your categories.  I used clear plastic bins from the Dollar Tree to organize the items in my wall cabinet and wooden floor cabinet.  I found the belly baskets HERE .  Check out the best storage containers that I used for my pantry HERE!
5. Label storage containers-There are many different ways to label your containers.  For some inspiration, you can see my post, “How to Use Labels to Organize Your Linen Closet.”

Decor Refresh:

I was going for a fresh traditional style on a budget!  My husband says that it looks like we’re at the beach, which doesn’t bother me, because I’ve always loved the crisp clean look of coastal design!

1. Paint existing furniture-I removed the wooden cabinet that I basically stole from my parents’ house when we moved into our house.  I stripped, sanded, and painted the cabinet to make it blend into the space more.  I’ll be sharing a post about how I’ve been painting wooden furniture soon!  Changing the dark wooden cabinet to a clean white made the whole room look brighter!
2. Hardware-I changed the knobs on the wall cabinet from a small glass knob to a faux leather strap knobs that I found at Ikea!  I like how the natural color pops against the white cabinet and ties into the other natural materials in space. HERE are some other leather knobs!
3. Lighting-check out my fun and money saving DIY for lighting, “How to Get the Schoolhouse Electric Look for Less!”  I love their lights, but they are super expensive, so I found a way to create the look for less money!
4. Window coverings-I replaced the white fabric curtain with some bamboo blinds that were super easy to install!  They were a great price and a great alternative to custom blinds because you can choose from several different sizes.  I have these all around my house in different styles!
5. Shower curtain-The shower curtain got a refresh after several years.  I really liked my old one, but it had bleach stains and water stains, so it was time to move on.  It also had a different look to it.  I tried three different shower curtains and finally decided on THIS ONE.
6. Matching textiles-After choosing my shower curtain, I found some blue and white striped hand towels to match and some white tassel bath towels that were on sale!
7. Bath mat-After searching a million places for a bath mat, I finally chose THIS ONE.  It’s plain and simple, but has some texture to it to create some depth.  Eventually I’ll get one that is longer, but this works for now!  I like having two bath mats anyway, because if one is being washed, then I can put out the other one.
8. Wall art-I found THIS digital prints for around $5 and added it to a frame that I already had!
9. Accessories–
   1. Apothecary jars
   2. Small woven basket with lid
   3. Woven waste basket-(I can’t find this online, but I’ll keep looking!)
   4. Wooden stool-(wooden step stool & bamboo stool)
   5. Greenery-(faux snake plant & faux succulent)

Full Bathroom After Refresh

And because we all love “before” and “afters,” here are some side by side shots!

I really like how it turned out, but I feel like there’s a little something missing!  There’s nothing wrong with a little honesty, right?  I’ll be on the lookout for a few things to complete the space!

Get my look:

If you liked this post, you’ll love these: