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Our Powder Room Makeover

Another DIY project is in the books! This summer, our powder room got a makeover, and even though the changes we made were minimal, the transformation of this half bath is incredible.

The last time we updated the powder room was in 2016. This half bath is next to the laundry room, so every time I paint it, it asks for a fresh coat of paint too.

In 2016, I only painted the walls and changed the mirror. The biggest update in the powder room back then was the closet’s makeover. I covered the wire shelves with wood which is my most popular blog post to date. I will be re-arranging the closet in the upcoming weeks to show you that part of this half-bath makeover. But today, let’s take a look at the before and after of our powder room!


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Powder Room Makeover – The Starting Point

As a creator, I am always making wish lists in my head. It keeps me motivated, and every time I start brainstorming a new project, I get the ball rolling, and nothing can stop me. As usual, there’s always a catalyst that starts the chain reaction.

half bath makeover before and after
I love the clean lines of this toilet bowl.

The catalyst of this powder room makeover was the toilet. We had changed the flush valve several times with no luck. So, the time came to change the toilet bowl for a more efficient and water-conserving toilet bowl. So here’s how our powder room got a makeover thanks to the need for a new toilet bowl.

Powder Room Wish List

If we were going to change the toilet bowl, it was also time to replace the old pedestal sink with a new vanity. As expected, the wish list started growing from there.

  1. A fresh coat of paint
  2. Change the toilet bowl
  3. Replace the pedestal sink with a new sink with a vanity
  4. Change the mirror
  5. Replace the light fixture
  6. Change the casing around the window
  7. Add wall art

Colors and Design of Powder Room

Our old fixtures (sink and toilet bowl) were off-white. We decided to go for a more clean and modern look and chose pure white for the sink and toilet bowl.

I used leftover paint from the laundry room makeover and painted the powder room with Sherwin Williams Pure White. The blue vanity and oil-rubbed bronze fixtures stand out over the pure white walls.

half bath makeover

Although I am not a fan of modern lines, we found the right balance with the new fixtures and colors. It’s no secret that I love any shade and hue of the color blue. It is written all over this blog and my Instagram feed. Our biggest ‘blue room’ in the house is the laundry room. However, I think it all started with the design of our son’s nautical nursery in 2011!

How to Choose the Right Vanity for a Powder Room

The vanity we purchased is the Brecken 24″ Single Bathroom Vanity Set from Wayfair. If you do a regular search on the site, you will be overwhelmed with a great number of bathroom vanities. So, I recommend using as many filters as possible whenever updating a room, whether a powder room or a bedroom makeover.

When you look for bathroom vanities, the first filter you should use is the type of vanity. You can choose single or double vanity. Then, you can filter by size. After all, you can only fit a certain dimension, so start there.

In our case, I filtered single vanities between 24 and 30 inches wide. Although I would’ve wanted a 30-inch vanity, this was the only one that I truly loved. You will always have to sacrifice something, and I preferred color and style over size.

Since this is only a powder room, and no one really gets ready in this bathroom, I didn’t care how much surface room there was. All we need is room for a hand soap dispenser (similar linked).

half bath before and after
The soap dispenser is a TJ Maxx find. Similar HERE.

How to Choose a Sink Faucet

After choosing the vanity for our small half-bath makeover, it was time to find a faucet. The vanity does not come with a faucet. The towel bar, the outlet, and the light switch covers are oil-rubbed bronze, so we opted for a faucet with the same finish.

powder room before and after

I purchased this 2-handle widespread sink faucet at my local Lowes. This is the only choice in the powder room makeover I am not 100% happy with. I am not convinced because I was hoping for more spread (more space between the handles and the faucet), but I ignored the spacing of the holes in the sink. We could have exchanged it for a centerset (like the one we used in our laundry room), but we made it work.

powder room before and after

So, I advise paying close attention to the spacing of the pre-drilled holes in the sink. The centerset faucets are nice, too; I was looking for something easy to clean, especially because the water from our city creates a lot of calcium buildup.

How to Choose a Mirror for a Bathroom

I thought choosing the mirror for the powder room would be the easiest part of the makeover. I was wrong.

First, I searched on Amazon, and then I searched on Wayfair. Both sites failed to deliver exactly what I needed. I was dead set on a round mirror with an oil-rubbed bronze frame.

I found this Metal Rope Wall Mirror by pure chance at my local Kirkland’s. It was the last one on display, and the sales associate was so kind as to bring me a measuring tape so we could ‘picture’ the entire design in our heads.

powder oom before and after - round mirror

When choosing a mirror to place above the bathroom vanity, the mirror’s width should be the same as or slightly less than the width of the vanity. In my case, my mirror had to be 24 inches wide, max. And because I chose a round mirror, the height was the same.

The rope adds to the total height of the mirror. I felt comfortable bringing it into the narrow wall while still taking up enough height.

We hung the mirror with this single post wall hook in matte black.

half bath makeover

I used my height to calculate where to hang the mirror. At times, I feel like it should have been lower because there’s a bigger gap between the top of the faucet and the mirror. However, when an adult stands in front of the sink, the reflection is at a perfect level.

I am considering adding a short backsplash piece, and I will update here if I do.

Powder Room Light Fixture

The vanity light we had before was a 3-light fixture. Considering this is a small half bath, we opted for a smaller light fixture with only 2 lights for this makeover.

half bath makeover - light fixture

I chose this 2-light Bronze Farmhouse Vanity Light from Lowe’s. Even though the name of the finish is ‘bronze,’ it blends seamlessly with the rest of the oil-rubbed bronze fixtures in the room.

After removing the old fixture, we had to spackle and sand around the area. Sanding parts of the wall removes parts of the textured finish. We used this wall texture spray to match the rest of the wall.

Wall Decor and Finishing Touches

While at Kirkland’s I also picked up this gorgeous Blue Floral Ferns framed print. My pictures don’t do it justice.

It is absolutely stunning, and even though it is a little big for the only wall I had, it makes a great impact when you enter the room.

half bath makeover

Here’s the picture of the print from Kirkland’s website.

Lastly, we reframed the window. We ditched the floral carved casing, which was a little too traditional for the look we were looking for, and just added this flat casing.


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And that’s all for this small half-bath makeover. Do you have a powder room in your home? I hope this makeover inspires you!

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