Dramatic Before & After-Powder Bath Remodel

As you may know, we moved recently. While the house is great, it needs my finishing touches. One of the projects on my looong honey-do list was a powder bath update.

You may remember my last powder bath:

I told you all about how to fill a blank wall on a shoestring in this post.

Today, we're on a little more than a shoestring but not much...

*Spoiler alert* Here's what we ended up with:

I'll let you take a moment to bask in the glory of the finished space. 

Ah-mazing, right???


Here's the before:

perfectly functional, but a tad dark don't you think....

This dark cabinet behemoth is not really my taste. Good thing it was somebody's taste because I sold that bad boy on Craigslist! And, that's how you pad your budget friends!

Then it got ugly...

REAL UGLY. The plumbing had to be moved which is messy and not fun. 

Nothing says, welcome friends like a sink in the middle of the hallway! Seriously, I think I read that in Southern Living. 

After the plumbing was moved to accommodate the new vanity we got to the pretty part; the wainscoting!

That Williamsburg blue color is depressing me. 1980 called and they want their interior back. 

All of this was done to make the new vanity fit properly. You might remember we used this vanity in another remodel.

It comes already painted in Martha Stewart's "Sharkey Gray" which is a warm, light grey. One of our favorite bloggers, Emily Clark painted it green and used this vanity in her son's bathroom. So cute!

I liked it as is (I know, I'm shocked too!), and did not feel like painting it. A possible change IS coming to the hardware. 

Painting is our least favorite task, but it has to be done. A gallon of the trim paint was $50. Ouch, and before you ask--no, it didn't have gold flecks in it. 

Allen Roth White/Silver textured Wallpaper. At around $35 for a double roll, it's a good value and the texture could help cover imperfections in your sheetrock. Normally, I advise people to go bold in a powder bath, and here I was considering a WHITE powder bath. Weird. Not taking my own advice because I fell in love with this wallpaper and wanted to use it!

But, in my defense...a powder bath is a great place to consider wallpaper because you're not covering too many square feet! That's called affordable lux!

So I bought a roll. It's in stock at Lowe's. 

After installing the vanity the progress came to a screeching halt. I worried that the paper was too modern for the cottage-y vanity.

After about three days of no progress, and polling all my friends I decided to go for it. What put me over the edge was something that my husband said to me. "That's what people  love about your style; that you combine modern and rustic in a unique way." Thanks for that boost of confidence sweetie! I <3 him! And, he's crafty too! How do you think I got that $0 labor?

It only took one and 1/10th rolls, so the second roll is now reserved for another future project coming soon.
Soooo happy with the choice.  Isn't that light fixture fancy??

Patrick wanted to rip out the floor, but I didn't hate it, so it stayed. It's a porcelain tile that mimics slate. I'd rather actually have slate, but I'm trying to stay on budget here.

Side view.

The faucet was an easy choice. I wanted something with a high arc and an 8" spread. Moen Banbury Faucet in Chrome finish.

The mirror-framed-mirror is from Homegoods. 

Searched for it for years! It was in my last house's powder bath and it came with me to the new house.

The last decision was the light. Patrick found one at Habitat for $10 that I loved, but one of the globes hung in front of the mirror which was no good. We'll take it down to the beach house. 

This two light was just the ticket.

                    Quoizel QI8602C Quinton 2-Light Bath Fixture, Polished Chrome

I used the Organize It All Estate Magazine Rack for some library time and the double roll holder (maybe I'll actually have TP on the roll when I go in).  

Amazon.com

The one I really wanted was Restoration Hardware. For the extra $90 I could have gotten one that the magazines don't fall out of the back, and the screws don't show.

Isn't it marvelous? Don't you just want to come over and use the facilities? Sometimes I go in there just to find my happy place. It's in there. 

Bonus: ANY color towel and accessories will work because the whole room was kept neutral. Are you seeing aqua at Easter and a rich green at Christmas? Why do I doubt myself? 

Budget was $1000. The total came to $1198, but I sold the granite top vanity on Craigslist so technically we spent $798. I have Zero for the labor, but believe me when I tell you I'm paying for it.

Check out the great link party here: