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Powder Room, Take Two {2nd Budget Makeover REVEAL!}

by | Feb 13, 2013 | Bathrooms, Decorating Inspiration, my house

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Powder Room, Take Two {2nd Budget Makeover REVEAL!}

About three years ago, we started a few simple decorating projects in our home. It’s been slow going. We’ve had to deal with the same issues most people do. Lack of time or lack of money. Usually both at the same time. But our small bathroom/powder room was the first room to be painted and “finished.”

Powder Room, Take Two {2nd Budget Makeover REVEAL!}

In fact, in the past few years, this little powder room has already had two makeovers. Not the kind of makeovers where you tear things up and put in expensive new tile, marble counters and fancy new fixtures. Nope. Not that kind of makeover.

Powder Room, Take Two {2nd Budget Makeover REVEAL!}

Oh, the swine walls.  The bane of my existence.

Here is the cabinet makeover post.

Powder Room, Take Two {2nd Budget Makeover REVEAL!}

The kind of makeover this little powder room has received, twice, is the kind where paint is involved. Mostly paint. Paint, inexpensive wall accessories, one cabinet knob and a teeny rug. That’s it.

The first time this powder room got a makeover, we even used a rejected paint sample WE ALREADY HAD! It was a REAL budget makeover. We were extra thrifty. The first color was called Martha Stewart Snail. A wee bit more olive green than I wanted but it was fine. Much better than swine. We painted the cabinet too.

Powder Room, Take Two {2nd Budget Makeover REVEAL!}

And then it was all fun and games — until the toilet paper dispenser fell off. That’s always a game changer.

When your toilet paper roll dispenser thing falls off and you don’t want to put it back up again, you have the perfect excuse to start planning another makeover.

Am I right?

But I’m getting way too smart for those temptations. I wasn’t born yesterday. I know how these things go.

First the toilet paper roll falls off.

Then in the process of planning how to fix the holes left by the TP holder, you decide you might as well add wainscoting. That will fix the holes even better than patched drywall, right? And yet that wainscoting project ends up being way more complicated than you originally thought. Your walls are at weird angles. Of course they are. Nothing is ever simple.

Wallpaper would be lovely and disguise the patched holes, but your walls are not perfectly smooth. So that isn’t going to work.

You talk yourself into of all kinds of creative and more complicated alternatives to simply patching the holes and repainting.

Hey, self, if you are going to go to all that trouble to make your room look prettier, NOW would be the time to replace the sink and vanity with a nice new pedestal sink. Right? And if you are going to do that, now would be the time for that new hexagon floor tile you’ve had your eye on.

And so begins the slippery slope of justification.

I wasn’t going to fall for it this time. No way.

Powder Room, Take Two {2nd Budget Makeover REVEAL!}

I just said NO. No to the ol’ one thing leads to another makeover. Not going there again any time soon. As you probably know, we just finished a YEAR of remodeling and projects and chaos and dust.

Mama needs a break. But let’s be honest here, she also needs a cute powder room. STAT.

What you are about to see in the next photo will explain the need to finish this room up in a hurry.

Powder Room, Take Two {2nd Budget Makeover REVEAL!}

Have mercy. Oh my delicate eyes. There are no words.

I’m not even going to try to explain it or justify it. It just happened one day when we were a little short on primer.

And it stayed that way.

For far too long.

You can imagine my distress over seeing THAT every day.

Powder Room, Take Two {2nd Budget Makeover REVEAL!}

Finally the day came when this little powder room got its second paint makeover, this time with a most beautiful shade of blue green. Good bye olive green, hello Slate Green by Glidden.

I didn’t even test it first, I just knew it was going to be lovely. RISKY! But it is beautiful. It’s such a refreshing color!

Powder Room, Take Two {2nd Budget Makeover REVEAL!}

I had no specific plans for what to put on the walls, but after a fun trip to a local flea market, I decided these gorgeous frames, combined with some I already had, were just the perfect addition to a fresh new gallery wall.

