With company on the way, we set out to temporarily transform our guest bathroom. Here’s how it all went down.. and how we did it for under $100!

My first introduction to home improvement TV was ‘Trading Spaces,’ a show where two couples had 48 hours, $1000, and the aid of a design expert to completely makeover one room in each other’s house. (For those familiar, enjoy this trip down memory lane).

Though the terms of our rapid budget bathroom makeover were slightly different (we had one week, $100, and no design expert), I couldn’t help but imagine us racing against the clock to the tune of that Trading Spaces theme song as we rushed to complete our space.

The situation: R’s parents were flying across the pond to pay us a visit, but… the ensuite bathroom attached to our guest room was looking… less than guest-worthy.

Rehabbing our three upstairs bathrooms has always been part of the game plan, but they took a backseat to our first set of projects (replacing flooring, our new kitchen, etc.). The bathrooms (however hideous) were at least in working order, and we figured we’d make do for a while, then knock them all out at once.

That plan was fine… until it was time for R’s parents to pay us a visit. Panic ensued. And that’s when lightbulbs went off, and the idea of a completely unorthodox Trading Spaces-esque bathroom makeover was born.

The first step was covering up this very interesting Death Valley desert-inspired shower tile:

We made the completely unorthodox decision to cover up the tile with spray paint. (You can read about that experience here!) The method may have been crazy, but the final product wasn’t too shabby:

(Ok, maybe we’re not winning the “Shower of the Year!” competition anytime soon, but… it’s definitely an improvement!)

To update the recessed shelves inside the shower, I used some marble mosaic tile sheets I picked up on the cheap. These took about five minutes to set in place (not counting dry-time), but they make a huge impact:

We used the same spray paint method to rehab the considerably less-offensive tan floor tiles:

R made the executive decision to disassemble part of the existing built-in wooden vanity / cabinetry, leaving us with an open “counter” space. We discovered an amazing DIY hack when we covered the worktop with contact paper, achieving the luxe look of marble for literally less than $10:

Check out this post for a more in-depth look at how we made these faux marble countertops happen!

We painted the remaining cabinetry below the worktop white…

…and then we installed a mini white subway tile backsplash with some leftover tiles we had from our kitchen!

The final touch was painting the walls! We used Sherwin William’s Passive Grey, which is the main color we’ve used throughout the rest of our house.

Once everything was sufficiently adhered and adequately dry, it was time to accessorize!

This bathroom isn’t a permanent fix, but for $100 and a couple days of work.. we think it’ll tide us over until we can dedicate the proper time and funds to rehabbing this space!