We’ve been chomping at the bit to give our powder bathroom a little refresh, and what better way to do it than with a weekend makeover! A small space is the perfect place to get those creative juices flowing and really pay attention to the details that make a room feel special. Plus, a small room means a big impact for less effort—and who doesn’t love that?
Why We Updated the Powder Room
With the launch of our new wallpaper line, we were dying to see it in our house somewhere, and our powder bathroom definitely needed some attention. We’ve loved the striped wallpaper that was in the room, but some of the paint on it was flaking off the walls. (This was a Farrow & Ball wallpaper with applied paint that has been discontinued—maybe that’s why?)
But with the launch of our new traditional wallpaper, it was the perfect opportunity to make a change. As a reminder, here’s where we started:
Originally, I was drawn to the Geneva wallpaper pattern with those lovely peacocks, but I just couldn’t get our new Hague wallpaper collection off my mind. It has this incredible moody, modern, traditional vibe with its tone-on-tone color scheme (inspired by our trip to The Biltmore last year!).
I chose it in this rich navy color to echo the blue in the bonus room upstairs, and I love how it makes the room feel like a little jewel box! It’s so beautiful (the girls can’t get over it!), and it feels like a design I’ll love for years to come. It’s not a big room, so it only took around 3 rolls of wallpaper.
Note the wallpapered light and outlet covers on the left! Such a quick DIY with so much payoff.
Hague Dark Blue Wallpaper
From the CLJ x A-Street Prints Traditional Wallpaper Collection. Available in 5 colorways.
shop nowWe also added a fresh coat of semi-gloss paint to the trim and ceiling in a contrast color (Sherwin Williams Sconce Gold) to really make the new wallpaper pop. Then came the easy updates:
- We swapped out our old sconces for new polished nickel sconces. Since the wiring was already there, it was a super quick and easy switch.
- Our existing antique mirror, sink, and toilet were all in great shape, so we kept those to save on time and money.
- We brought in a couple of new 14″x17″ silver frames from Pottery Barn to add a little shine (Polished Heritage in action!).
- I also picked up a cute touchless lamp to put on the back of the toilet—but then I remembered we had an outlet behind the toilet for a bidet, so I was able to use this little lamp I’ve had for a few years. I’m all about those little details that make a space feel complete and functional.
Wallpaper | Trim Color: Sherwin Williams Sconce Gold | Mirror (vintage – similar) | Sconces | Sink | Faucet | Hand Wash
Toilet | Toilet Seat | Trash Can (similar) | Tile
The Gallery Wall that Tells a Story
Choosing photos for a gallery wall is one of my favorite parts of a refresh, and this one was extra special. I knew I wanted to do a black and white gallery wall, but I was so torn on what photos to use! I started by looking at professional black and white prints, but then I realized I had so many amazing moments captured on my phone that were just waiting to be printed.
I decided to do a deep dive through my camera roll and chose photos that told a story. When choosing photos to serve as art, you aren’t looking for your typical, perfectly posed gallery wall photos—they’re real, in-the-moment snapshots that tell stories. I decided on two photos I took from our trip to Italy this summer. One of a man sleeping outside his antique shop in Florence. And another of two guys in suits eating gelato in Rome as Chris walks by. Everyone told us that people dress UP in Rome, and I loved that it was so true. Both of these photos had stories and contrast—true blacks and whites and some gray.
You don’t need a fancy camera to do this—just pick a moment you love and use editing tools (I used Lightroom)! The goal is to create a moment in time that anyone can look at and feel a connection to. I printed them as poster prints from Walgreens in an hour and it was $6 with a coupon.
Fox Art | Lamp | Leather Tissue Cover
Oh, and our old friend Mr. Fox? He’s still there for now, and I think he’s enjoying his new surroundings.
One Tricky Thing with Powder Rooms & Pedestal Sinks
I love to stash extra toilet paper in any bathroom, but especially one that guests will be using (this powder bathroom is on our main floor, right by the living room.) I used to have an open weave basket under the pedestal sink with, like, 8 rolls of toilet paper overflowing it and during this makeover I realized how unnecessary that was. Sure, I want to make sure there’s a roll handy for guests, but I don’t want it to be a focal point. A few weeks ago, my sisters and I went to a few of our favorite antique stores, and I found an old brass vintage box with a lid. Miraculously, it fit 2 rolls perfectly! I love that it’s discreet, old, brass, and as much as a design element as it is functional.
And that’s our powder bathroom refresh! It just goes to show you that even a small space can be a fun and creative project for a weekend.
If you want to see what the room looked like before we made it over the first time, this post takes you back in time!
I love the touch of adding a WC brass sign. I’m assuming you put that on your door. I’d love to see the placement of that beautiful sign.
Would you be willing to share dimensions of the room / what toilet this is? Working on renovating a box WC to rectangle and having some troubles finding compact options
It’s 22 square feet and the toilet is this one from the Kohler Memoirs line.
Hello, I really like your powder room, it has a nice character now, and all the details are so beautiful together. But you haven’t said anything about the mosaic floors. Where can we get that floors? Thank you in advance.
We did those ourselves in this post: How to DIY your Own Penny Tile Patterned Floor.
I love the update, especially the new sconces.
Beautiful powder room. Well done! Love everything about it. Would you be willing to share the fox artwork size you used in this room? A 8×10 or 11×14 size print? Thank you,