Sure, our powder room makeover officially started in January, and I’m just now sharing it with you in August. But, even if it did take me most of the year to conquer this small space, I’m proud of my efforts. It was my first time stripping wallpaper (more on that in another post), and I’m happy to say that I did it all by my sweaty self.
First, a quick look back at what the bathroom looked like when I started:
And, a “short” seven months later. . .
I had my heart set on a dark and moody powder room and went with one of my favorites—Urbane Bronze by Sherwin Williams. (This is the same color I’ve used in smaller doses throughout our house.) I kept all of the brass fixtures, and have actually grown to like them with the dark color.
I wanted to keep the artwork a little quirky. (The powder room seems like the appropriate place.) I thought these prints of vintage circus posters fit our family well. . .
I was able to do this makeover without many big purchases. I already had the mirror and the end table, but we did buy new lighting, and I found the rug on Ebay. I either had the smaller accessories or found them at yard sales.
(I tried my best to get a good picture of the light fixture, with not much luck. You can see a better product shot of the light we ordered here.)
And, in case you’re wondering about anything. . .
wall color: Urbane Bronze (Sherwin Williams)
mirror: flea market find
side table: HomeGoods
rug: Ebay
lighting: Wayfair (Savoy House sconce)
abstract art: Hillary Butler Fine Art
“7” sign & circus art: thrift stores
white frames: IKEA, Pottery Barn Outlet
wicker lantern (aka “TP holder”): Target
You can see the other bathroom we finished this year here. I’m on a roll. . .
I luv it!! its so dramatic, and I think that mirror just completely sets off the brass fixtures!
GENIOUS toilet paper holder…and I too love a moody bathroom, that’s what I called our bathroom ‘re-do that we did last winter! ~Kim
It look just amazing Emily. What a wonderful job you did!
Wow! What a change!!! Love all your choices in the space dear especially the lighting! I think it’s Powder room month, since I also just finished mine…http://buhayatbahay.blogspot.com/2013/08/powder-room-update.html, check it out when you have the time! :-)
Love how the simple changes you made to this powder room give it such a sophisticated look! Oh the power of paint and a few well chosen accessories….
Love it! Classy, stylish, and fun :) xo Kristin
oh YES! i wish i could type the biggest puffy heart ever!
Thanks. I like your enthusiasm :)
oh YES! i wish i could type the biggest puffy heart ever!
Cute as a button. I painted our home office in a dark chocolate and have never regretted it!
Very nice! I love that mirror there, and the circus prints look great. Our little powder room has been on my list for years…maybe someday :) I will definitely have to replace the big clunky vanity with a cute and simple sink like yours!
Emily, I love it! I’ve been considering that same paint color for our master bedroom and this only further confirms that decision!
Would love to see if you end up using it in your bedroom!
I really love the color you chose for the walls! You always do such an awesome job with accessories and art – love every detail!
Love it! I think dark colors look really beautiful in a powder room.
gorgeous! I love the brass against the dark color. lovely. And, I love that you put plants in the bathroom…such a cheery way to brighten up the dark space.
Emily- are you doing something different with the way you post your pictures? Not able to see them in Firefox or IE! Thanks!
I’ve started storing some on Flickr but that shouldn’t matter with your web browser… I just looked at my blog on IE and could see everything (although I usually use Chrome).
Anybody else having problems??
This is so rich and classy, but fun and carefree at the same time! It’s gorgeous yet totally livable! I love it and the fact that it has taken a bit to finally finish makes me feel better about coming up on the year mark of our sllllooooow bedroom makeover. ;)
This is so rich and classy, but fun and carefree at the same time! It’s gorgeous yet totally livable! I love it and the fact that it has taken a bit to finally finish makes me feel better about coming up on the year mark of our sllllooooow bedroom makeover. ;)
I love the mirror and that cute little table! It never would have occurred to me to put a table in such a small bathroom but the extra little bit of storage/decoration is awesome!
We must be on the same wavelength I posted my small guest bathroom today too! I found it was super hard taking photos of the small space that had no natural light! I love the color you chose for the bathroom and that mirror is to die for!!
Beautiful, Emily! I love that even though it’s dark it doesn’t feel like a cave. Adding the little table was such a smart idea!
Love it Emily!! And, you have styled it beautifully.
Love that it’s clean and uncluttered, yet filled with something interesting everywhere you look! Huge fan of the oversized white mats, too!
I love everything about this room Emily!
Love the chocolate, so pretty. Fabulous mirror too. Hugs, marty
LOVE.it!! every detail is fabulous!
Pretty re-do – is there some significance to the #7 piece on the wall???
The number in our family :)
I love this re-do! I have an old Restoration Hardware damask wallpaper in my powder room and you’ve inspired me to start over!
It looks awesome! I am really digging the dark walls!
The room looks great! I’ve been waiting for this reveal once you mentioned you were going dark and moody. And what an innovative way to store TP! Thanks for inspiration, Emily!
Might I suggest that you replace the switch plate with one which can be painted? Sometimes they are hard to find and you might have to order online, but that double plate would go away if it was painted to match the wonderful wall color. I googled “paintable light switch plates” and found several options. I don’t see decorators focus on these much, but I have replaced all my plates in the last few homes with paintable plates.
