Our New Powder Room

This charming powder room makeover is a great example of how to create more light and space in a very small room.

When we purchased our home, I had a list of priorities and initially the powder room off of our mudroom {near the garage} did not make the top of the list.

There is also a powder room off of the foyer, just as you enter the home that we assumed guests would use more frequently. As we started to live in our home and have friends over, we realized that it was this powder room that was used more frequently.

It’s not far from the breakfast room and since it’s just off of the garage, it’s the room that the girls’ friends often enter as well. While it can be easier to renovate before you move in, there are some reward to waiting and living in a home.

The mudroom and powder room became priorities and set the tone for the house. They immediately made the home feel fresh. First let’s take a look at the before photos – before 1, before 2

I love a good bathroom makeover. There’s just something about taking a dark, dated space (often with very little natural light) and turning it into something clean, bright and updated.

Over the years, we’ve created a spa bath for guests, this nautical bathroom makeover, and a charming guest bath. This modern guest bath at our lake cottage was a hit as well!

The powder room is small, measuring about 4 feet by 4 feet. I appreciated the intention of the original utility sink given that this spare powder room is near the garage, but it consumed too much of the space.

Using a pedestal sink not only gives the room height, but the illusion of more space since it consumes a smaller footprint and allows the eye to see to the wall.

Another way I made the room feel larger was by incorporating a tall, narrow brass mirror to draw the eye toward the ceiling. The narrow width leaves more of the wall exposed as well.

You know how fashion stylists say that wearing thick stripes will make you look bigger/heavier? A lot of the same concepts used in fashion also applies to your home and this rule is no exception. 

I used horizontal tongue and groove cedar to make the room appear bigger. Of course painting it in a rich cream never hurts either!

We replaced the linoleum with timeless and durable brick floors. I selected a brick that is close in color to our existing fireplace in the nearby living room.

I love how brick doesn’t really show dirt, but embraces it. They easily vacuum and add a lot of character to the powder room.

To add interest, I mixed textures – brick floors and the wood stool adds contrast to the cream walls.

In small spaces, it’s all about the details because you can’t incorporate a lot of decor. I had traditional two panel shaker doors made to replace the original dark paneled doors and adorned them with crystal and brass door knobs.

A brass bridge faucet accentuates the sink and I used light switch and outlet plates that neither highlight nor detract from the overall room.

To see more about our powder room, watch the video below.

Shop this room:

Brick Floors | Crystal Door Knobs | Brass Faucet | Light Fixture | Mirror | Pedestal Sink | Toilet | Cedar Walls

You can see our home {in progress} here.