Powder Room, Take Two {2nd Budget Makeover REVEAL!}

Aren’t the colors divine? Two of the frames were from the flea market, the rest I already had.

Powder Room, Take Two {2nd Budget Makeover REVEAL!}

I gathered up a couple of brass accessories and blue bottles from around the house and just set them on the shelf.  Good thing brass is back in again because I’ve had brass accessories forever. Nice to know I’m back to being all trendy again.

Powder Room, Take Two {2nd Budget Makeover REVEAL!}

Then I ordered a new Ballard Designs Suzanne Kassler Ikat indoor/outdoor rug, courtesy of a gift certificate from Ballard Designs. LOVE IT! Indoor outdoor rugs are da bomb.

Powder Room, Take Two {2nd Budget Makeover REVEAL!}

Keep in mind I had to take pictures with the lights on because there are no windows. So the colors are probably slightly off.

Powder Room, Take Two {2nd Budget Makeover REVEAL!}
Then because apparently no room makeover is complete at my house without a little bit of Anthro, I added this beautiful Anthropologie gold and brass filigree knob to class up the cabinet just a touch. Yes, it was $10. But for a pretty piece of statement cabinet jewelry, that’s a bargain.

Also, when I go pick out knobs, I try to find ones that are a bit unique and maybe don’t get as much popular exposure online. I don’t want the same exact hardware as everyone else. I am a rebel like that.

Powder Room, Take Two {2nd Budget Makeover REVEAL!}

See the close up of the knob’s design? So pretty! Worth every dime of that $10.

Powder Room, Take Two {2nd Budget Makeover REVEAL!}

No new faucet or counter or cabinet in this year’s makeover, all of those things stayed the same. I’m thinking those changes will happen in GASP! makeover #3, a few years down the road.

In place of that boring builder plate glass style mirror is a pretty round gold/silvery mirror (see? my round mirror obsession? I told you!) I found at HomeGoods last year. Cute, yes?

Powder Room, Take Two {2nd Budget Makeover REVEAL!}

Ahhhh. A couple of cute little accessories, some tulips and a new view out in the hallway to our plank walls. Oh my heart.

Powder Room, Take Two {2nd Budget Makeover REVEAL!}

My eyes are happy and content with our powder room, once again. Note, the white trim is all the same color (the Dove White formula from Benjamin Moore), even though it looks a little different in the photos of the white plank walls and the trim in the bathroom.

Aren’t simple makeovers fun?

The original bathroom makeover is here.
The vanity makeover post is here.
Walls are Glidden slate green.

63 Comments

  1. Julie

    LOL! I am so glad I am not alone when it come to the “one things leads to another” makeover and reasons to re-do a room. I have had to really work hard on those temptations. ;)
    Your powder bath looks very lovely. Love all the frames on the wall and accent pieces. :)

    Reply
    • Ellen

      Well, the powder room looks great, however I may be in the minority..but I just don’t get the empty frame look! Its very faddy and pointless. I’d rather see black & white photo’s of family there, paintings, or monogram Letter. Also, I liked the vanity before it was painted better.
      Thanks for inspiring me though and all of your blogs.

      Reply
      • Melissa

        Beautiful frames are works of art and add texture and color. Sometimes in a small room you just don’t need more than that. And like I said, this was a simple easy bathroom makeover. In time I can add things and change them around to be different. That is the beauty of doing something simple. It doesn’t have to be a forever change! By the way, I saw empty frames on a wall in a show home about five years ago and loved that look and still do. If I like something for five years, I think I’m safe to try it myself!

        The vanity was painted because it was not a real wood vanity. I prefer real beautiful wood rather than a faux painted particle board.

        Reply
        • Jen (Balancing Beauty and Bedlam)

          I just adore the empty frame look, especially over a gorgeous wall color. I am with you. I’ve loved the look for years. Love the color of the new vanity, but I love all white painted furniture.

