Progress has been made in the guest bathroom, which is a relief since Sherry’s mom and stepdad arrive in less than 30 hours. Our first win was finding a shower curtain. After a pattern misstep with our previous choice, we picked up a new curtain at Target on Friday for about $20.
The room still looks a bit unfinished — we haven’t painted the walls or hung artwork yet — but the curtain made a surprisingly big difference. The larger medallion pattern reads better against the small square tile on the walls and floor, unlike the smaller-scale yellow pattern we tried before. The dark brown in the curtain also adds contrast so the yellow tile and off-white walls don’t wash everything out. Bonus: our guest-room bedding includes brown and white, and the adjoining guest room walls are blue, so the curtain helps tie the two spaces together.
Once the curtain decision was settled, and after grabbing a simple white fabric liner from Target to keep the curtain from getting soaked, we addressed the lack of a bathmat. We first brought home a brown mat that matched the curtain, but it was too dark and made the floor look dirty. Back to Target for a little bathmat trial.
The first option was a square mat that nearly blended into the floor — it made the room look flat and lackluster. The second was a colorful rectangular mat that picked up the blue tones in the curtain and the guest bedroom. It wasn’t bad and helped introduce more color, but it didn’t feel quite right.
Our third choice felt like the right fit: a crisp, striped mat that reads tailored without being too matchy. The stripes play nicely against the curtain’s circles, and the white-and-brown palette connects with the other white fixtures in the bathroom. We’re still suckers for clean white linens — they remind us of hotel bathrooms with plush white towels and robes — so the striped white mat won the impromptu fashion show. We kept the winner and returned the others.
We also made a few simple hardware upgrades. The old toilet seat had chips and tears, so it needed to be replaced. Swapping the seat is not glamorous, but it’s an easy, noticeable improvement. Replacing it was straightforward and gave the bathroom a cleaner look instantly.
Replacing the shower head was next. The previous head worked fine, but it looked rusty and dated. We bought an inexpensive multi-setting shower head at Target for $14. After a little elbow grease to remove the old fixture, the new shower head was installed in under a minute. It’s brighter and more modern, and the water pressure is excellent — I took a quick test shower to make sure everything was ready before our guests arrive.
We also made a zero-cost improvement after we removed the mirror from the inside of the bathroom door. While painting, we discovered towel hooks mounted on the back of the door that had gone unnoticed for two months. We unscrewed them and reattached them to the inside of the door where they’ll be visible and useful. Sherry filled and painted the old holes on the less-seen back side of the door, and now the door looks tidy from both sides.
There are still a few finishing touches to handle — towels, perhaps a piece of art, and a few accessories — but the bathroom is fully functional and guest-ready. We’ll share photos of the completed space once Sherry finishes styling it, and we’ll also post an update on the guest room soon.
Have you made any recent bathroom upgrades? Any tips for getting a guest bathroom ready beyond the obvious essentials — shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, fluffy towels, and washcloths? This is our first time furnishing a guest bathroom we won’t use regularly, so we welcome any advice from people who’ve done this before.