I was on a self-imposed blogging hiatus due to work (that real life thing that pays the bills!). I did decorate for fall...but didn't take photos. I also decorated for Christmas and even took photo's, but it's now February so that seems a little pointless. So let's just pick up where I left off. Our downstairs powder room.
I posted this photo of what I thought my inspiration was for updating our powder room downstairs:
And while I still like many aspects of this design...I realized I'm completely over very neutral decor. This is a powder room that has no natural light. I don't think the lightness that I like in this inspiration photo would transfer well in my dungeon of a bathroom. This design is too neutral. So I needed to take some basic concepts from this and update my inspiration. Then I found this:
Thinks I like about this:
- the wallpaper! We had already planned to do board and batten in the bathroom to help hide the fact that the wall is warped. I was going to do brick wallpaper above the board and batten but I'm concerned it's too industrial looking. The wallpaper in this photo is far from industrial
- the brushed brass accents. I don't know that I will do a light fixture (more on this later) but I love the brushed brass on the mirror and hand towel holder. I recognize that this is a trend that WILL eventually pass and I've avoided it for the most part. But I think some small accents that I could easily swap out if I get tired of them is a practical option.
Things I'll keep from the original inspiration:
- The wooden vanity that is fitted to the wall. My powder room is very narrow. As I've mentioned, I bought a cheap vanity from Lowes to use when we remodeled the kid's bathroom upstairs a few years ago and we moved it in here when we were done. Despite the fact that there is no shower in here, that cheap vanity has warped badly. Plus there is NO counter space with that small vanity. My thought was that you wouldn't really need any since it's just a powder room. I have since learned the error of that thought process.
- The wall mounted faucet. I was going through my design inspiration book I've saved on Houzz this morning and I realized that almost all the photo's I chose have a wall mounted faucet. And I really like it!! I have to admit, I'm sorely tempted to go with brushed brass here too. I found this set on Amazon that is very cost effective:
- The round mirror. You may have noticed there's one in both photos. Again, this is another element that I find is common amongst the photo's I saved.
Things that I want different from both photos:
- wall sconces. The Builder probably won't be happy with me, but I really don't want a light hanging from the ceiling or above the mirror. I want something like this: No, not the shiplap (sorry Joanna!). Again, while I really like the look of shiplap, in the very near future, it's going to be a dated trend. I want to be able to update decor items, not mess with tearing down an outdated look.
- the vessel sink - I'm just not sure I like this. However, with the wall mounted faucet, I may not have an option. This is a wait and see item
- baskets everywhere - yes, a small nitpicky thing, but I have them upstairs in the kid's bathroom (i have two adult kids and two teenage kids) and they do nothing but toss junk in them. So I'd like to find a different storage option for extra toilet paper, cleaning supplies, and miscellaneous items.
Option 1
As you can see, this really mirrors the design inspiration photo that is my Take Two. I really love the green Palm wallpaper. It's a nice pop of color in a windowless room with artificial lighting. I think the brushed brass accents would look lovely with the green wallpaper and the white board and batten. Why the second wallpaper option? The Builder is not a fan of green (and this is also his throne room!). He would prefer the blue palm leaves. It's also almost identical to the inspiration photo. We can order samples of both wallpapers to determine which one we ultimately like. Either go with the rest of the finishes. I have a couple of different scone options, one that has a touch of the brushed brass and one that doesn't. Both would coordinate with the bamboo framed mirror. The faucet comes in several different finishes so I wouldn't have to go with the brushed brass. But I'm tempted! We'd do a floating vanity in a finish to coordinate with the mirror. We plan to build that, so more details to come.
Option 2
So on this one, same board and batten and floating wood vanity, but totally different wallpaper. Which changes the feel of the room completely. This look actually compliments our house better. I love galvanized metal and have used it as an accent throughout our dining room and family room. Since the powder room is right off of the dining room, this would be a really cohesive feel. I've also given options for an arched mirror vs. a round mirror. I really like the little shelf, which is handy for putting your phone or watch on to keep it from getting wet while washing your hands. Or a little vase of fresh flowers... I also have some additional accessories in the bathroom already that would also compliment this look.
What do you think? We don't plan to start this small renovation until this summer, and we've given ourselves a three week timeline (we're not stripping wallpaper, removing flooring, or making any changes to the existing layout). The plan is to build the vanity this spring and once we make a design choice, start buying the items. The biggest time zapper on this project will be the board and batten. That will be a solid weekend to get done. Then we'll need to move the electricity and patch the drywall. That should take a second weekend. The rest of the updates should go quickly after that.
Now to make a final decision on the design!
