Help me with this ugly bathroom! Pics attached

[Queenofkittens]

So I'm desperately trying to think of ways to modernize/ transform this bathroom without spending a fortune. I'm a part time nurse with 3 kids so as u can imagine I ent exactly flush 😭🤣 it is my own house though not rented so I am happy to spend money....just not a lot.

My thoughts so far are to replace the flooring with grey vinyl? I can get some cheap on Amazon and my uncle is a floor layer so that'll be cheap.

Paint the walls/ or tiles...I'm so very wary of painting tiles but these to me are atrocious and I can't think of anything else to do. Ripping them out is just not an option at the moment. I was thinking paint them white and the walls a cream/grey colour? I want it as calm/neutral if possible, but then I also love wallpaper that has the birds and trees on if u know what I mean. I have no imagination so advice/tips are very welcome! (And yes I'm in the bath 🤣)

Thanks!

Honestly in the scheme of things I don't think that's too bad at all. I'd get some better storage arrangement than the windowsill and top of the loo, a few more plants and introduce some colour with towels and bathmat and on the walls. If the ventilations good enough then yes put some wallpaper up. I'd leave the floor alone. It's hard to be certain from the photos but it looks quite well done rather than a bodge DIY job.

All that really stands out to me is change the radiator to a towel rail style one

Hi
Another nurse here but no dependants as kids grown and flown the nest.
I really like those tiles ! I certainly wouldn’t paint them. I think a pale grey paint for the walls and dark grey or even black vinyl for the floor would look really nice and modern and clean, calm and relaxing.
I think I’d get a match pot in a grey or a couple of different greys and try it out.
On the other hand a yellow could look quite nice with those tiles. I think I’d definitely go with dark grey or black for the floor though.
it could be a really nice bathroom for quite a small outlay.

The tiles look the opposite of relaxing and potentially migraine inducing. Years ago I painted bathroom tiles and they looked ok.

I would paint the walls white and get storage so no products on display except handsoap by the basin.

Its really not bad at all!
Paint the wall a lighter grey colour, I wouldn’t paint the tiles. Maybe change the mirror & add some storage.

I’ve seen far worse! I’d leave the floor alone (is it just dark tiles?) and prioritise putting up some shelves or a small wall-hanging cupboard to get stuff off the windowsill which can be used for trailing plants. The tiles are horrifying, yes — what is your budget for the room? Can you afford to buy some inexpensive plain tiles if you don’t replace the flooring? I have no experience in painting tiles.

Seen much worse. Couple of plants on windowsill and put all the "stuff" away (I also need to do this by the way 🤣)
Maybe a nice colour paint above the tiles will bring them down a bit

I don't think the tiles are that bad either. Just need to tie it together better.

I'd embrace the black and white. Get some nice prints to draw the eye upwards a bit. Some pops of green through plants (and storage for the clutter)..

There are some nice ideas here - 27 and 31 have similar tiles to yours https://www.bhg.com/bathroom/color-schemes/colors/black-and-white-bathroom-ideas/

Thanks all! The floor is actually proper tiles but a horrible brown/grey colour they actually repulse me lol. Yes I agree the windowsill has way too much crap on display, storage is a nightmare in my house. I'm so tempted to paint the tiles white, they are a weird texture tho so I was hoping I would get away with it 👀 but everyone seems to think it's a bad idea!

I’ll be honest, I couldn’t look at those tiles a moment longer than necessary. They say ‘eighties suburban hair salon’ to me. I’d certainly try painting them if removal is absolutely impossible. It can’t make them worse! Maybe someone with more knowledge of painting tiles will be able to say whether it’s possible to paint white over black and white ridged tiles, or whether you’d be like Adrian Mole trying to paint over his Noddy wallpaper…

I 100% agree with u they are absolutely the worst! Your post is basically the permission I needed to paint them white 🤣🤣🤣

I think the space would be improved a lot if you painted the walls forest green and got some hanging storage, like a few white shelves or open cabinets where you could still see the color of the walls.

See what that does and take it from there.

You could try painting just one tile square in hidden spot and see how the tile takes to the paint, obviously you don't paint over grout that will need going over with a grout pen later and if the painted tiles are a disaster you could always retile. I think the floor tiles would be a nightmare to paint so I'd just paint the tiles on the walls.

Mirror cabinet above the sink or a cabinet above the loo for storage.

I had a basic white gloss kitchen wall cabinet above my ensuite loo (ignore the stuff on top!), really good size for lots of storage.

A wire basket type on the wall above the bath end might help with storage there.

To be fair, most of my ensuite seems to be taken up with dormant orchids, it would look a lot tidier without them 😊.

Whether or not you paint the tiles, I second the shelf-for-trailing-plants idea. Or you could get wall-hung pots that have flat backs so they sit flush to the wall. I have a few in my bathroom and they make a big difference. Google 'interior ceramic wall pots' - there's a big selection. Pothos grows like the clappers and you could trail it over the offending tiles. I also have Muehlenbeckia and hoya in my bathroom.

Good luck, whatever you choose :)