Before and After: Powder Room Redo

Anyone else washing their hands a hundred times a day now? Thought so! Have you been assessing the state of your bathroom and thinking things could be a bit better? Well, if so then I’ve got some super-simple tips for you. I’m going to walk you through the very small, very easy changes I made to our powder room here at the Judkins House that only cost about $300. These small tweaks made a major impact and I can’t tell you how happy I am with the results.

Before I jump in, here are the issues I had with this space. First, it’s right off the kitchen. The location is convenient, but it does mean we’re looking into this powder room all the time. When we bought the house, two of the walls were painted pale gray and the other two were pale blue. The two colors were so close that it made the paint job look like a mistake (think one brown sock, one black sock). It also just didn’t have enough character. If you’re going to have to look at a bathroom, you should definitely give it some personality. The truly functional issue was that the sink is really small so we had nowhere to put soap. This resulted in me placing the wood box (now on the shelf) on the back of the toilet to hold a pump bottle. Not ideal. Finally, the previous home owners had installed some industrial fixtures along with a few more traditional ones. They just didn’t jive and the industrial look wasn’t doing anything for me.

Enough of that, here’s what I changed up! First up, paint. I chose Behr Very Navy for the walls. One of my favorite tricks is to go with a dark color in a small space. I painted it one Saturday afternoon and my husband walked in when I was done and said, “Wow! That makes it feel so much bigger!” Unexpected, I know, but a dark color provides a sense of depth which actually does make the space feel larger. Think about looking down a dark tunnel. It gets darker the further back it goes, right? Same concept here. Our powder room and adjacent kitchen actually appeared to gain space by going dark because the back wall of the bathroom looked like it was further away than it did before. If blue isn’t your jam, I also love a dark green or black. All of these colors will give you an elegant, sophisticated look. It’s a small space, so if you take the risk and really don’t love it, for the cost of half a can of paint you can change it up again.

Next, I swapped the light fixture out for a chrome-and-glass vanity light to create a cohesive look. Then, I found a pharmacy mirror with a handy built-in shelf to solve that soap issue; it also doubles as a towel holder. These mirrors are an awesome option not only for small powder rooms but also entryways, bedrooms, or hallways where you want a mirror but need to be able to stash keys, a dog leash, perfume bottles, or any other small item.

Finally, I styled out the space over the toilet to add interest (again, we look at this space all day long). I added a floating shelf to house my antique cheese box which holds a box of tissues and a potted plant. Underneath, I hung up a print of a painting my mother-in-law gifted my husband. We don’t always think about art in the bathroom, but it's a great spot to highlight a piece or two that you love that haven’t found another spot in your home.

In the end, for minimal cost and a few hours of my time, I flipped this half bath and created a stunning space. And now I really don’t mind spending a little extra time in there washing my hands!

Shop the finished look!

pedestal sink | faucet | sconce | mirror | trashcan | art | box | shelf | towel | wood flooring | paint

Did you like this post? Check out more before and afters from the Judkins house here!