Creating a Modern Coastal Bathroom in a Rental Home
Creating a modern coastal bathroom in a rental home has been a dream of mine at My Wee Abode. Today, you get a peek into my small apartment bathroom design plans.

Do you see that, y’all??? (Not the ad… the mood board above it!)
It’s a MOOD BOARD!
My very first one!
And it took me (almost) FOREVER to get the gumption to put it together because… well, it was a new ‘thang’ to learn!
But, it’s done… and I’m pretty happy with it if I do say so myself.
And I did… say so myself, that is!
CREATING A MODERN COASTAL BATHROOM IN A RENTAL HOME
You may be thinking, “Julie… you live in an apartment! You RENT your home!”
“How can you do this when you rent? And, why do you want to put out money for a home that isn’t ‘yours’?!”
Well, I’ve been living in my little garage loft apartment for a little over 4 years now. And, it feels like ‘mine’.
And I don’t have plans to move anytime soon. (Now, the Lord can change that at any moment, but for now…)
YOU love having a pretty home, am I right? Well, so do I… even though I rent! So, for me, the bathroom is the best place to start!
And, these small apartment bathroom design plans are being done on a slim budget. How slim? More on that in a coming post!
Inspiration for Small Apartment Design Plans
Recently, a fellow blogger from FRANCE, Marie from Reve en couleur, shared her lovely bathroom update at Tuesday Turn About.
As a co-hostess, it wasn’t my week to choose first, so I missed out on featuring her lovely bathroom on my blog. So, what’ the next best thing?
Feature her now, because her bathroom is the inspiration for the makeover of my tiny apartment bathroom!
One thing I WON’T have in my bathroom is a gorgeous claw foot tub!

And I love Marie’s vanity with her chrome accents!
Be sure to visit Reve en couleur for the full tour of her bathroom, and to see the similarities I’ll be incorporating into My Wee Abode’s rental bathroom.
Elements of a Modern Coastal Rental Bathroom
Now, let’s take a look at the actual apartment bathroom design plans and how the elements of Marie’s bathroom will be incorporated into mine!
Here’s another photo of my mood board…

Though this may not look quite coastal yet, it somehow always turns about to have a coastal vibe here at MWA. We shall see!
And this is the plan:
Paint existing cabinets a color to coordinate with current counter (this will be the only permanent upgrade, and the countertop has to stay)- Paint the bathroom
- Add a half-wall of board and batten similar to MWA’s living room
- Stencil top of wall to mimic Reve en couler’s wallpaper
- Paint (ugly tan) shower surround tile
- Install new faucet and drain with chrome hardware
- Replace the lighting fixture with something glass/chrome
- Install flooring with affordable and/or removable option
- Add black decor accents, texture, and greenery
- Build small cabinet for storage and linens (not pictured, because I’m not sure this will happen! LOL!)
As I said in the first point above, the only permanent element will be the painted cabinets. I figure, if my landlord doesn’t like them, I can replace them when I leave.
And, between you and me… I’ve already painted the cabinets… and my landlord will LOVE them!
Now It’s Your Turn
So, what questions or thoughts do you have about creating a modern coastal bathroom in a rental home? Anything YOU might add to the plan? I would love to hear your thoughts, and I love being challenged by your questions!

