7 Landlord-Approved Upgrades To Try In Your Rental Bathroom

THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS

I'm very good at updating bathrooms in a renter-friendly way. In my studio apartment, I used pasted bead board wallpaper to cover the boring white tiles and despite thousands of comments telling me my landlord was going to sue me… It came off with no issues and I got my security deposit back with interest.

This time around, I’m not hiding the tiles, I’m letting the two-toned tiles shine and using my favorite renter-friendly hacks to makeover my bathroom. I’ve found some excellent tips and tricks while remodeling a rental and I want to share!

Photo by Farrah Skeiky

Renter-Friendly Bathroom Upgrades

Peel-and-Stick Wallpaper

While paint remains the cheapest way to decorate a room, peel-and-stick wallpaper is my favorite way to make a big impact in a small space. For my no-reno makeover, I used Drunken Chevron in Rose from my collection with Otto Studio and it looks FIREEEE!

The majority of the wallpaper is a dusty pink, but the small blue dots compliment the blue tiles so well. Installing peel-and-stick wallpaper in a bathroom requires good prep and high-quality materials, so don’t cut corners if you want this install to last.

Removable wallpaper when applied incorrectly can take off a little bit of paint when removed, so I recommend keeping a small can of the original paint color on hand for touch ups.

Textiles, Textiles, Textiles

Spring is almost here so it’s a great time to refresh your towels, bath mats and shower curtains. Traditional white towels are great for every day use, but using fun hand towels with scalloped-edge details or bath mats in poppy colors brings a hint of fun and whimsy to a room. And, you don’t need your landlords approval to make this change.

To take things up a notch - literally lol. Raise your shower curtain about 6 inches from the ceiling. You’ll need an extra-long shower liner to prevent water dripping out of the tub, but this tip will make your ceilings feel much higher and it’s totally worth it.

P.s. Don’t use tension rods on wallpaper - the twisting will damage it. Use closet end supports, which can be installed with a few screws and spackled over during move out.

New Hardware Goes Hard

The importance of hardware cannot be overstated - they're like the earrings of your space. And since bathrooms tend to have fewer doors and drawers than a kitchen, you can invest in a more unique (r.e. expensive) pieces of hardware.

That said, you don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars on hardware. Amazon has an incredible selection of hardware for under $50.

Mirrors Are Everything

In all my years, I’ve only seen a handful of medicine cabinets that look good - this one is nice, but they’re usually $350+ and statement mirror looks so much better anyway. And, I know storage is an issue for a lot of us, but you can always get the ELFA Over-The-Door Utility Rack. This holds way more than a medicine cabinet ever could.

TJ Maxx and Homegoods are my go to places to find small wall mirrors, but there are a lot of great options out there.

Most landlords aren't taking the time to build medicine cabinets into the wall, so removing them is as easy as taking out a few screws and scrapping away the caulk - easy peasy. That said, if yours is built-in try this $50 wavy mirror DIY from LoneFox and attach it to the existing unit with hinges.

Lighting Is Everything

One of the sexiest upgrades you can make in your rental bathroom is swapping out the light fixture above your vanity. I'm sick of seeing boring, chrome lights that cost like $15. And at this point it’s unnecessary since they’re amazing lighting options from $60 - $300 just waiting to be delivered to your home.

And lighting is the ultimate renter friendly upgrade as you can easily take down and reinstall it in a new apartment. Just keep the originals under your bed or tucked away in the closet until it’s time to move out.

Paint That Vanity

Bathroom vanities are notoriously ugly, IMO, but what does that matter when you get permission from your landlord to make improvements. If removing your existing vanity is not an option, consider painting it with a bold color - Borscht by Sherwin Williams is an excellent option.

For my adventurous DIY girlies, follow Lauren of Pinchplateparty’s custom vanity build. She makes it look so easy and it came out beautifully.

Toilet Upgrades?

Toilets are an often forgotten area of the bathroom, but there are two simple fixes that can really jazz up this area.

BEFORE

AFTER

Photo by Farrah Skeiky for The Washington Post

First, the toilet seat. My ultimate goal is to get the TOTO Washlet Bidet, but it’s $600 and I’m working on a kitchen makeover so… Nah!

In the meantime, I spent $100 on a stunning mahogany toilet seat with antique brass hardware and it looks amazing! Confirm if your toilet is elongated or round and you can do this upgrade in 10 minutes or less.

While you're at it, switch out the toilet lever. For $65, I found one that matches the toilet seat hardware it makes a massive difference. This fix requires a bit more skill, but I found this video super helpful and got it done in under 15 minutes.