This Small Bathroom Makeover Blends Budget-Friendly DIYs and High-End Finishes

Someone in Kim Rivera's house wasn't happy about sharing. And it wasn't her kids. Izabel and Richie were used to taking turns in the 5x8-foot bath between their bedrooms. But once they stopped using the tub, Kim found herself in line outside her own bathroom, waiting for the shower. It was time to reclaim her space and give the teenagers a more useful bathroom.

The makeover's game-changer: A fixed glass panel delineates a shower that fills the space of the original 1948 pink tub. To waterproof the stall, ceramic tile (over cement board) runs floor to ceiling and wraps the edges of the window recess.

What makes the new doorless shower work? Moving the controls to the opposite wall, mounting a pan-style showerhead on a curved arm, and protecting the surfaces with tile. The shower inspired a black-and-white scheme that lifts the whole room. Now a line forms outside this bath.

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Paint and new knobs gave the old cabinet a mini makeover. A round mirror with a strap appears to hang from the new light fixture. (It's actually mounted to the wall.)

ADAM ALBRIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY INC

Floating shelves with spray-painted brackets increase display space but not visual weight.

Adam Albright Photography Inc

A new bronze faucet modernizes the old sink. The single-handle lever style is easier to turn on and keep clean than a traditional two-handle model.

Adam Albright Photography Inc

Tearing up the tile floor would have required a jackhammer. The simpler route: covering it with peel-and-stick vinyl tiles. Mounting the shower panel was just as slick. It's secured in two black channels with clear silicone.