As we’re painting and caulking and sanding the greenhouse – which by the way is *nearly* there…though it seems the final details take FOREVER, but it’s gunna be great when it’s done – my thoughts keep moving to the powder room downstairs. Largely because it’s got a horrible floor right now and it’s such a tiny room, I feel like there’s so many fun things I could do with the space sooner than later.
After several days of pondering, Pinterst-ing, and blog-hopping, I think I’ve found a combination of elements that will work really well, and hopefully won’t put us over budget. It’s going to be a while before any of this actually happens though, considering we live nowhere near an IKEA, Home Depot, or major appliance stores, and so far the only thing I’ve purchased for the room is this super cute chandelier/pendant….Nonetheless, I feel the need to document my ideas before I completely forget about this train of thought.
First, here’s a reminder of what we’re working with…
It’s a pretty small space. No bigger than a small closet, really. Currently one of the biggest issues is the new-ish toilet that was installed a few years back that replaced the original RV-style toilet that used to be in there. The original house was designed with low-flow, water-conserving, RV-style toilets with a foot pedal flush that worked perfectly and was really efficient. Although they’re not as pristine as a lovely Kohler ceramic toilet, they have a quirky, conservationist appeal that suits us. They are also considerably smaller front-to-back and therefore can recess into that space without sacrificing necessary gluteus maximus surface area (which, lets face it, is very important!). I’d love to go back to this design, once I find one that’s reasonably priced and available in a nearby province or with free shipping (does anyone ship toilets for free?). Here are some examples of what I’m talking about…
Next is the sink. Currently we’ve got a pedestal sink. It does the trick for now but I’d like to modernize it a bit. I’m gravitating towards a floating vanity, particularly the GODMORGON semi-gloss vanity with an ODENSVIK sink from IKEA. I can’t decide if we should get the vanity in WHITE, since it’ll appeal to the minimalist-Scandinavian look, or mix it up with a GREY or WOOD vanity. I especially love the look of the one by House Tweaking below, including those lovely linen hammam hand towels (which after seeing them here I went directly to West Elm and bought 3 for us – but they were on sale + free shipping, so it was a good buy). Here’s a variety of the same vanity in different sizes. Ours will only fit the smallest version like the first one below, but it will give you an idea of the different decorating pallets possible.
If we do go with the white vanity, I think we can be a little more bold with the walls and do a dark navy-greyish wall or walls. For the time-being I’m thinking of sticking to paint, even though I’ve been drooling over wallpapers for MONTHS, I haven’t found the perfect one yet and feel I really need to love it before I invest in installing it. I’ve already purchased ABYSS paint by Benjamin Moore for our living room feature wall, and I think something in this family like Old Navy by Benjamin Moore could work nicely.
With dark shaded walls (or one wall…still unsure of feature wall versus taking the leap and painting them all), a bright modern white vanity, and a white ceramic sink, I’m thinking that goldeny-brass accents and shiny, warm wood tones will be needed – from accent picture frames and mirrors.
Here are a few related ideas I’ve found so far on Pinterest, that have some elements of what I’m kinda thinking…
There are so many possibilities, it makes my head hurt a little. If you have any favorites, preferences, suggestions, please feel free to comment below. Lord knows I could use the help!
I like the third vanity very much. Remember when you are painting a tiny room that the colours are intensified by being in such close proximity to one another. Folks in the paint store always suggest that you go two shades lighter. I always ignore them, but I’m putting it out there, even though I LURVE both of your paint samples. Big fan of mirrors in tiny spaces, am I .
Check eBay for toilets? You never know what you might find. I highly doubt it will be free or low cost shipping from any retailer!
I love the Old Navy shade! It’s perfect. I think you should mix it up and get the grey vanity – it will pop against the colour of the room (in a good way)!
C.,
Great blue ideas. Noticed 3/4 of the pics include a window. Might this alter the colour selection?
E.
I love the pic with the pigeons – it’s even got a C in it already for Colleen. 🙂 Actually I love the one below it too – the backsplash is lovely!
Me too!! (to all of the above) I’m seriously thinking of looking for a pigeon painting and giant ‘C’ for that room now. 🙂
Thanks for the excellent comments! I took them into consideration when I went back to the house this morning and nearly dismantled everything in the bathroom! I may have a lot of wall repairs to do this week, but it was cathartic to tear out (literally) those old hardware pieces and install my updated ones, even if they look totally out of place with the grungy walls. That place really needs a paint job now though – even temporarily.
So I’m starting to think about sourcing some really fab tile, like marble subway tile and doing a feature wall where the vanity will go – floor to ceiling. Then doing a larger version of the same tile on the floor and as the baseboard around the room (in a Sarah Richardson fashion). I’m still gravitating towards dark walls, but you’re so right (Chris, Erin and Salz), that the rooms I love with the colour often have a window with bright natural light, so I’ll probably have to tone it down a lot more, and maybe even get more lighting in there (though hopefully I can still retain my super cute chandelier).
Keep the ideas coming and I’m going to play around with some layout schemes to get your help choosing the materials.