One Wallpaper Choice Changed the Direction of This 1927 Bathroom
Guest bathrooms often remain unchanged for years because major updates can require new fixtures, tile work, or plumbing changes. Many homeowners focus on larger rooms first and postpone smaller spaces indefinitely.
In a project shared by Reddit user u/mtoomtoo, a guest bathroom inside a 1927 home took a different approach. The makeover was completed in two days for about $200, relying on paint and wallpaper rather than demolition, new fixtures, or layout changes.
Yellow Walls Dominated the Original Bathroom
The bathroom started with yellow walls, white beadboard, and dark burgundy trim around the window and built-in cabinet.
None of the finishes were damaged, but the yellow walls, burgundy trim, and white beadboard competed for attention instead of working as a unified design.
Green Paint Changed Every Surface Below the Chair Rail
Instead of replacing the beadboard, the homeowner painted it along with the window trim, cabinet, and surrounding millwork.
Sherwin-Williams Edamame replaced the previous color palette and introduced a consistent finish across the lower half of the room. The green connected the beadboard, trim, and built-in cabinet into a single color scheme.
Wallpaper Replaced the Plain Upper Walls
Home Depot’s Midnight Blue Fragaria Garden wallpaper replaced the plain yellow walls with a dense pattern of birds, flowers, and foliage. The dark background creates contrast against the Sherwin-Williams Edamame paint used on the beadboard, trim, and built-in cabinet, helping every surface work together rather than compete for attention.
Dark backgrounds can overwhelm small bathrooms, but the botanical pattern draws attention across the walls while the green millwork anchors the room below. Together, the two finishes create a stronger connection between the home’s age and the bathroom’s updated appearance.
Built-In Cabinet Became Part of the Design
Before the makeover, the recessed cabinet blended into the wall.
After receiving the same green paint as the trim and beadboard, it became part of a coordinated design instead of an overlooked utility feature. The cabinet now helps frame the wallpaper rather than interrupt it.
Paint and Wallpaper Did More Than New Fixtures
The layout never changed. The toilet stayed where it was, the window remained the same size, and the beadboard remained on the walls.
Yet the room appears far removed from its original version because every major surface now belongs to the same palette. Green paint connects the architectural details, while the wallpaper becomes the focal point instead of the trim.
Paint and wallpaper did almost all the work here. The layout remained the same, the fixtures stayed in place, and the budget stayed close to $200.
Few bathroom makeovers create this much visual change without touching the fixtures. In this case, paint and wallpaper transformed a room that had remained largely unchanged, proving that color and pattern can alter the appearance of a space as much as a larger renovation.
All images belongs to Reddit user @mtoomtoo.