How to improve this bathroom on a budget (with pic)

[Halloumibagelplease]

We’ve recently moved into a lovely house with lots of potential but don’t have the budget to do everything we’d like straight away. Limited DIY skills although keen to learn! Any ideas to improve this bathroom for a small amount of money until we can afford to replace it? All works fine although cabinet handles very rusty. Not keen at all on the mirror but not sure if we can take it off the wall without damaging the tiles. All inspiration gratefully received!

Looks perfectly serviceable, what sort of improvements are you thinking?

Looks like it has been upgraded fairly recently. I thought you were going to show us an avocado green bathroom.

You could change the flooring. You could look into painting the cupboards if the colour is not to your taste. Change the mirror maybe.

Looks ok to me as it is.

I have to say, I think you're very lucky, OP. I'd love to have a bathroom like that

I'd really want to paint the cabinets dark green.

Yes it's not my style and I undestand why it's not yours. However, my feeling is live with it and put your money into the bathroom you really want when you get around to it. Anything you do to it won't change your life. Plus the storage must be helpful in the meantime.

Thanks all for the replies and good advice. Feel a bit spoilt now for being unhappy with it! It’s 100% serviceable just not my taste so was wondering about painting the cupboards, maybe a dark colour. But leaving it for now and prioritising other things is a strong argument. And yes, plenty of cupboard space which is always useful😊

God I wish that was my bathroom! Have been in our house for 7 years and still haven't got the funds to redo our hideous 80s bathroom 😂

Brighten it up a bit with some moisture loving plants

Plants always improve things massively don’t they. Definitely no funds to do anything for a good while in any case and you’ve all given me some helpful perspective. I have ordered some replacements for the rusty handles though - you probably can’t see in the photo but they are very orange! Thanks all

My peace lily does well in my bathroom.

With those tiles and light fixtures and units I'd paint the walls a dark green. It's already really nice.

I've just zoomed in and you're 100 % tiled walls? Ignore me! Maybe a nice dark green bathmat then 🤣

How about this kind of tiling on the floor https://www.claybrookstudio.co.uk/hayek-hex-moss.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIm63ast79gQMVE59oCR2SIgoFEAQYBCABEgJZUvD_BwE

Maybe paint the cupboards and some adhesive floor tiles? I'm not saying there's anything wrong with it, there's not, but just to freshen it up and make you feel a bit happier with it. Agree about the plants, especially as there's a lot of space for them.

Agree to leaving it as it is at the moment until you have the money to do what you really want. However, you say the handles are rusty... Why not just get some new handles, ones you like, they would make the bathroom feel more 'yours'. (Don't forget to measure the space between the screw holes carefully!)

Out of curiosity is it a downstairs cloakroom type bathroom?

As it looks like the person who designed it was thinking function over form.

I would work with the tiled boarder you have. I would pick out the Greens and blues from there. You could paint the cupboards a matching green, and look for a blue framed mirror that picks up on the blue. Adhesive green laminate floor tiles. And then you could change the handles. Polished brass would look nice with jewel blue and green. If you want to keep the bathroom for several more years, you could also change the tap to polished brass.

Peace Lily very happy in my bathroom too.

As are a few small sundry terrarium plants that I don’t know the name of!

Great ideas, thanks, will start with new handles and a peace lily and go from there. For the person who asked, it’s an en suite. Main bathroom is actually very similar but cabinets are white which makes it feel much fresher/more modern, or maybe it’s just my taste. Your responses are definitely making me think a few touches will make the difference though👍

It looks great, why would you want to change it?

It's very dated (looks like one my parents had fitted in the early noughties), but serviceable once the rusty handles are replaced. I totally get why you'd want to change it for something you love as I would too!

For now though, I think painting the cabinets a lovely dark green (or whatever takes your fancy) would be a cheap way of putting your own stamp on the space till you're in a position to redo the whole thing. Plants are definitely your friends here.

The countertop is a different colour to the cabinet doors. I'd change the flooring and paint the cabinet doors in a green. There are lots of nice greens around at the moment and lots of decent cabinet paints.

If you change the colour of the cabinets to a dark/sage green and change the fittings for black fittings (gold won't go with white tiles) and add black handles - it will look much better.

The benchtop needs a richer/darker wood stain.

I would change the mirror for something with dimension- a mirrored cabinet with storage.

In an ideal world I would get rid of the white tiles - but that would be wasteful.

Throw in some pot plants and nice towels

Don't apologise for your taste - it's your bathroom to zhuzh as you see fit.

I would paint the cabinets light pink, new handles and a plant or two. Fluffy towels and bathmat. It could look completely different!

It wouldn't be for me either. I would paint the lower cupboards a darker shade, or use some vinyl if painting isn't for you.

I'd remove the upper cabinets, but I am a minimalist when it comes to bathroom products. If you remove them, replace with some shelves. Or, at least, remove the doors and have the cupboards made to look like open shelving.

Add plants. Change the mirror. Add a frame if you're unsure about taking it down.