          Reply
          • Melissa

            Thank you lovely lady! :-)

            Reply
    • Melissa

      Thank you Julie! :-)

      Reply
  2. Kate

    The powder room is lovely! But now I don’t see a toilet paper holder at all! Do you just use the roll on the back of the toilet? How do you twist yourself around like that each time to grab it?? Confused! But it’s truly gorgeous! :o)

    Reply
    • Melissa

      One word for the TP in a wire basket. JACK. :-) Our dog will get it if it is on the wall or on the floor or on the counter. It is a small price to pay to avoid him getting it any more often than he already does :-)

      Reply
  3. Brenda

    Oh, my! That is a beautiful makeover! The wall color is peaceful and clean. I love the frames, and I covet the mirror over your vanity.

    Where DID you put the toilet paper holder?

    Reply
    • Melissa

      It is in the wire basket. That was a safety precaution against the TP attacks from our dog Jack. :-). It is the only place he won’t get it down and destroy it.

      Reply
  4. Vee

    Very nice improvements. I see the difference in the two greens and now I’ll not be happy with my sage green sewing room anymore. No, I don’t spend THAT much time there. I’ll survive. Love the frames and the round mirrors in your home.

    Reply
  5. Deanna

    I love what a can of paint can do for a room!

    It looks wonderful!

    Reply
  6. Melissa Boyce

    Love that color and the frames on the wall. Nice!

    Reply
  7. Linda Stoll

    Ah … my very best favorite color … reminds me of the stormy gentleness of ocean and the multi-hued shades of seaglass collected along the way … treasure!

    Reply
    • Melissa

      Exactly. I love being cozy in a beach house on a stormy day! Guess that is why I love that color!

      Reply
  8. Sandra at Thistle Cove Farm

    I LOVE that green paint; it’s fabulous! When you are using primer, if you have it tinted the same color as the paint you’re going to use, you’ll use less paint and there won’t be any “shadows” on the walls. Plus, if you have to leave the primer on the walls longer than you’d like, it’s not as harsh as seeing white primer staring you in the face.
    I despise toilet roll holders on the wall; it’s just waiting to come off and will, eventually. I much prefer small toilet roll holders or even plant stands.

    Reply
  9. Faith

    Great makeover, Melissa! Love that gallery wall. And that little brass container – I think I had one just like that back in the day in college. Must get up in the attic and see if I can find it and be trendy again myself! (: Thanks for sharing. Great job!

    Reply
  10. Alison

    Love it!!!
    The frames make the whole room! So crazy that I had the same vanity in my old house. Good job!!

    Reply
  11. Kathleen

    Beautiful! Totally worth the wait. I hope to start on our half bath soon. Living with a paint sample splattered on the wall.

    Reply
  12. Mrs Mac

    And you know what I love the best? That little bucket with the tulips in it! (no honestly, it’s lovely). Our own powder room/cloakroom is nearly read for my own reveal and I am so pleased to have got rid of 10 years+ of a sort of buttery yellow which I knew was a mistake the day the paint dried!!

    Reply
  13. Kim Moore

    So nice! Will you post pictures of the vanity makeover? That’s a gorgeous cupboard AND paint job. Brass is back?! My mother was so blessed–she had chrome faucets and never felt she had to switch them to brass, then nickel, then dark burnished brass, then back to brass. Our bathrooms can get ” dated” three times a decade!

    Reply
  14. Lori

    Beautiful job!! You certainly inspired me to do my “little bath” I have the frames already, just to remove old wallpaper, maybe paint the wainscoating white? Thanks

    Reply
  15. Eileen Beck

    I know exactly where your hand towel came from! I know because that’s one of the towels in my towel dilemma post on my blog! I think I’ve bought, tried in my home, and returned every towel in Kitsap County. We’ve been re-doing our kid’s bathroom and we did subway tile on the walls (yes, copying your kitchen), which we love, but sometimes it’s those last little details that throw me for a loop.

