Powder Bathroom Makeover: Adding Character and Charm

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The Powder Room

Hi friends! We are continuing our quest on making our house reflect our style and recently completed a fun project. The POWDER BATHROOM MAKEOVER was small but mighty.

The Powder Room is located just down the hall from the kitchen. It is the main bathroom on the first level that visitors use. Since it is also just off the backyard entrance from the pool so we often call it the “Pool Bathroom.” For these reasons, I wanted to create a Powder Bathroom with a lot of character and charm, but also wanted to bring the outdoors in, so to speak.

The Planning Process

This is the original mood board I created for the space.

I made a few changes to the design as the project started to come together, but for the most part I stuck with the original plan. The first step I take in designing any room is to make a plan. I put all my ideas together on a mood board so I can see it all together and make changes BEFORE purchasing a thing. My best advice when decorating a room is DO NOT just go out and purchase things, always have a plan first. If you make purchases before planning, you will likely waste a lot of time and money and will end up with a bunch of stuff you don’t love or that doesn’t work for your space.

Before Photos

Here is a look at how the Powder Bathroom looked before the makeover.

Some of the main changes I wanted to make to the space were updating and adding sufficient lighting and removing the old wall paper. I also wanted to add a wall treatment and update the faucets and bathroom hardware.

Modern Botanical Powder Room Reveal

Powder Room Details

To update this room, we removed the old striped wall paper and added a custom wall treatment 3/4 the way up wall. I knew I wanted to add character and charm to the space and wall paneling was the answer in this case. Wall paneling is an impactful way to add instant charm to almost any room!

Applied Moulding 

For the Powder Bathroom makeover, I chose to do applied moulding on the walls. I had my carpenter do this in a weekend for relatively low cost. Basically, the work consisted of adding strips of decorative moulding to the walls in a combo of squares and rectangles around the perimeter of the room. We also added chair rail moulding around the top of the design. Then we painted the entire wall to match. We used Chantilly Lace by Benjamin Moore on the walls in a satin finish. 

Drawing out the squares and rectangles on the walls beforehand helped to make sure they would all fit and would be cohesive in size. We were able to make 12 boxes total.

If you are wanting to add character to your walls as well, I found some applied moulding that are completely finished. No cutting or nailing together! Just pick out how many you want for your wall, nail or glue them on, give them a coat of paint and call it done!

6-Piece Applied Moulding Kit | Moulded Wall Panel | Chair Rail 

Wall Stencil

StenCilit reached out to me and offered to send me one of their wall stencils. I immediately knew the powder room would be the perfect space to give it a try.

Our powder room is connected to the back entrance off our pool, so I wanted to bring the outdoors in with a nature inspired botanical theme. The Botanica Stencil by StenCilit fit the bill.

Once the wall above the applied moulding was painted white, we used the stencil to paint the botanical leaves around the perimeter of the powder room. I chose to paint them using the color Hale Navy by Benjamin Moore. This is the same accent color used throughout the main areas of my home. By bringing this color to the powder room, I was able to achieve a cohesive look in my home. 

Before deciding on using the wall stencil, I had considered adding wallpaper. Here are some botanical prints I was considering.

Lighting Choices

One of the things I didn’t love about the original powder room was the lack of sufficient lighting. The room had one dome light on the ceiling above the sink. The frosted glass on the dome light didn’t give off much light. I decided to move that light box to the center of the ceiling and added a vanity light above the mirror.

For the center of the room, I thought a statement light would look really pretty. I chose the Capiz Chandelier from Serena and Lily. I’ve had my eye on this light for quite some time. I’m so glad for the opportunity to finally put it in my home. The chandelier is absolutely stunning! It adds great texture and dimension to the tiny powder room. The Capiz shells are placed in a pretty scalloped design. They help diffuse the light, giving off a soft, warm glow.

We added an additional light box above the vanity and decided on a streamlined vanity light with a rectangular backplate to mimic the lines of the applied moulding on the walls. I love the interesting wine glass shape of the three glass shades.

Apothecary Sink

An Apothecary Sink adds instant charm to bathrooms and powder rooms. They are perfect for powder rooms that don’t need extra storage space due to the open framework. Lucky for us, our powder room came with a charming Apothecary Sink. I liked the sink so knew it would stay, but I wanted to make it special in some way. The original frame was chrome, but I wanted it to blend with the new gold accents I was adding to the space. I decided to spray paint the cross bars and legs using Rust-Oleum Metallic All Surface Paint + Primer in Pure Gold. The joints of the frame remained chrome.

I love how the sink turned out. The gold color adds interest and makes the sink look new. It’s amazing what a little spray paint can do!

I found a few Apothecary Sinks and linked them below. Some are two-toned like mine is now. I really love the acrylic one!

In addition to modifying the console, I also changed out the faucet to a vintage-style brass fixture. The new faucet adds a touch of glam and sophistication to the space.

I have linked a few other vintage style faucets that I considered below.

Bathroom Hardware

For the bathroom hardware, I chose to use the toilet paper holder and the hand towel holder from Pottery Barn’s Pearson Fixture collection. I loved the brass finish and the square backplate. The lines of the fixtures mimic those on the walls.

Since the Apothecary Sink doesn’t have cabinets for storage, I opted to use a toilet paper storage tower to hold extra rolls of toilet paper. It stands beside the toilet and serves a needed purpose. I found this stylish one at CB2 and love the organic design and warm brass finish.

Having the pool just off this bathroom we are always using it to dry off and change. I hung an eye-catching wall hook on the back of the door which is perfect for holding pool towels!

I was so excited when Imen, of Sheshiya Ethnic Bazaar sent me a few Fouta towels for the powder bathroom makeover. They look great hanging from the hooks and on the hand towel holder.

Fouta towels dry super fast and are light-weight. The best part is that they can be used for anything! Use them as a scarf, a sarong, a towel for the bath or pool, a throw blanket, a picnic blanket, and even a tablecloth or runner. There are many colors to choose from as well. Check out Sheshiya Ethnic Bazaar and get 15% off your purchase using code SHANNON15.

Other Accessories

To further enhance the Powder Room aesthetic, I added a few decorative touches. The round rattan mirror adds texture and visually softens the hard lines in the space.

A wood stool placed in the corner compliments the rattan mirror. A simple clear glass vase with two palm stems add to the botanical vibe.

A simple planter with colorful blooms rests on top of the toilet tank. It brings a contrasting pop of color to the space.

To bring some color down to the floor, I chose a blue and white rug. I love the sun-washed finish, the geometric print and the fun fringe! This rug helps bring a coastal vibe to the room.

I found an adorable basket with blue and natural stripes and zigzag stitching to use as a wastebasket. It goes so well with the room’s coastal decor.

I hope you enjoyed this Powder Bathroom makeover post and it was helpful in helping you add character and charm to your space. Please let me know what you like about the makeover in the comments below!

You may also enjoy these related posts and pages:

Shop Bed + Bath

Botanical Stencil from StenCilit

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