Our guest bathroom has been pretty pitiful-looking for the past 4 years that we've lived in our home. We painted the walls and installed a new faucet and some cheap sconces right away, but otherwise it just kept getting knocked down the to-do list. As is the case with many young families, our time, money and energy have been spent on more important things for our children. During my recent maternity leave, I needed a creative outlet and decided it was time to tackle the guest bathroom.

Although I have great plans to renovate and reconfigure our guest bedroom, bathroom and laundry room, those plans are on hold for the (distant) future. In the meantime, we have been making budget-friendly cosmetic and decorative improvements to put our stamp on these spaces without breaking the bank. Both personally and professionally, I try my best to be budget-conscious and respectful of my resources. You can read more about that on my Philosophy page.

So I set out to design a budget-friendly guest bathroom - full of personality and classic sophistication - without doing renovations. I'm thrilled with the outcome, and I'm excited to share these photos with you! Keep scrolling to see some before and after images - including the original condition of this bathroom when we purchased our house.

The top photo is this bathroom's original condition when we bought the house 4 years ago.

I've been helping clients with their homes for about 2 years now, but I've mostly provided consultation services and design plans for DIY clients as well as renovation plans for contractors. I have loved offering design guidance and creative ideas that empower my clients to decorate their homes essentially on their own. But I rarely get to see a project through from start to finish... until now.

I recently met with a client who unfortunately struggles with health issues and needs my hands-on assistance from beginning to end - shopping, decorating, installation, etc. I'm thrilled to assist her with making her home beautiful, warm and welcoming. After presenting my ideas to her at our consultation, she smiled and said with excitement that she can't wait to love living in her home. I was immediately able to see a positive shift in her mood, and she shared her enthusiasm to entertain guests in her home once we have it decorated.

That consultation was such a gift for me - I felt God was telling me loud and clear exactly why I feel called to make homes beautiful. Our living environment can drastically affect us whether we realize it or not. And I want to improve people's lives by providing them with well-designed spaces that they love and can be proud to share with their family and friends. My client was grateful for my design ideas and services, but I was even more grateful for the gift that she gave me.

I look forward to sharing the before & after photos with you soon, but until then I'll share the inspirational design boards that I presented to my client...