Before & After: A Modern, Art-Deco-Inspired Bathroom Makeover

When Brit Arnesen and her husband first bought their Indiana foreclosure home, they intended to flip it right away so they immediately began updating the neglected ranch-style house, room by room, with a budget-friendly approach. Brit, a self-taught interior designer, documented the process on her blog, BritDotDesign. Since they were planning to flip the house when she originally updated the main bathroom, they kept the design simple, opting for a clean, cookie-cutter white look with budget-friendly finishes throughout. Throughout the renovation process, they fell in love with the house and decide to transform it into their dream home.

BEFORE:

Designing a modern, Art Deco bathroom

After deciding to stay put, Brit wanted the main bath to better reflect their personal style so she decided to tackle a second main bathroom renovation, this time transforming the basic space it into a stunning black and white bathroom with a modern, Art Deco vibes. “I’ve always been really drawn to Art Deco style”, Brit says. “I wanted it to look completely different from what it was before. And I wanted it to be dark and moody and totally luxe.”

AFTER:

Bringing the drama with black painted walls

The easiest update that had the biggest impact was most certainly giving the walls a fresh coat of black paint. While most people might opt for clean white in a main bath, Brit took the polar opposite approach. “I’ve realized that’s just not really me,” Brit says of the all-white look. “Slowly but surely, I’m adding color to almost every room in the house.” Brit made a daring color choice withBlackish an off-black paint color that really brings the drama. The before and after is stunning! The black painted walls help make the Art Deco vibe feel decidedly modern, creating a striking contrast with the white tile and accents in the space. Brit says the black walls are the most noticeable change in the space. The bathroom now has such a dramatic and moody vibe!

“I chose Blackish, because it’s the perfect black paint color. It’s not too dark or harsh and doesn’t have any noticeable undertones. The transformative power of paint is just so incredible...this looks like a completely different room!” - Brit Arnesen

Brit’s bathroom remodel ideas on a budget

With two toddlers in tow, Brit knew she wanted to keep the renovation as simple and minimally disruptive as possible. So rather than ripping the space down to the studs, she focused on smaller, surface-level renovations that would be easy to execute and make a big impact. After choosing the perfect paint color, Brit focused on the rest of the bathroom decor. She kept the original, white Ikea vanity because it was not only budget-friendly but also clean, modern and just worked. Another update was ripping out the small patch of subway tile backsplash behind the sink, replacing it with a beautifully textured whigte penny tile going all the way up to the ceiling. There’s nothing more classic than a black and white room so the white tile was perfect contrast to the black paint color. Another budget friendly trick was keeping the existing tile on the floors and in the shower, but cleaning them up and freshening up the grout. To make the white floor tiles feel new, she hand painted a star patterns with different sized stars all over using a stencil and now they look totally custom! Finally Brit added architecture to the space with new mouldings and in true budget-friendly fashion, even learned how to use a chop saw so she could cut and install the mouldings herself!

Brit’s clever ideas for bathroom accessories

Since Brit was going for an Art Deco glam look, she chose a round mirror, a cool brass pendant light, and opted for black fixtures to keep the look feeling modern. But while she loved the black and white bathroom decor, she felt it needed a pop of color, so she introduced plants into the space to add color and life. We always enjoy seeing the creative ways in which people use our paint and loved seeing how Brit also incorporated our pale pink paint color Wing It, into the black and white bathroom. Originally, she intended to use Wing It for the ceiling, but after changing her mind, she decided to paint her planter Wing It and it’s a lovely contrast with the greenery and black and white decor.

“Wing It is such a perfect shade of blush!” - Brit Arensen

What impressed us most about Brit’s black and white bathroom remodel, is that she did everything herself! From ripping out the existing finishes to installing wall tile, moulding, light fixtures and, of course, painting. Naturally, we had to ask for her best DIY advice. Her answer? “Painter’s tape and a drop cloth are your best friends!”

Explore Blackish, Wing It, and our full collection of designer-curated colors here.

To see more of Brit's bathroom renovation visit Brit Dot Design.