Over the course of the last few months, we have slowly been updating our powder room on the main floor & giving it a much needed face lift. A few things about this space, the first being it is TINY and super hard to photograph, so bear with me. Second, the people who partially renovated the house before we bought it decided to tear out the original pedestal sink and install a vanity that was way too big for the space. Also, with young kids, we wanted to be able to also have step stool in place for hand washing since it’s the bathroom we use most and still be able to open & close the door, so we knew that going back to a pedestal sink would solve both of those problems. And the third component, we didn’t want to spend a lot of money but love lots of character in small spaces, so we did this entire makeover for under $500!
Here is the before photo, taken when we first moved in.
Here is a breakdown of what we did:
Pulled out the old vanity & added board & batten around the walls to give it some character. All of the supplies to do this cost less than $50, we painted it all with our glossy white Chantilly Lace by Benjamin Moore that we used through the rest of the house & used leftover paint from Claire’s room, Gray Embrace by Valspar, for the top half. We replaced the old vanity with a pedestal sink that was less than $60 at Home Depot, added a new faucet, mirror & light fixture, which all together was under $300. We added some fun art, a cute wall hook instead of a traditional towel bar & our favorite Ikea foot stool that we stained in a dark finish. We still need to update some of the plumbing to help hide the pipes, but overall we LOVE the way this sink fits in the room, it makes it feel twice as big!
With all of those updates, here is the AFTER!
Sources: Sink // Mirror // Light // Stool // Wall Hook // Bobby Pins Print // Believe in Magic Print // Abstract Art
Again, the room is tiny & gets no natural light, so it is super hard to photograph, but we love a small space challenge! It is fun & so much more functional now. Hope this has given you a bit of inspiration if you have a powder bath that is in need of an update on a tight budget! XO
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Justine says
I love your style even in the smallest of spaces! That mirror is stunning!
Christy says
Well done ?! I used to live in a 1922 craftsman bungalow that I restored, so I know how how much love a house with charm can take. All worth it of course. Any tips on doing the board & batten yourself? I remember seeing you ripped everything out. I want to add it to a room with molding that has a beveled top. I don’t want to rip out the molding and it’s hard to wrap my brain around it. Pinterest has not been much help ugh ? :/ thank you! Love your blog.
Jessica Garvin says
We just used tutorials found on pinterest, it’s honestly super easy if your walls are straight (which none are, so that’s really the only challenge). As long as you sand, caulk & give it a few good coats of primer, you’ll hide any imperfections! 🙂 For the baseboard, we took off the existing baseboard and added a 1×6 as the new baseboard so it was flush with the vertical boards, and then added quarter round at the bottom of that.
Amanda Brignoni says
Love it! Random question-did you installbyour board and batten throughout your house? I know I’ve seen it in photos and wondered if you guys installed it? I’ve been wanting to do it throughout mine and wanted to see how difficult it is ? Thanks!!
Jessica Garvin says
We did the b&b in this bathroom ourselves, but the rest of the trim in the house is original. I would just look at some tutorials on pinterest and see which one you find that fits your project needs the best!
Ashley Wise says
I really love this bathroom !!! Where did you get the frames for the prints ? Also — I left a long comment on IG about cool ways to fill your shelves easily .. seeing the brassy gold mirror makes me think even more that you might like my suggestions 🙂
Jessica Garvin says
Framebridge! And thanks so much!!
Liz Berry says
Thanks for this post! Always love seeing your home posts. We are in the process of updating ours (now have to replace the floor for a second time thanks to a leaky sink and wild child that overflowed the toilet). I loved your last powder room also. That wall paper was great!
Jessica Garvin says
Totally miss that wallpaper! 😉 Good luck with your udpates!
Kay says
This post could not have come at a better time! I am currently rehabbing my new house and ripping wallpaper off of our powder room. I’ve been thinking about how to not spend too much money in there, and actually looking for a step tool for our toddler. What kind of stain do you use on that?
Jessica Garvin says
The stain color is called Jacobean by Minwax + two coats of poly.
Kacey Mahoney says
It looks beautiful! I love that you did it on a budget, definitely makes me want to redo ours!
Kelly M. says
LOVE!!!!! Do you know what stain you used on the foot stool?
Jessica Garvin says
The stain is called Jacobean by Minwax 🙂
Diedra says
It’s so charming! Just bought that light for our bathroom, thank you for sharing! 🙂
Heather Davis says
Love it so much better!!!! Great job!
Nat says
Looks great! We have a tiny bathroom downstairs too with the same pedestal sink. The board and batten really gives it charm!
Annie says
I love that paint color! We just bought our first house and hope to do tons of projects like this throughout, so inspiring to see a room makeover that doesn’t cost thousands!
Britany (Dash In-Between) says
LOVE IT!
We renovated our main bath a couple years ago but I haven’t managed to find any art for the walls. Love your 3 small pieces. Thanks for the inspo!
Caroline says
I love this! How does hanging the mirror work with the board bland batten?
Caroline says
This looks great! How does hanging a mirror work with the board and batten?
Monica says
Love it! I happened to order the same mirror but haven’t hung it yet. Did you have any issues with it?
Tracy Iandoli says
Hi, do you have a link to the faucet? The room looks awesome!! Any suggestions for a laundry room? I’m in need to some help 🙂
Cara says
Beautiful! What sheen of paint do you use?
Jessica Garvin says
Eggshell finish on the top & semi-gloss on the bottom! XO
Jessica Vandell says
Jessica – Charming space as always! My husband is currently painting our bathroom as I type this and the little one is napping (renovating a one level, small home with a ten month old is HARD) but I must know, can we snag the magic print in white and black like yours seen here? I see the black with white font on your site but Iike this combo also! Thanks! Sending love from WV