I remember when you shared pics of you stripping that paper…ugh! Your efforts definitely paid off…the space looks awesome. Love the way you decorate with meaningful items…like the circus art and 7 sign. What if you had triplets…you would have had to find an 8!
I like that you caught that :) The back of that sign actually has an 8 on it, but I am 100% positive we won’t be needing it…
Gorgeous Emily! I love it when powder rooms are like little jewel boxes!
The mirror is one I have looked for forever, love it all!
xoxo
Karena
Feature:”Love Where You Live”
Love what you’ve done! The paint color is great.
So pretty! I am a sucker for dark walls!
Looks great! Brass is coming back. Better Homes and Gardens has quite a bit of it in the current style issue.
Oh it’s GRAND….I LOVE IT…
THAT COLOR IS SO SO SO AMAZING!
This looks absolutely gorgeous. The mirror is my favorite, and the side table really makes a fantastic style statement. BRAVO! xo
Looks so good! And I have a question….. which is random… but what did you do with the old mirror… I kinda love it…. (runs away in shame)
Funny you should ask. I liked it, too, and wrote a post about its demise here:
http://emilyaclark.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-mirror-that-wasnt-meant-to-be.html
(I know I still owe you an email, btw!)
oh yes… I remember now! ( no worries, your busy!)
Love the color, great choice. I must admit, that i am not a fan of brass fixtures, but after looking at your pictures i must say that like you they have grown on me. Love the mirror!!!
I’m definitely a fan of dark colors in tiny powder rooms! We have a dark blue in ours (Van Deusen Blue by BM) and I love it. The circus prints over the toilet are great and it was very smart to put them in frames with such large white mats – it really helps to keep the room from being too dark.
That’s a great blue.
I absolutely love this bathroom redo! I am quite a bit older than you:), and boy am I ever glad I never got rid of my brass lamps and decorations!
Love that color…so sophisticated, and Ialso love the way it looks with the brass fixtures. I might suggest that you find a paintable light switch so it disappears or do something fun like “frame” the white one so it matches the shape of your artwork. And I feel your pain about stripping wallpaper!
LOVE this powder room! Quirky art just makes it.
-Revi
Looks amazing, Emily! The dark paint is FAB. Who cares if it took a long time – it was worth the wait!! :)
It looks beautiful! I love the drama that the dark color adds and that you put that little end table in there. I would have never thought of that!
It looks so fabulous Emily!!! I really like the gold with the dark grey. But wait – where are your cute striped shoes? They didn’t make it into the final photos!
You are making me miss my dark bathroom!! There is just something about a dark small space. Great job!
I love the dark paint, brass fixtures, light, and the wire lantern for a TP holder. Awesome!!
What a great transformation! I love the rich dark color and the brass fixtures. You have excellent style :)
Lovely updates! I love the use of furniture, with the side table in the bathroom, and quirky art is a must-have in any bathroom! (:
Looks amazing! Love that bamboo mirror.
Oh, Emily, I love it! I’ve always wanted to paint our half bath dark, and this certainly helps confirm my suspicions. It’s GORG!! Good job, girl!
Hey, I have that little white HG table too:) Love it! It looks great Emily!!
Your bathroom looks great! I love the pictures over the toilet!
Good job.
Tammy @ thecoloreddoor.blogspot.com
It looks lovely Emily! That bamboo mirror and light fixture are my favorite parts! I secretly want them now!!!
Blessings,
Kayla
K.R Dixon Designs
http://adelightfulplacetodwell.com
Urbane Bronze is one of my favorites! I used it on the back of my bookcases in my keeping room!
I love a good dark bathroom, yours looks very pretty and I like how you kept the brass fixutres – they look meant to be. And I have the same bathroom lights for our master bathroom!! http://whatthevita.com/?p=4480
I love your powder room, Emily! I might copy it one of these days ;) I’ve become a fan when I stumbled upon your blog on your bookcase/home office while I was searching on ideas for mine.
Such an amazing transformation. I have to agree – the change in wall color today makes the brass work. I need to try that Urbane Bronze somewhere – I love every room that I see with it.
I didn’t see that the lantern had “TP” until you mentioned it. What a great idea! I love the dark, moody color.
I think having little ones at home, 7 months equals 7 days. So you finished that project in a week on regular time (heehee)!
Looks great! I don’t think I would have thought about putting a side table there…it looks amazing! Pretty appropriate that it took you “7” months. :)
Love that mirror and how bold you went with the wall color!
It looks great, Emily! I’ve always avoided really dark colors in a small space because I thought it would feel too much like a cave, but I LOVE it in your small bathroom! Pinned! Hope you’re having a wonderful weekend!
~Abby =)
I can’t wait to hear your tips for wallpaper removal. We close next week on a new-old house and have a couple rooms of wallpaper to remove. I’ve never done that before so need all the help I can get.
The powder room looks great!
Well that little room came together in a great way…love the dark walls and those circus prints are fabulous:)
I think you couldn’t have picked a better color for the powder room! And I absolutely love how the white matted and stacked prints look above the the toilet. With the white table and the bit of greenery, it’s just perfect. Hooray for a finished powder room. (Actually hooray for any powder room. They don’t exist in the 2/1, 3/1 houses in the Bay Area!)
What kind of finish did you choose for the Urban Bronze: matte, glossy?
Good question! It was a satin finish.