Also, I thought the color scheme in the collage pic pulled out the cream, tan, and wood color well, but I’m not sure where to put the other colors... on the walls? Paint the vanity (husband doesn’t want to do that), heelllllllp.

the color that is there now is actually nice. I wouldn't switch it for more beige.

if you want to pull in those other colors, do so w/a rug, towels, some art. I'd also get some hanging plants.

painting the vanity and getting a new vanity top (maybe a few hundred) is an option. (is it one sink or two? if one, just look for a remnant piece at a stone yard or fabricator shop. have the fabricator cut it to your dimensions (trace a template of your sink cutout or get a new sink) including the sink, and install it. shouldn't be more than a few hundred to do this)

Painting the vanity,,,if he won't do it, then you do it! look at Evolution of Style' and "how to paint oak cabinets" .

look at 1000 dollar bathroom makeovers. (I think it's referred to as The One Room Challenge) tons of ideas on how to redo a builder basic bathroom on a budget.

if you feel you must paint, these are some colors that can work

Thank you!! Of the color you sent for walls, my choice would be the SW pure white. I just can’t get on board with more tans!

Can’t really replace the vanity top as it’s a 2 sink piece and there is a matching built in makeup vanity across the room. I think it would cost more than I have to spend.

I think I could paint the vanity, but have promised to avoid if I can. 😊 but, yes, I’ve screenshotted 100s of oak cabinet makeovers! But, Even if I paint the vanity, I’m still stuck with the tan/cream of the counter and tiles.

What about pure white (or a cream that matches counter) on the walls, leave the wood as is, replace mirror with two framed circles or rectangle mirrors, replace hardware, and use the other collage colors in pics and towels? And I agree on the plants! Those will def help. If you think that would work.. would you do black mirror frames and hardware, or silver, gold, etc? Thank you so much!

Do you think I could make any of these work?

You could try SW Alabaster. it's a warmer white.

no frame on the mirror since it's not that type of mirror that gets framed. doesn't it have the light behind it?

maybe switch out your hardware. but it's not necessary.

it's really not that bad, what you have.

other than paint, I'd hold off spending any more money. save until you have enough to redo the entire thing.

another option you could look at is painting those floor tiles. tons of how to's on that. (if your plan is to pull them up and replace them, you have nothing to lose)

paint and stencil. Cutting Edge Stencils has how to's

No, it’s not ugly or bad, just the opposite of my style so I’m trying to spruce things up. I think a total overhaul is at least 5-10 years away so I guess I’ll just try the paint for now!

This popped up in my feed just today. I suggest painting one wall to start with, say the one with the towels, in a teal color. It would brighten the room considerably. Then if you like it, you could do the rest of the wall space in a much paler shade of the same color. The "towels" sign would then stand out much brighter.

I did the master bath in one of our homes in colors typical of a rural mostly Mexican/Central american town. Burnt orange (around the vanity), sage green (the rest of the walls) and sundown creamy yellow (ceiling). The vanity was dark brown because that was Hubby's choice. It all worked well together and we never tired of it.

Our current home has small bathrooms. I've cycled through 3 different color schemes in the hall bathroom, it's currently a pale apricot, but I'm about ready to go back to teal for it's cheerfulness. Our floor is beige vinyl and the fixtures are all white. Boring. Therefore: bright color on the walls.

Long term suggestions:

Go to Michaels or some other craft and art supply store. Purchase an artist's color wheel, the type made of cardboard that turns so you can see contrasting and complimentary colors.

Go to a fabric store such as Joann's, Hancock or Hobby Lobby. In the section with solid color fabric, find one close to the color of your vanity. Walk around holding that bolt of fabric next to colors that you find pleasing. Take photos of the ones that either appeal to you immediately or make you think "well, maybe".

I'm not an artist, but like most people I have preferences for certain colors and can state whether a color makes me feel up or down. Avoid the "downs."

