Lessons Learned from Our Powder Room Makeover

Hi all! Our powder room on our main level was an eyesore before and I’m so happy to say our makeover is finally DONE.  Here’s a photo of the before (in desperate need of a facelift :)!

We were on a tight budget for this project but made it work with a some tricks that I will share below. I’ll start with a few of my favorite things about the changes we made and then go into a few more details about our faucet and the install (this part surprised me the most!).

I was thrilled when the Handyman Connection of Wheaton reached out to offer a complimentary service in exchange for a blog post. Luckily this saved us some money so we could still stay under budget. They’re a local company but have locations all over the US too.

The first question so many people have asked is what paint color we used. After trying many blue samples in our den at our old house, we fell in love with this color – Benjamin Moore called Deep Royal.  I’m so glad we found another space to use it in because it is a beautiful, rich blue. PS. Small powder rooms are great places to use BOLD colors.

We kept the original vanity since it was in good condition and to saved us money by keeping it. Adding new hardware and a new countertop made a HUGE difference.

The countertop ( from StoneCo Inc) is a quartz with a little dark blue veining which goes perfectly with the navy blue walls. I’ve worked with the guys from StoneCo, Inc on a few projects now and highly recommend them for countertops!

Another one of my favorite things we did in this powder room is add these Gray Malin prints above the toilet. If you are familiar with Gray Malin, you’ll know his artwork is amazing but very expensive.

I knew I wanted artwork with the same vibe – playful, creative and colorful. Eric’s request was to have something “water” related (boat, ocean, etc.). After searching online forever, I remembered I had Gray Malin’s Escape book filled with beautiful images that met ALL the criteria. I *borrowed* a couple pages and voila.

I wrote an entire blog post on the DIY no-sew fabric curtain and it’s still one of my favorite little DIY projects. It was really easy to make and saved us money on window treatments.

Plus, I got to finally use one of my favorite prints by Nate Berkus!

Here are a few things I learned (mostly about faucets) through this makeover:

• A polished nickel finish (which I think looks the most beautiful of all the finishes) is typically a more expensive finish. It’s also the hardest to match if you are mixing pieces from different manufacturers.

We ended up mixing metals a bit which honestly I’m still a little on the fence about. Did you notice? The towel rack and outlet cover are satin nickel. What do you think about mixing? Yay or nay?

These may change in the future but I think a little mixing is OK. More than 2 finishes is when things get too crazy.

Another lesson learned…..

• Installation is expensive! Silly me didn’t realize how much since this has always been a part of the bundle with contractors or builders for previous projects. AND to install a widespread faucet is especially more expensive. I think widespread faucets look the best but I did not realize they are much more labor intensive to install. I was quoted anywhere from $385-$420 just for the installation. Let alone the cost of a quality faucet. 
• Okay, one last thing about Polished nickel. It’s also hardest to keep clean. I find myself wiping it clean a few times a week since everything shows. Keep this in mind when selecting finishes, especially if it’s a high traffic bathroom like ours!

This is our most used bathroom since it’s the only one on the main level. It’s still my favorite finish even with all these things!

We ended up purchasing with this faucet from Amazon after doing quite a bit of research. It was reasonably priced and we liked the style for this space.

My communication with Casey from Handyman Connection was wonderful when I first spoke with her. We had just had a baby (less than a week old) when we needed someone ASAP to come out for this install.  I was so impressed and thankful they were able to send someone out quickly. And on a Sunday to accommodate us!

The work was done by handyman, or handy lady I should say, named Lin. She was on time (actually 2 hours early!). Our faucet was done in a couple hours and done well.

Thank you again to Handyman Connection for sponsoring this post and for the quick install of our faucet!

SOURCE LIST:

*This list may contain affiliate links. This means I get a small percentage if purchased by no additional cost to you!

• Hardware – Martha Stewart
• Faucet – Amazon
• Countertop – Carrara Marmi
• Paint Color – Benjamin Moore Deep Royal.
• Hand towel 
• Nate Berkus Fabric for Window Treatment
• White picture frames
• Gray Malin Escape (artwork)
• Bathroom Accessories by Delta