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Our Half Bathroom Remodel: Powder Room Design Ideas
Older homes are a lot of work, but they’re so special. We knew all four baths in our old home would need a full bathroom remodel. am so excited to have had the opportunity to partner with Signature Hardware on this bathroom. We have a Signature Hardware fixtures in all of our bathrooms, and this half bathroom was no exception. Whether you’re looking for small bathroom design ideas or inspiration for your next bathroom design, I hope this before and after will leave you feeling inspired for your small bathroom remodel project.
Our Half Bathroom Remodel
As home buyers, we were a little nervous about all the updates our almost 100 year-old home needed. We knew we’d need to take our time since it would cost too much to do it all upfront.
Remodeling a small bathroom is a great way to breathe new life into a home. This main level half bathroom is the bathroom our guests use when they come over. The transformation showcases a perfect balance of classic design and fresh updates. Fresh wallpaper in a bold design, fresh coat of white paint on the doors and trim, a new light fixture or two, and the right decorative items made the room feel brighter and more refined. The design choices were easy to make, since I love the look of these sinks and knew exactly what wallpaper I wanted. The updates made such a big difference! It’s so nice having a first floor bath off the living room.
The Before
Our small half bath was really something — there was a lot going on in this small space. It was actually left out of the real estate listing! If I remember correctly, the toilet wasn’t working when we moved in, so we locked the door and pretended it didn’t exist until we were ready to renovate. Here’s a look at our once very outdated powder bath that is now a beautiful and updated modern bathroom.
Powder rooms are usually small, but small spaces like this can be beautiful. This tiny bathroom is one of my favorite rooms in our home. You don’t need a ton of floor space to make an impact. Wallpaper adds visual interest and beautiful light fixtures give the room a high-end look. I love wallpaper in a compact space, and bonus—a little space costs less to wallpaper. We only needed a few double rolls. It’s also a lot more budget friendly to wallpaper a small room, and it makes a real impact. If you want to try adding wallpaper to your home, a powder room is a great place to start.
How We Kept Costs Down
There are plenty of powder room ideas online, but we took this project on without a contractor, so I hope sharing what we did might help you with a project like this one. We kept costs down by not hiring a general contractor. If you can find the floor guy, plumber, and electrician, it makes every step of the process take a bit longer, but you’ll save a lot of money. This small bathroom is one of my favorite spaces in our home.
Small Bathroom Ideas: Our New Half Bathroom
It wasn’t in the budget to do all the bathrooms at once, and we needed to update our primary bath before we could tear the other bathrooms up. All of the plumbing would need to be replaced, and sure, it was a pain not having a guest bath, but it was worth it. It’s been so nice having a main floor bathroom again!
Expanding Our Powder Room’s Footprint
We were working with such a tight space that we couldn’t fit a typical toilet. We looked everywhere and there weren’t more compact choices, so we ended up adding some square footage by taking space from a closet next to the bathroom. It was no longer a tight spot and could fit a standard size toilet. It was major work to move the toilet stack, but worth it. We didn’t add any additional structural changes, and the additional open space made a big difference. It’s been so nice to have a downstairs half bath for guests, and to use when we’re in the kitchen or family room, which is where we spend most of our time. If you’re dealing with a very small space, consider pocket doors.
Choosing Powder Room Decor
There are lots of creative ways to make a small bathroom space beautiful. Choose a pretty vanity and unique fixtures that make your small space beautiful. Pedestal sinks are ideal for tight spaces since they provide give the illusion of space, and half baths don’t usually require much storage space. I wouldn’t use a pedestal sink in a larger bathroom because storage space is a must in a full-size bath.
We skipped a towel bar and just hang our towels on the sink for a clean look. When you’re working with limited space, consider every detail, from fixtures to accessories. The right hand towel can make a big difference.
I took these powder room pictures before fully finishing the room. I would still like to add a small basket for extra rolls of toilet paper and a piece of art above the toilet.
The room has very little natural light, which makes the entire room feel brighter. I knew I wanted Pierre Frey’s Toile de Nantes wallpaper when we first bought the house. I wanted something fun but didn’t want bold colors, or too many different colors. This is the perfect design—I love that it feels bold but not too bold. But I ended up with this Mrs. Alice paper since it’s so similar and was more affordable.
Choosing the Right Sink
A pedestal sink is ideal for smaller spaces, since they are smaller and a bit more open. Our sink comes with a marble countertop, and was perfect for this space. We really didn’t have enough room for something larger, but I love the classic design, and you don’t need much storage in a guest bath. We didn’t need storage, and this sink looks beautiful in this small powder room.
I also like to have an antique or thrift store find in each room, and this room’s special piece is an old Louis Philippe Mirror. We couldn’t fit a large mirror and sconces, and I was pretty married to adding sconces, but this mirror fit perfectly. I also love vintage statement pieces like this one.
This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase something using my links, I may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. Thank you to Signature Hardware for gifting the most beautiful fixtures for our bathroom. All opinions are my own.