    Love the new color in the bathroom. Ours is a blue-green too!

    Reply
    • Melissa

      Ha, yes, finding a variety of good options here isn’t easy. Sigh. If only Pottery Barn was within our reach on a moment’s notice :-)

      Reply
  16. Diane

    I love that you’re a rebel, Melissa!!! :D

    Reply
  17. Eileen Beck

    And I was going to ask…….where are the local flea markets?

    Reply
    • Melissa

      Um, well, actually there is only one that I know about! HA! We are so deprived around here. It is called Flea Market Chics in Manette! Very fun place!

      Reply
  18. Colleen Sullivan

    Gorgeous bathroom….. hope its not prettier than the kitchen…lol. The frames and the color are beautiful, but the mirror really does it for me. Sigh, I wish we didn’t need medicine cabinet space in all of our bathrooms…where do people put things when they hang up a gorgeous mirror like that! I’m pining to follow the hallway w/ the plank wall,and gorgeous blackboard that MAY lead to the kitchen,

    Reply
    • Melissa

      This is basically just a guest bathroom so the vanity holds the necessities, no medicine cabinet was needed, fortunately. Glad you like the mirror, me too! It is such a fun shape!

      Reply
  19. Angie M

    I love this!!

    Reply
  20. Barbara (WA)

    “. . . the slippery slope of justification” – LOL !!!! The powder room is lovely but I can hardly believe you accomplished this during the major house renovations – great job!

    Reply
  21. Brenda

    Hi Melissa! You have been so busy with your beautiful home that I think you will soon be running out of projects to blog about! So I am proposing that you come over to my house and re-do it for me and then you can blog about it! And for comic relief, I have a giant black Labradoodle! You can bring Jack and they can play! Seriously, I love your blog, I love everything you have done, and I have gleaned a lot of great ideas. Thank you!

    Reply
  22. Taylor de Sa

    I laughed when I read about you having to restrain yourself from a full blown reno! I love that slate green. It’s very similar to what we have in our master ensuite powder room. The frames and the map tie in nicely. I may even keep a pretty jar of sea glass in greens, blues and browns on that little shelf for added interest. Beautiful work! :)

    Reply
  23. Bettsi

    Perfect level of delightful makeover magic! It’s a powder room, it’s not necessary to go over the top with it. I love the changes and That Knob, oh my! Just beautiful, Melissa.

    Reply
  24. Pat

    I love it. You did a beautiful job. The empty picture frames are beautiful on their own, who needs pictures to distract us. I do have one question ..since it was the toilet paper holder that started this Reno….where do you put it now?

    Reply
    • Melissa

      Guess I should make this a “where’s Waldo” of the TP world. Ha! It’s now in the wire basket behind the toilet. The only place it is safe from Jack, our doggie :-)!

      Reply
  25. Netta

    OhMUGeeekers! This is the look that I’m trying to achieve! I love the pot of flowers hanging on the wall, and the shabby chich look to the frames! With that wall color you can do anything!

    Reply
  26. Helene

    That stormy green looks fantastic up against the white walls in the outer hallway. Maybe someday you can take us through the process of how you pick out a new color for a room? I can tell you’re good at it because you just “know” when it’s going to be right from a small sample. How do you do that? Is it a science or do you just have an eye and a feel for it?

    Reply
  27. Shannon

    I favor the second makeover the most. I’m a sucker for picture frames on the wall. And anytime you can display flea market or thrift store finds, it’s a daily “at-a-girl” for having such a great eye. The room looks fantastic and peaceful.

    Reply
  28. Sue A in MN

    Melissa, I love your writing style as much as your makeovers!

    Reply
  29. ELENI FITSAKI

    I love your cabinet jewelry and the mirror! Yes I like that mirror but I wonder how easy you can clean these small pieces of mirror around it!!! Nice makeover!

