Painters Tape, Doubt & a Dream: The Bathroom That Paid Off
This bathroom makeover started the same way a lot of projects do for me—late at night, scrolling Pinterest, convincing myself “this won’t be that bad.”
Spoiler alert: it was that bad.
Painting stripes on textured walls is not for the faint of heart, and there were several moments during this project where I questioned every single decision that led me here. But when the tape finally came off? Instant payoff. SIKE!!! If you’ve been following this project on my Instagram that you already know that this was far from the dreamy moment that I hoped it would be.
This girls’ bathroom went from boring and not functional to full‑of‑personality, and despite the effort (and mild emotional spiral), I would do it all over again.
So why stripes?
I’ll be honest—stripes felt like a choice. I’ve never painted stripes before, and while I love wallpaper, our heavily textured walls always steer me straight toward a paintbrush instead. And you may know the story of how I even landed on this as our next project. If you don’t, let’s just say, I am really impatient when I ask my husband to do something and this time, his sloth like reaction caused an avalanche of painters tape.
Scrolling Pinterest, though, I kept coming back to striped bathrooms. They felt playful but still classic, bold without being overwhelming—perfect for a shared girls’ space. Stripes also gave me a way to break up some of the other design projects I’ve done in the house so far and add personality without committing to a full wallpaper moment.
So… stripes it was.
THe Before
Before, this bathroom worked—but it didn’t wow. And after the towel rack broke, I honestly realized how much it did NOT work. Our girls didn’t have a lot of space to place their soaking wet towels (a huge pet peeve of mine that we are currently working on). It was complete factory settings. The colors were boring, the vibe was existent, and nothing about it reflected the girls who use it every single day.
This felt like the perfect space to experiment a little.
The Design plan
Here’s what guided this refresh:
Painted stripes for visual interest and a bold focal moment
A bright, happy color palette that feels playful but still timeless
Simple, high‑impact updates (no demo required)
Kid‑friendly but not kiddish—a space that can grow with them
I wanted this bathroom to feel joyful now, but not something we’d feel the need to redo in two years. Stripes felt like the perfect middle ground—fun, classic, and unexpected.
The Process: Trusting the Vision
Let me be very clear: painting stripes requires patience, confidence, and a solid tolerance for doubt.
There were moments when the color seemed wrong, the paint finish looked too shiny, the walls felt too textured, and I genuinely wondered if I should abort mission and repaint everything one solid color. But I trusted the process (and the Pinterest screenshots), and after I went through and cleaned up EVERY SINGLE SOLITARY LINE with a tiny paint brush, I could see the vision.
The stripes instantly gave the room depth, charm, and that “wait… this is actually so good” feeling.
We added decorative trim to the top of the stripes to give it a more finished look. This of course only added more complexity to the project.
The finished space
This bathroom now feels joyful. It feels intentional. And most importantly—it feels like them. They expressed to me how much they love it once we got everything on the walls and it felt like the biggest accomplishment! I knew I loved it but knowing THEY loved it as much as I did was such a warm hug.
The stripes bring personality without overwhelming the space, and the updated details tie everything together in a way that feels elevated but still family‑friendly.
This makeover was a reminder that the projects that push us the most are usually the ones that surprise us the most.
You don’t need a massive budget or a full renovation to make a space feel special—sometimes you just need a little paint, a lot of tape, and the courage to keep going even when it feels hard.
The stripe struggle was real—but so was the payoff.
If you’re standing in the paint aisle debating something bold, let this be your sign to try it.
