This is the general vibe/colour palette I'm going with for the house, if this helps!

@ladybug A 9a Houston area everything has been scrubbed and cleaned within an inch of its life. I just really want to make it feel more like "me"

I'd paint your ceiling and walls above the tile a bit khaki, olive. I love the pics you posted in the comment section showing your vibe. All of the pics with pink walls also have some green in the room that makes the pink tones pop. I'd paint the top row of floral accent tiles with the same wall paint as well.

I painted my bathroom Farrow and Ball Mouse's Back above the tile line on the walls and ceiling and it is freaking fantastic. They describe it as a grey brown but it really looks green-ish in my space. Play with some different paint swatches like this - paint samples on your wall or large sample board.

Mouse's Back

I don't love the idea of doing a pink-ish wall in there. I think it just might all get a bit muddy and not turn out like your option #1 pics.

Is this a main bathroom or ensuite with in a room? The last place I would feel compelled to put scarce resources is in a very private space. If it's structural integrity is still there---no leaks etc. live with it. You are talking about spending money on your latest likes...by the time you can afford a gut they will have changed. When you get to the gut remember where you came from, how your likes have changed and work to be sure your fixed elements are neutral and can work with many color palates, i.e. paint/towels etc. are easy to change--tile not so much. Given all the white paint seems with in your budget.

i’m with Kendrah - I think the right wall color will make a huge difference, love the idea of the something deeper and natural tone (painting the top row of tiles is a good idea)

If it were me, I’d also

- find a long ruggable to cover up quite a bit of the floor - it will take some time to get the right color/pattern but i think it will be worth it

- add lots of white towels

- clean up any visual clutter from soap, shampoo bottles w/ new ones from Polished Jar (both vanity and shower)

- change out white shade with a bamboo blind mounted a bit higher to give the window some fake height, will also get some warmth and texture in there

having the toilet in the adjoining space isn’t ideal, but if you moved the toilet room door to open into the main bath then you would lose all the storage in what I assume is a large medicine cabinet

i agree, I don’t think it’s a bad bath at all in the scheme of things - nice window!

I might just get some removable wallpaper (and a good bath fan) and call it a day. If you want to go to the trouble, remove the border tile and just patch the walls.

Grasscloth Geo Peel and Stick Wallpaper, Beige · More Info

Genevieve Gorder Feather Flock Peel and Stick Wallpaper, 28 sq. ft., Sahara Blush · More Info

You could, if you want, replace the hardware on the vanity with rose gold.

The main bedroom and adjoining bathoom cab be atotally different color scheme than the main part of the house and in fact I often do that for the private spaces .I honestly do not see any real scheme going on at all. I usually do the main bedroom with decor to work with the bedding which IMO drives the decor there and then the atached bathroom the same colors . Waht is your bedroom and please post pics of that here in a comment .

Interest rates dropped, and betting there will be another.. (Election year..,surprise?)

That is no reason to borrow from equity just to do a facelift on a perfectly functional bathroom.

As other have said, paint or wallpaper the walls in a darker color. Lose the window treatment and add art.

OK - I think I need to clarify some things...

I live in Australia - the rise in interest rates has added $1000+/month to my mortgage for the last two years, the dream house is a pipe dream right now. Like I'm talking at least 10 years off, if ever. I want my house to be a place I'm happy to inhabit for the foreseeable future.

I have ONE bathroom, the toilet is in a separate room. The house would be unlivable without this set-up because I have a housemate. The bathroom is also used by any guests that come over, because there is only one, so it's not a "private area".

I can't remove the border tiles - they were installed before the vanity/shower/bath, so I can't remove any tiles without demo-ing the entire bathroom.

My taste has barely changed in the last 20 years, it evolves slightly and gradually, and I update accessories, etc as time goes by, but I'm comfortable with what I like and I'm not worried I'm going to regret it.

I would prefer to stick with chrome hardware throughout the house, as this is the colour of the door handles and kitchen hardware - but I am open to recommendations for style for faucet/taps/vanity handles.

NO WHITE PAINT anywhere. I don't like white paint, never have, it feels sterile and like it belongs in a hospital.

My vibe is eclectic, personal and a mix of eras (mostly 60s-80s). I like to mix old with new, most of my stuff is thrifted/second hand, etc - but sometimes I buy new pieces that speak to me and I enjoy the mix.

Thank you to @la_la Girl and @Kendrah - I don't mind the idea of a deeper colour paint, but probably not green, as the tiles have a greyish/blue tone in them and I think green might just be introducing another disparate element. I am going to use green elsewhere in the house though, and I'll check out that colour you recommended, it's gorgeous. I also like the idea of a bamboo shade - but not sure it fits the inspo...

I would love some advice based on my inspo pictures, I think I agree with you @Kendrah that inspo #2 is probably a better way to go, adding more pink might just end up making the whole situation a bit sickly.

So let's stick with this is as the inspo:

Any advice on how to achieve this look, on a tight budget, working within the parameters of my existing bathroom, would be much appreciated.