Just add white towels, and accessories that are light colors

I like the first "makeover" = white walls with Black accents: black contemporary light fixtures, black modern handles on the cabinetry, black contemporary faucets, black mirror frame (on top of mirror is fine), and black accessories (tp, towel hooks, etc.). A couple of black rugs to break up the beige floor. If you are up to painting some tile, I would just start with the small squares in the accent row of the shower to black. Add some greenery in the form of plants in simple black pots, use white towels and it will really look much more up to date. The cure for all beige is CONTRAST. You already have some white going, so play up some black to move away from all one color. - Jennifer

I had a similar problem in our guest bathroom. We are several years from a renovation of that bath. It has oak cabinets similar to yours. I bought some Annie Sloan chalk paint for the cabinets in a light color. I am not an expert diy person, but I was able to paint the cabinets and am pleased with the change in my bathroom. Right now it still has the vinyl sheet flooring, but I haven’t tried painting that. Painting the cabinets will go a long way toward brightening the room. Good luck

I would do some basics, look at your other items that you usually would gravitate towards. Check out Navy blues with the cabinets. It would give the room one sophisticated design. You can use honey colors accents to brighten room.

LIndsay - I think you are on exactly the right track with your pics. Painting the walls with either the white or the teal (depending if you want to brighten or cozy up your space) is a perfect start. Maybe consider replacing the wall sconces to something more in your taste/style (Lowes has good inexpensive choices until you can do the major overhaul you want to do). I would replace the handles - it's not expensive and can make a big difference. A large mirror like that, while useful, is dated. You can either replace it or maybe frame it into two mirrors with a coordinating paint color - like the black you're gravitating to - lots of examples on Pinterest on how to do this. Then think texture - that is what your room feels like its missing the most - particularly if you like boho. Greenery (blowy styles are great with white and black), natural (baskets, wood, rattan, bamboo, jute), fabric (towels, rugs, etc) I would stick with white towels because they look very clean and they are easiest to maintain. Lastly, I would suggest getting rid of the "towels" holder and put in something that ties into your style a little more. You have great taste. Go shopping for concepts and trust yourself.

I must say this bathroom is much nicer than the title of your dilemma implies:) I would just paint the walls and be done. Get a nice towel hanger rather than the "Towels" hanger, which really adds a beach vibe (I think you said no to coastal/beach style). Get rid of the brown rug (or any rug for that matter).

Add some beautiful canvas art. Add some nice fluffy towels. I would paint either a warm white or a light green (warm, very light) or potentially a light orchid.

Really nice bathroom!

Oh your bathroom is really great- I would get rid of the brown rug of course & try a warm white on the walls. Really will brighten it up. If those cabinets were painted - either light or black- would be great. If you can- carefully remove that large mirror & put up individual ones-

I can see where you’re coming from and you are on the right track. You do not need to wait to touch it until you can afford it. You can do Phases on it so you like it more as the years go by until you ever want to completely redo it. It has great bones and honestly, if you are leaning to the boho/FH side of it, you can leave your vanity wood. It warms up your space, leaving a contrast that’s warmer. Choose a wall color of an off-white/or tan nor beige. You’ll have to compare it to the fixed elements in the room(tile/tub) so that the wall color doesn’t make it all look dirty. Then paint your hardware, fixtures black. Then accessorize! Paint does not do the heavy lifting in a room. When you see pictures, 9/10 you are loving some of the elements that are not fixed, so accessorize more to do the lifting to help create the look your wanting.

Becky, thank you. To ensure the new wall color doesn’t make the counter look dirty, Should I try to match it? I assume don’t go lighter, correct? 😣

i suggest SW Creamy or Alabaster for the walls as either will read white but have the warm tone you need to go with your tile and counters. SW Pure White would be too stark and cold in my opinion. Good Luck!

Paint the walls & vanity a soft white. New black hardware on vanity, black towel bars and mirror frames. That will give you a clean slate to work with and you'll only need a few pops of color to really add some drama. The beiges will fade away with the high contrast of the black & white.