Can’t wait to see how you do this. What fun!!
Hehe! The cupboards are just being finished up! They look great!
What a beautiful mood board! We’ve been hoping to renovate our master bath for awhile now so I love seeing fresh inspiration! Great job!
Shelley
It will definitely be exciting to see it come to fruition! I’m really excited, and hope you find something you like along the way!
How exciting, Julie! I love your bathroom plans. I have a bathroom I’d like to do over, so I’ll be following your renovation. I picked out yellow paint for a bathroom 18 years ago. I knew it was too bright back then, but my husband insisted on painting the whole room in it since we paid for it! lol I’d like a more elegant vibe like your bathroom plans. I already have a cabinet in the room that is similar to your vanity color. Pinning!
Thanks for the encouragement, Lauren… Yes, yellow is such a tricky color. My old cupboards are yellow… which will be in my next post. It could have been worse, but it sure was a ‘stale’ look! 😉
Your mood board is beautiful! Looking forward to seeing more.
Thanks! You should see the cupboards! You will have to come visit me after I visit you!!!
Going to be beatiful – won’t ever want to come out of there!
LOL!!! Well, I DO love me a nice long shower on occasion! 😉 I’m excited about it! The cupboards already made a HUGE improvement!
Whoa! That is beautiful and industrious! You go girl!
I’m kind of excited! 😉
Your mood board is beautiful, Julie. I would never believe it is your first one. It is so well put together. We will be tackling a small bathroom reno later this month so I am definitely using this as inspiration!
Awesome, Jen! Can’t wait to see yours, as well! Thanks for dropping in!
It looks great! So excited to see your bathroom come together!!!
Thanks, Jess! Can’t wait to see you in just a few days!
Love the pretty color pallet Julie! Can’t to see the final reveal. Hugs!
Thanks, Michelle! Twill be fun! 😉
Beautiful inspiration photo and mood board, Julie! I think it’s great that you are moving forward with a bathroom makeover in your rental home. Life is too short to wait for things to be perfect! 😃
Yes, I think so, too! 😉
Yay! It’s going to be gorgeous, Julie – and I love your inspiration bathroom! Looking forward to the reveal!
Can’t wait to see your Dive Den, too!
What a beautiful and calming space; I can see why you want to use that as inspiration.
Isn’t it gorgeous? Marie did an amazing job!
Such beautiful inspiration, Julie! I am so excited to see your project come together!
I want to see your ORC reveal!
I love your board! I think your bathroom will be a winner!
Thank you so much, Regina, for commenting! I’m loving the cupboards that I’ve done so far!
I got wild and crazy this past week and put up a new white shower curtain with 5″-ish tall flamingos on it. I was very surprised to see how much it lightened the entire room as the former curtian was darker floral pastels. My flamingo collection lives in the bathroom (along with a lot of my Monet prints). And I like my robin’s egg blue walls. I’m sure yours will be more understated and classy. You’ll be able to add pops of seacoast in your accessories!
Doesn’t white make a crazy difference, Kathy?! I’m sure you are just so delighted when you get to see your sweet flamingos each morning when you brush your teeth! And, yes, I’m sure some coastal elements will make their way into my new bathroom!
I cannot wait to see your bathroom makeover. I love your mood board!!!
Hugs,
Kippi
Thanks, Kippi! Of course, I’m doing this AFTER the ORC! LOL!
I can’t wait to see the makeover. This sounds amazing.
I’m excited, Marty! My first full room makeover! Woot!
I love the mood board! I have always painted my cabinets for an easy and quick refresh! Can’t wait to see what you do Julie!
Thanks, Kim! I’m looking forward to it all coming together. If I could just avoid mistakes!
Can’t wait to see how this comes together! LOVE the green!
The green makes everything look so good together, right?
Love the mood board, Julie! This will be a fun project to pull together. I love your inspo photo, too! It’s great when you can pick up ideas and inspiration from fellow bloggers.
I’m excited to get this project done, though it will take me a bit of time. Especially when I have mishaps after the fact! Oi!
Congrats Julie – your mood board is pro!! Your room’s going to look great! I understand where you’re coming from. Many was the tree I planted in a rental yard. I’d love to go back and see how big they all are now! 😉 Can’t wait to see what comes next!
Thanks, Barbara… I need to try to get a post done this week! Here’s hoping. I’m exhausted from the weekend. Everything is EST!
I love that you are making your dwelling place your own! I am sure the bathroom is going to be beautiful!
Thanks, Amber! It’s really fun so far!
Moodboards are my favourite thing to make! I love your plan Julie, it’s all so calm and serene. I love Marie’s bathroom too and can’t wait to see how your room turns out!
Well, I think mood boards just might be a fave of mine now, too! Yes, Marie’s bathroom is gorgeous. Hope my mini-version is half the style of hers! 😉
I love this inspiration! We have 2 bathrooms to redo. I love that vanity…maybe I can find something on Marketplace. Thank you so much for linking up at Embracing Home and Family Link Party!
Of course! So happy you’re hosting, and thank you!
So cool! Thank you for sharing!
Of course! Love a new party!
Your mood board is so pretty, Julie andI love the neutral palette! I can’t wait to see your bathroom when it’s finished!
Thanks for sharing this post with us on the Embracing Home and Family Link-up and we hope to have you join us again on Friday 🙂
-Cherelle
Yep, I’ll be there, Cherelle… thank you!
What a beautiful color scheme!
Thanks, Beth… I’m looking forward to the finished product!
I’ve lived in plenty of rentals and understand the need to make them pretty 🙂
This is the year to redo are baths. No major walls knocked down or moving plumbing around. These rooms are small, so I really need to think hard on what will be done.
I’m going for a board and batten in one of the rooms – so eager to see how your’s turns out.
Keep us posted!
RR
Too funny… I’m planning on a temp board and batten… Like my living room. But, I have one more thing to do before I do that… and I’m skeered to do it. I just need to jump in! 😉 Looking forward to seeing your makeovers, too!
HI!
Love reading your posts. Have you finished your bathroom redo? Would love to see it.
When will you start on your kitchen?
LOVE your home! Cozy yet light and airy
Oh, I’m so glad you enjoy the blog, Su! YES! The bathroom IS finished except for a couple of items I want to add. I was going to photograph and post this week, but some things went awry with my mom (who has dementia), and I was too exhausted to do anything else. Really hope to have the reveal done this week, and more DIYs to go with it!