Hello, friends, and happy Friday! Is it just me or was this the longest week ever…. I’ve heard from a lot of friends that they felt the same. Glad it’s just about over, and the weekend is almost here. We’ve got painting plans this weekend, and I am thrilled to finally throw some paint on the walls. We’re headed to Sherwin Williams because currently they have a coupon for 30% off their paints through the end of February. I am not a partner with them, just love their paint and wanted to pass on that sweet deal to you (that’s a little budget Friday bonus for you!). We’ll be buying paint for the two main level bathrooms as well as the master bedroom, but you’ll just have to wait to see what we’ve selected. Today I want to talk to you about how I’ve been updating the bathrooms to bring them up to the times and give them a higher quality look. One day, I’d love to overhaul them all and replace their awful melamine vanities, but for now, I want to show you how it’s possible to make them better with little money invested. (This post, Budget Find Friday: Black Modern Hardware & Bathroom Fixtures, uses affiliate links. Thank you for your support!)
Before I show you this photo, I want you to remember that this is a progress shot and this bathroom is far from being done. However, here’s where it is today…
And here is where we started:
As you can see, we’ve made a lot of small very budget friendly changes that are already making a difference.
One of the first things I did was fond new hardware to update the vanity. I searched several places for modern black pulls and knobs, and found these knobs and these pulls at Target. They were on sale for 20% off a few weeks ago, so I bought them at that time. Target always runs sales, and often the items aren’t available in the needed quantity in store, so I ordered them. Free delivery made it worth while! At the time, I should have ordered knobs for the other two bathroom vanities, but I didn’t think about it and missed the sale. However, I found a pack of 10 modern black knobs for $30 on Amazon and ordered those. I needed 9 knobs so it was almost perfect!
I also selected new mirrors and really wanted a clean and simple look. Target had the best price for a plain round mirror, so I bought two of those, one for each main level bathroom.
In the master bathroom we needed new towel hooks. As you can see from the listing photo, there was a hook with towel over the toilet. Gross. When I bought the knobs and pulls, I also selected these modern black hooks. So many knobs are so lovely, then you hang a towel and you can’t see the knob at all anymore. I loved that I could hang the towels and still see the shape of the knob. If you look at the photo of our bathroom now, you can see them reflected in the mirror. In the hall bathroom, we’re reusing hooks we already had in the last house that originally came from Anthropologie. They don’t carry them anymore, but I’ve found some similar options for you in the owl, fox, and deer. You can follow these links or check out the gallery below this post. Because the hall bathroom is the main lavatory guests will use yet also Wilder and Emmy’s, I wanted to use these animal hooks to keep it feeling youthful and whimsical.
As you can also see in the current photo of our bathroom, I changed the light fixture and found this one for a steal! It was 40% off at the time I purchased it. Currently it’s 20% off, which is still a great deal. I ended up going with gold because the black was out of stock until May (and I am ridiculously impatient.)
I wanted the black, but now that I have the gold, I think it suits the space better and will look great with the wall color I’ve chosen. I tried to talk Emmy into the same fixture in black and gold, but she had her heart set on a handmade one I found on Amazon. Let me tell you honestly, the handmade one looks fabulous, but it was a royal pain in the rear to install. The screws they sent with it were the wrong size, and the directions were awful. I love supporting artisans, but what should have been a 20 minute installation ended up taking approximately 90 minutes, 32 cuss words, and 4 new screws. I will say, it does like nice on the wall and will look even nicer when we paint… thinking we should bring back that magenta color it once was, yes?(You can also see two of the three animal hooks here in the mirror).
There are also a few items we’ve purchased that aren’t yet installed or pictured here, but they are great budget finds as well, so I wanted to share them.
First of all, did you know how hard it is to find an inexpensive black modern toilet paper holder? I had the worst time finding one, but finally found this one, and I can honestly say that I love it installed.
Another item that desperately needed swapping was the shower curtain rod in the master bathroom. The white one pictured was old, a little rusty, and just needed to go. I had a hard time finding what I wanted in stores, so took to Amazon and found this great tension rod. I’ve since installed it and am really happy with the appearance and ease of use.
After the wall painting is complete, I’d love to update the flooring in a very budget friendly manner by painting the existing tile. One day when we replace the vanities, we will replace the flooring as well… one day. For now it’s all about doing what we can to make it our style on a tight budget, and paint plus all of these small ticket items will make a big difference. I’m looking forward to sharing more progress with you soon.
I’ve put together a gallery of the budget friendly bathroom finds I’ve scored for you below. Tell me about your most recent favorite budget find!