Pick the color in the floor tile that is closest to the color you want to go with, then paint the walls that color. You can cheat a bit and not make it exact to match the floor, but go a tad bit leaning to what color you want the room to be. Although others posted photos of wood sinks that look fabulous in the photos, your sink might look better painted white or a dark color. They sell a product that is a grout paint. It works great! I think a different color grout would go a long way in helping that floor. Add accessories and I think you will love your bathroom.

HU- what color of grout paint would you suggest?

HU- also, when you say paint the sink white or a dark color, do you mean paint the wood vanity? The sink itself is marble. I’m trying to avoid painting the wood (promised to first try other things before going that far). Trust that if it were solely up to me, it would be painted!!

I meant paint the wood vanity if painting the walls and redoing grout fails. Do a grout color that is similar to the color tile so it doesn't stand out too much. I am not sure every color the stuff comes in. Here's the product I used and a video demonstrating 2 methods of applying it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-uTZ0keOU0

comes in a lot of different colors - https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fimages-na.ssl-images-amazon.com%2Fimages%2FI%2F81FXtktOELL.AC_SL1500.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FGrout-Refresh-White-8oz-Bottle%2Fdp%2FB006IS9B2G&tbnid=urUeveefmPnabM&vet=12ahUKEwimh_PN7ufwAhWYhHIEHf48BHUQMygBegUIARCJAw..i&docid=o8uOxJYJbC_WKM&w=1410&h=1500&q=grout%20refresh%20colors&ved=2ahUKEwimh_PN7ufwAhWYhHIEHf48BHUQMygBegUIARCJAw

this is a chart I found. Please post before and after photos!

I painted all the walls and the ceiling in the SW 6378 Crisp Linen. It's white with slight salmonish-pinkish undertone, which is the lightest on your floor. It would be even better if you paint ceiling with the same colour. Your existing vanity perfectly fits the look as a contrast. Once you repaint the walls

it will be obvious to change or not to change the hardware and what colour it might be. Due to poor quality of the pics, it is necessary to keep in mind that the colour of the walls have to be the lightest tone of floor tiles and more or less much with countertop and tab surrounding.

Sounds like your husband isn't on board with painting the cabinets. If you want to change the color of the wood, paint isn't your only option. My daughter likes the look of wood but hates the orange-y oak finish on all the wood in her house. She's been changing it out ever since she moved in 6 years ago using a gel stain to a color more appealing to her. She said she's sanded some but skipped that step in other areas and it still seems to go on just as well. I don't know the brand but she probably got it at a store like Home Depot, just because that's where they go for home improvement projects.

All of your fixtures can be transformed with the right spray paint. Consult an employee in Lowe's or Home Depots paint department. Assuming your faucets, shower hardware and towel bars are in good working order, this could save you tons of money. Pretty easy project with lasting results. Ours look great after 2 years.

Best advice I can give you is to go with what pleases you.

Marina, thanks for doing that! What app do you use?

It's Sherwin Williams paint you photo. This way is only for choosing the right direction, not the right colour. I also have to mention that if you don't like the bright nature

of your vanity and your husband doesn't want to paint it (which is right), you can white washing it. It's pretty simple to DIY it. Have a look at my own vanity, which I white washed several years ago.

I would do black walls with white baseboards paint cabinets red 😍😍😍😍😍

A breath of fresh air. The paint color from Benjamin Moore. Will make your bathroom look like a spa!
Visit the site! I used it in my bath and I love it.

I heard earth tones are coming back in style.

Cabinet fronts date the room. Would replace w/ white or cream, slab fronts in place of those dark dust-catchers, repainting the frames, and no need for the TOWELS lettering, people know. I think the rest is fine really for now.

I had a really ugly top to a living room bookcase, a “planter” top. I wanted it off! Woulda required a lotta other work beside and behind where it was. Designer said we hadda lotta other things needing done first. He was right. The rest of your room is clean, serviceable, light, and really quite soothing. Just change the cabinet fronts and trash those letters. No need to chase trends. Onward!