I’m excited to finally deep-dive into the different design updates and aspects of the flip house my husband, mom and I recently remodeled and sold! Yes, you read that right, the flip house sold and closed in mid-July and we couldn’t be more excited to have survived our first flip!
If you follow along on Instagram, then you’ll remember I chronicled our journey from start to finish – the purchasing of a dated townhome, the work in progress and final product that went on the Houston market. It was a labor of love, and I’m so glad that someone gets to finally call the updated and refreshed space home sweet home!
In the coming weeks I’m going to explore multiple rooms of our townhome flip and share before and after photos, along with what inspired the design and final selections for the space. And while I’m not a trained interior designer, I’ve always had a love for design and updating spaces. So this project certainly got my wheels turning and worked on my problem solving skills in the process.
Powder Bathroom Update
This boring and outdated powder bathroom needed an update, but on a budget. There were things I would’ve done had it been my own personal home, but because the property needed to sell down the road I kept a variety of potential buyers in mind.
Small but mighty tweaks such as paint, new floors and a freestanding vanity were at the top of my mental punch-list.
The Powder Bathroom Before
Prior to demo’ing, this powder bathroom felt like an oversized waste of space; it was outdated and just one depressing note. The vanity height was extremely low and the fixtures were fine, but old. With the powder bath just off the kitchen, I knew undoubtedly guests would be using the space, so I wanted to pack a punch.
With a blank slate to work with once everything was cleared out, my design wheels began turning.
I tested a couple paint swatches, including a moody olive green and a dark navy blue. I’ve gone with navy for a few of my personal home projects, so that felt comfortable. But the olive green was just so beautiful swatched on the wall and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I figured it could be neutral for both a male or female buyer and the finishes I had in mind would work for a variety of age ranges.
Before the built in vanity felt dated and lopsided. I knew I wanted a freestanding vanity, centered off the back wall, for visual interest and balance.
So ultimately, the punch list for this not so boring powder bath update included:
- Demo’ing the existing vanity + countertop, flooring and mirror
- Repainting the entire room
- Replacing toilet
- Replacing flooring
- Updating the outdated light fixture
- New pre-fabricated vanity cabinet; new cabinet hardware
- New countertop, sink & faucet
- New mirror and hardware
The Powder Bathroom After
What can I say, the before and after of this powder bathroom is pretty striking!
This was my first time ever opting to paint walls such a dark and moody hue and I’m totally in love. We used Sherwin Williams Ripe Olive eggshell on the powder room walls for a dark and sophisticated update. Wallpapering was out of our budget, so the dark wall color was the perfect alternative.
To save a little for our budget, we opted to not paint the ceiling, however if this room was in my own home, I would’ve painted it.
In order to keep costs down, we decided to source a pre-fabricated vanity cabinet. There are a variety of options available online, but I dug deeper and went to a local builder’s surplus warehouse where they sell pre-fab vanity cabinets in four different sizes and finishes. I picked a 42″ without a vanity top because I knew the chances were high that I could find a remnant in our fabricator’s yard that’d work perfectly for the space.
I worked to stay in budget by sourcing fixtures and accents that were timeless, and looked much more expensive than they actually were. Normally I’m not a gold hardware sort of gal, but upon seeing the space painted the olive green, I knew it a design must for the space.
Initially I planned to purchase a simple rectangular mirror, but came across this super affordable scalloped mirror and instantly hit purchase. Hung centered off the vanity, with the classic sconce style lighting above, it was exactly what I had in mind to up the sophistication of this powder bathroom.
Again, no physical changes to the footprint in this powder bathroom, simply aesthetic updates to bring it back to the present and functional for years to come.
Powder Bathroom Update Sources
Contractor: Advanced Living Environments
Paint: Ripe Olive by Sherwin Williams
Light fixture:
Mirror:
Vanity: Builder’s Surplus
Countertop: Calacatta Gold Porcelain
Knobs: Lowe’s
Faucet:
Towel Ring:
Toilet:
Flooring: Lucia Greige by Arizona Tile
Interested in more design posts? Check out our small laundry room makeover, featuring before and after shots of the space. There’s also a closet organization blog post where I overhaul and organize my small office closet!
