Progress has been made on the guest bathroom, which is a relief since Sherry’s mom and stepdad arrive in less than 30 hours. Our first win was finding a shower curtain. After being burned by pattern choices before, we picked up a new one at Target on Friday for about $20.
The space still looks a little unfinished—we haven’t painted the walls or hung any art yet and probably won’t before the in-laws arrive tomorrow—but the curtain already improves the room. The larger medallion pattern works better with the small square tile on the walls and floor, unlike the smaller yellow pattern we tried previously. The dark brown in the curtain also adds contrast against the yellow tiles and off-white walls, and it ties into the brown-and-white tones in the old guest room bedding we plan to reuse. With the guest room walls being blue, the curtain helps create a cohesive flow between the spaces.
After settling on the curtain and grabbing a simple white fabric liner from Target to protect it from getting drenched, we turned our attention to a bath mat—or more accurately, the lack of one. The first brown mat we brought home matched the curtain but was far too dark and read like a big, dirty spot on the floor.
So we went back to Target for a mini bath-mat fashion show (Sherry may or may not have cheered “fashion show” as we shopped). The first option blended too much with the floor and looked dull. The second was a colorful rectangular mat that picked up the blue tones from the curtain and the nearby deep teal guest bedroom. It wasn’t bad and would have brightened the space.
The third option felt just right: crisp and tailored without being too matchy. The striped pattern plays nicely against the curtain’s circles, and the white-and-brown palette keeps the elements related without feeling forced. Even though we’re adding more color around the house, we still love clean white accents in a bathroom—especially when the fixtures are white. Plush white linens give a hotel-like, spa feeling, and that’s the vibe we want for our guests. We bought the striped mat, returned the others, and started feeling a lot more guest-ready.
We also tackled a few hardware updates. The toilet seat was overdue for replacement—the old one had chips and tears and the soft-close seat wasn’t our favorite. Replacing a toilet seat isn’t glamorous, but it’s an easy upgrade that makes the bathroom feel cleaner and more cared-for.
Next up was the shower head. The old head worked fine—good pressure and no leaks—but it was rusty and dated. We bought an inexpensive multi-setting shower head at Target for $14 and swapped it in. After some elbow grease to remove the old fixture, the new one went on quickly and instantly looked brighter and fresher. I even took a test shower afterward to make sure everything worked smoothly; fortunately, the water pressure is excellent, so our guests are in luck.
One easy, zero-cost improvement: while removing a mirror from the inside of the bathroom door, we discovered towel hooks on the back of the door that had been hidden for two months. I unscrewed and reattached them to the inside where they’re visible and useful, and Sherry patched and painted the unused holes on the back of the door. Little discoveries like that save money and add function.
We still need a few finishing touches—towels, maybe some art, and a couple of accessories—to make the room feel complete, but it’s fully functional now. We’ll share photos after Sherry adds her decorative touches. We’re also making progress in the guest room and will post updates on that soon.
Have you made any recent bathroom upgrades? Any tips for preparing a guest bathroom—beyond the obvious essentials like shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, fluffy towels, and washcloths (which are already on our list)? This is our first time furnishing a dedicated guest bathroom we don’t use regularly, so we’d love practical advice from anyone who’s done it before.