    Reply
    • Melissa

      Thanks! Because it is in a powder room, the mirror will stay much cleaner! It isn’t really that hard to clean because the sections are pretty big, but definitely would be more of a challenge over a more frequently used sink!

      Reply
  30. Arianne

    oh holy BEEEP! i’m in love with your little brass turtle. we have a slight turtle obsession at my house. love the new bathroom color btw. oh, and i totally feel your pain about living with a sort-of-half-started renovation for months… we’ve been working on our master bedroom for nearly a year now and we’re no where even close to finished. sigh… one day.

    Reply
  31. Morgan F

    I love this! I have a question though- the middle frame on the right ( the thick wood-ish looking one) seems to have a different color in the center, where a picture would be. Is that just lighting or did you put that color on something and frame it? We are about to start the kids bathroom remodel, and I am trying really hard to not go down the same path of ” lets rip it all out and start over because I don’t like the shower curtian today”. A new color would help, and lucky for me, I have plenty of frames from the same flea market!!! :)

    Reply
    • Melissa

      Thanks! Yes, two of the frames actually have mirrors in them! :-)

      Reply
  32. Brenda Direen

    You have out done yourself again! Always such beautiful work! Thanks for the inspiration.

    Reply
  33. Rebecca

    I think your mini-makeover #2 went really smoothly. I need to do a BIG horrid kitchen makeover #2. And dread it. I am only doing planning this year and will force myself to not rush into a big project thoughtlessly. Mini is far better.

    Reply
  34. Lorrie

    I love the look. Especially the empty frames. I have a bunch of them upstairs in a closet just waiting for me to paint them.

    Reply
  35. Carrie

    Simple makeovers are the BEST, in my opinion. :) I am so glad to see this one. I was *just thinking that I wished I could get some inspiration for the update we are planning of our bathroom. Happy Valentines Day, Melissa! :)

    Reply
  36. Staci

    LOVE IT!!! So refreshing!!! <3

    Reply
  37. Kathleen

    Where did you get the towel and the hook by the sink? The bathroom is beautiful!

    Reply
  38. Jenny

    Love your powder room. My guest/kids bath has yet to be touched – at all!! and we’ve lived here 4 1/2 years – because I can only ever imagine doing it all at once (needs tile, cabinet, accessories, paint!). I think I will plan a few changes to get it started in the right direction – thanks for the inspiration!

    Reply
  39. Jess

    Beautiful bathroom redo! You have a great eye!

    Reply
  40. Darla

    Just a reader…
    I Love the wall color and frames, a real inspiration to me! I am going to begin to keep my eyes out for frames at estate sales and flea markets.

    Lovely!

    Reply
  41. Brenda

    Melissa, I love the small stool in your powder room! Where did you find it? I need something like it in a little corner of my kitchen. Thank you!!

    Reply
    • Melissa

      Thanks! The little table is a part of a set of 3 nesting tables from World Market! :-)

      Reply
  42. Jenn

    Love love love this! It really shows off your beautiful floor! I NOW know what to do on my empty bathroom wall! Love the empty frames! You’re brilliant!

    Reply
  43. Michelle

    I love your powder room makeover. Its amazing what a little paint will do. I love that mirror it is beautiful. I have always liked hanging open frames on a wall but never knew how to do it so it looked good. Yours looks perfect. Thanks for the inspiration.

    Reply
  44. Kristen

    Melissa,

    Gorgeous makeover! Love your work and creativity! I am currently working on our new home as I can not live with the decor/paint colours that the previous owners had. I have a quick question regarding the beautiful area rug showing in your living room…have yet to check that room out, but just wondering where you got it. Thanks

    Reply
  45. Chris

    I just LOVE this powder room! Actually, I’m inspired too and a bit of a copy cat! I just got the first coat of that wonderful color on my powder room walls last night! Question on the frames – what color did you use on them to make them blend so well? A few of them look lighter than the wall color. Again, I hope my little room turns out as beautiful as yours!

    Reply

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