For reference: My bedroom is still very much a WIP, but this is my current plan (I already own all the furniture and most of the art/accessories - just need to paint and source lighting and a rug really):

I think a strong wall color, but def not pink. I agree white here is not helping. Maybe try and see if you can match to the dark tone in the tile border. Then continue with the plant greenery and natural wood accessories, maybe even wood hardware on the cabinet?

Have you ever done any Faux paint techniques - rag-rolling, splatter, sponge, vertical two tone? The right choice could have dramatic eye-catching appeal.

Get a rug; possibly sisal? Do the windows Need shades? (It looks like frosted glass.)

Paint the window trim a darker shade or different color than (what you paint the) walls. Do the same with any other white trim.

Get rid of the white ceiling. Don't be afraid of a dark color. One time I decoupaged magazine covers on a bath ceiling - Vogue face shots, wild animals. Might consider this for the walls. I have used vintage NewYorker covers as wallpaper in a bathroom. You might use National Geographic animal pics. The ceiling is where you could use cheap, thin, wood laminate planks, or cork floor tiles...?

Do something funky with the overhead light fixture. Funky e.g. = umbrella sans fabric draped with tiny lights.

Maybe try ropelights at crown all the way around the room.

You could paint just the vanity doors and drawer fronts a darker accent color. Or...those could be what gets decoupaged with something funky.

You could make vintage silverplate spoons as the vanity hardware. Painting doors and drawer fronts a deeper color would make these stand out.

Get/make a large wood mantel shelf, big hunk of wood, to place over tub. How about diy fan-blade dragonflies to adorn the wall.

Don't forget cruising around Pinterest.

Instead of a timber or marble stool, maybe something like this:

Some idea websites:

https://decortalk.dcgstores.com/5-faux-painting-ideas-transform-bare-walls/https://decortalk.dcgstores.com/5-faux-painting-ideas-transform-bare-walls/

https://pic-leg.blogspot.com/2021/04/texture-easy-faux-painting-techniques.html

The colors in Option 1 would look good. Or use a stunning wallpaper with some lush, thriving new plants.

Peel and stick floor tiles will not lay flat on your tile floor. They will look like a cheap cover-up and clash with the more sophisticated wall tile. If you want try a fresher look to the floor tile, use a light color (off white) grout paint on the beige grout.

OK - this is where I've come to...

• Paint the walls and ceiling to match the darker blue/grey tone in the tiles ( @kazzh )
• Paint the floor tiles (they are already in the checkerboard pattern I like, but I'll paint them matte ivory and brown/burgundy to match my inspo pictures)
• Strip the window frame and stain it in a dark brown stain
• Replace cupboard hardware with something like these Art Deco handles
• Add a wall lamp on an arm for ambient lighting (can't replace the ceiling light as it is heat/fan)
• Replace the faucet/taps on the vanity with something ultra-modern in chrome
• Add a towel shelf above the bath in a dark brown stain to match the window frame
• Add art/accessories (most of these I already have - or I at least have the frames, I'll find printable artwork or create my own to suit)
• New towels

@apple_pie_order love the wallpaper idea, but I think with the current tiles it would look extremely hectic.

I was thinking the same thing re: the floor tiles and realised they are actually already in the perfect layout, so painting is a great solution.

@lazidazi thank you so much! A lot of these ideas are too quirky for me, but I am going to have a go at a paint wash technique in my bedroom to get the "limewash" look. And I love the idea of a shelf above the bath (have incorporated into my design).

I'm hoping I can get the whole thing done for maybe $500 😬

Thoughts? Concerns?

Concern - tile paint on floor and durability. You will be walking on the floor, potentially with shoes and without, so the question is how well will it wear? The concerns raised with the stickers makes that a difficult proposition also. Maybe the best way to change the flooring is to think a rug or large mat. Maybe a large mono tone mat and use the current floor color as the border.

Forgot to add try your wall color on a large test sheet/page so you can see how it works. You may see another tone that will be a better fit.

Are adjustable rate mortgages the rule rather than the exception in AU? Because the real long term solution here is to ditch the adjustable mortgage in favor of a fixed rate one.

@Minardi - interest rates here work a little differently than they do in the US, but fixed/variable is a risk calculation we have to make. I paid off my last 30-year mortgage in 12 years partly due to excellent budgeting and investment and partly because my variable rate dropped to one of the lowest in history. My credit score is unicorn level and I have a 1.2% rate discount with my current lender because of this.

I have a friend who was on a fixed rate at the time and while my rate dropped to around 2%, she was stuck at 5.5% (HUGE difference).

In the last 18 months interest rates have risen dramatically, I was aware this would likely happen and budgeted accordingly. I have a savings nest egg and financially I’m fine, I just don’t have much extra cash for something like a reno. But can still afford paint and little luxuries like new towels and accessories.

I could fix my rate now for 3 years max, at a slightly higher rate than I’m currently on, but forecasts say that rates are likely to drop over this period, so I believe I’m better off on my variable rate. At this stage, I'm still on track to have this one paid off in maybe 12-15 years, but given construction rates are also at a record high in Australia, I'm not in a position to add another $1m to my mortgage to do a Dream House construction project.