[For the Home]
Before & After: My Powder Room Makeover On a Budget

Now that we have a house vs. an apartment, we have the luxury of a) having a downstairs bathroom, and b) claiming the downstairs bathroom as a powder room (I feel so grown up!). It’s a good size for what it is but it really doesn’t get more basic than what it was- all white everything, standard chrome fixtures, a plain unframed mirror, the end. On the upside, it was the perfect blank canvas for a DIY makeover project and it had that gorgeous grey hardwood flooring (it runs throughout the house and makes me exceedingly happy! Tile and I have a complicated relationship).

When it came to the design, me being me, I knew there would be some black involved in the makeover. I also wanted to add some texture, some storage and some colour, and of course, it had to be done on a budget. A trip each to the hardware store, Ikea and Target, and I had everything I needed. Let’s take a look at my powder room makeover on a budget, shall we?

This was the powder room before…

And this is the powder room after… TADA!

Doesn’t it look SO much better?? I absolutely love this little powder room now! It’s such a pleasure to use and it works so well now, aesthetically speaking, with the rest of the house.

Here’s the breakdown of all the supplies I used and accessories that I bought:

• Orchard Hardware, Paint & Supplies including a brush for edging, paint roller and tray, $40
  I chose Benjamin Moore’s Ben Premium Flat Paint in Black Beauty. I know typically you’re not supposed to use flat paint in bathrooms but since this is an accent wall and won’t require much cleaning, I opted for the flat finish. Plus, I think dark colours just automatically look more sophisticated in a flat finish anyway.
• Ikea, Textiles in bright red
  – Frajen Hand Towel, $3.99
  – Badaren Floor Mat, $4.99.
• Ikea, Decor
  – Fejka Plant, $4.99
  – Kardemumma Planter, $1.49. This bathroom gets no natural light, really, so as much as I would have loved an actual plant, it wouldn’t have been a good idea. This faux plant looks lovely and adds that much needed pop of greenery.
• Target, Decor
  – Woven Basket, $16.99. I think this is from their Threshold line but I can’t remember for sure.
  – Threshold 24″ Wood Shelf with Metal Brackets, $24.99. This shelf is beautiful! It’s the perfect size and the colour of the wood is a great medium warm brown. You can see the wood grain coming through as well- totally on point, Target.
  – Room Essentials Round 5 Liter Trash Can, $14.99.
• I’m not counting the art in the grand total because I bought the prints and frames about two years ago for our living room. The prints are perfectly mid-century and are from Inaluxe and the frames are from Chapters/Indigo.

And there you have it! For a grand total of $112.43, and a day’s work, I’ve got a perfectly simple and stylish powder room!

Here’s one more look at the before and after together because I can’t stop marveling at the change!

So what do you think? Are there are any quick and easy, budget-friendly DIY projects you’ve tackled lately? I’m all ears!