Every Mom needs to have something to make her smile when she walks into a bathroom shared by 4 boy cubs.
I’m not wrong.
When we moved into our home a few years ago, I knew I wanted to decorate the boys’ bathroom in a vintage car theme, with a limited budget.
I chose vintage cars, rather than a more cartoon version, so the boys wouldn’t outgrow the theme quickly. Flash forward to present day, and I still love it.
Here are the 5 simple steps I took to create this vintage car bathroom. Use the same concepts to create a budget-friendly room on any theme.
start with a focal point
In most rooms, a ‘focal point,’ refers to a large couch or big artwork, but where do you start in a teeny, tiny bathroom? For me it was obvious – I needed a bright, colourful shower curtain. I adore this vintage car shower curtain in a mildew resistant plastic. It was within the budget for less than $10 on a clearance rack.
Smart Mom Tip: If you find an item you really love and it will need to be replaced one day, buy two.
I can’t find this exact shower curtain any longer, but click this image for an alternative on Amazon. Also – searching Amazon for “vintage car decor” can help you find a few key pieces.
work with what you have
The green vanity top, green floor tiles and soft green shower tiles would not have been our first choice in this bathroom. However, we did not have a budget for a renovation, so we worked around them.
A colour consultant from the paint store helped us choose a neutral paint that would help the green to disappear. Bleeker Beige from Benjamin Moore did the trick! A simple black mirror and light fixture also helped.
And the bold shower curtain with lots of accent colours helped take attention away from the less {ahem} desirable features in the room.
think outside the box
It is nearly impossible to get children (or adults) to hang their towels nicely on a towel bar. So I researched more kid-friendly options. Before having the room painted, we removed the towel bar and replaced it with 3 sturdy, metal hooks.
Even wee little ones can hang a towel up on a hook with a bit of training. Let’s pretend the towel on the left is not visibly covered with dirt, shall we? Following Just a Girl and Her Blog’s example of keeping it real here (thanks Abby Lawson). Moving on…
Smart Mom Tip: Consider adding an extra hook if you might have more children down the road.
(sorry, fourth born!)
use what you have
Instead of using a typical framed print in the bathroom, we found a unique metal piece which was a vintage motorcycle. You might get lucky at a yard sale, or repurpose an item you already own to fit your bathroom theme. Perhaps an old road sign, a retired license plate or even a hubcap? The possibilities are endless. Found this one by searching Amazon for <vintage car metal sign>. Click image to see other options.
display found items
What is a Mom to do with that wide open space over the toilet?
Add a single shelf to display random items that suit the colour pallette and theme, of course. Every vintage car bathroom for boys NEEDS a Danger Zone sign. Add small finds like toy cars, clearance items and garage sale treasures. The more eclectic the better.
It is easy to rush out and spend a lot of money decorating a room. But taking your time to choose a fun theme, make a plan and add unique finds is rewarding.
And even if you don’t have time to decorate quite yet, at least add these signs by Kristina Kuzmic to inspire your little man cubs to do their very best.
You’re welcome.
For further inspiration, check out these ideas from Pinterest.
A toilet paper holder that would suit this theme perfectly.
Happen to have a parking meter kicking around? First of all, why? Second of all, try this.
And for the overachieving parent who does everything better than the rest of us, check out this license plate ceiling (and then make me one pretty please).
Hope these ideas will help you create a vintage car theme bathroom on a budget. I’d love to see pics of your DIY project.
Check out more tips and tricks for budget-friendly living:
Great tips Karen! I love that you used a theme that grows with them instead of a “babyish” one that you would have to replace every two years.
Thanks Shannon! Hard to picture a man cub starting to shave next to a Lightning McQueen toothbrush holder, right?
Love these great tips! Especially decorating kids zones with a theme that they can grow into.
More enduring designs. Well done!
This article is taking me back to an era when I painted on the porcelain a bulls eye target in order to train my young lad to aim properly. I learned this trick from a family I used to babysit long ago who had 3 boys! Their creative mother I thought was a genius!
Love that! Clearly ‘we’ missed target practice lessons.
Really! Ya missed a step with the pee signs. You have got to train the boys to lift the lid before getting the job done.
Another thought with the target practice is to paint a target on the bowl. I heard of a hotel painting a bug in the urinals of the public washroom and the cleaning team saw a huge decrease in misses. LOL
As always, love your humour, Karen. Keep up the great writing.
Michael – I clearly missed a step! Lifting the lid makes so much sense. Except when the lid stays up and someone stumbles into the bathroom in the dark and falls in. Not that it every happened to me. Really appreciate your encouragement.