Unable to Renovate Run-Down Bathroom, Woman Turns It Into Shrek’s Swamp (Exclusive)

When Catie Winkle bought her house, there was one minor quirk: the bathroom was covered in reclaimed barnwood and corrugated, rusty metal. 

The old homeowners’ design choices differed drastically from her own, making the space look more like a rustic outdoor bathroom than a private residence. Even from the outside, the bathroom door was fully covered in scrap wood, with a moon cut out to resemble an outhouse door.

“Once we moved in, friends and family came over and I was excited to see them react to the bathroom, so I would make sure to close the door,” Winkle exclusively tells PEOPLE.

“They would open the door to see the bathroom was decorated with a fishing pole with string fairy lights as the fishing line. They were always shocked and asked, ‘What are you going to do with this?’ ”

Winkle knew that a complete renovation was not in her budget, describing her style as “modern, vibrant, colorful, and eclectic.” 

It wasn’t until her friend came over that she realized she could lean into the rustic aesthetic in a way that made sense for her and her family.

“I did the usual door-closed entrance, and she said, ‘Oh! Is this a Shrek bathroom?!’ When she saw the outhouse door. I immediately said, ‘No, but now it’s going to be!’ ”

Winkle then decided to use “Shrek as her muse” and began looking at pictures from the beloved early 2000s movies. 

In her research, she noticed that moss was a “prominent feature” in Shrek’s swamp, so she went to the local craft store to pick up some greenery.

“I immediately started hot-gluing moss to the walls. I made two prints with Shrek quotes on Canva, found a Shrek family photo and the ‘Welcome to Duloc’ Polaroid, and found a few Shrek-inspired art pieces on Etsy,” Winkle recalls. 

“When I framed those, I realized they needed more than a regular frame. I went into my backyard and found pieces of mossy bark,” she adds. “I hot-glued those to the frames and added some fake moss.”  

Her grandma offered to buy something for the new home as a housewarming present, so Winkle, naturally, asked her for a moss bath mat. 

“She said, ‘You’re so weird, but okay,'” Winkle recalls. “And that completed the room.” 

Now, when people come over, Winkle is “a different kind of excited” when she shows them the bathroom.

“They open the door and they immediately smile,” she says.

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Winkle shared her Shrek bathroom with her followers on TikTok, where the video went viral and amassed 2.3 million views. 

“I have always been very playful and creative: always dressing up for theme days, going all out for decorations, embracing the weird that gets thrown at me,” she shares. “My favorite compliment is when someone says my space feels like me, so I have found a new love for this bathroom.”

Although she loves the bathroom, she admits that “the swamp is not very practical with a 2-year-old and 4-year-old at home.” 

“There is no bathtub, the shower is old, and the cabinet is starting to break,” she explains. “I also bump into the walls and get scratched, so we’ll have to say goodbye.” 

Now, she’s starting to save for a remodel. While the moss must go, she has considered keeping the outhouse door. 

“When life gives you lemons, sometimes you need to embrace them. I thought I was doomed with a bathroom I didn’t enjoy until we could afford to remodel,” Winkle shares. “I am proud of it, and it has become the highlight of my home.”