One Room Challenge Week 6: The Powder Bath REVEAL!

Six weeks have flown by I am beyond excited to finally show you my first completed One Room Challenge, which is also the first room that we have ‘finished’ so far in our new home! Note: finished is a relative term around here…

I’ve learned so much these past few weeks, including how to do some things I never thought I could do! Like installing wallpaper by myself, finding websites like www.sydneyhomecentre.com.au from where I can source affordable renovation materials, or working with a stone cutter to design my own sink. It definitely took me out of my comfort zone, in a good way. Overall I feel much more confident in my abilities, and I’m excited to continue making over more rooms in my house!

So before we get to the reveal, let’s take a quick peek at the before:

Now I know there wasn’t anything inherently wrong with the original bathroom. It just didn’t have my personal stamp or the ‘wow’ factor (that the expert remodelers like the ones at https://wilmingtonremodelers.com/ can offer). Honestly speaking, I dearly craved that for my powder bath. Though it was a secret wish that I had kept hidden in one corner of my heart for a long period, I felt that this was a perfect time to get what I desired. But the problem is that my bathroom is tiny and designing it as a minimalistically appealing space was a bit challenging for me. But then, it suddenly occurred to me that it would be fun to make it really bold and playful. I think the hand-painted Mitchell Black wallpaper accomplished that task very nicely. We were not looking for a massive renovation, we just wanted to change a few things as you can see, however, we are not completely ruling that out just yet as in the future we may want to check out a bathroom renovator service to see what they could do with the available space.

The after:

The next biggest change we did was the install the custom sink. We swapped out the old pedestal sink for a vintage looking brass vanity. For the sink, I went to a local granite yard and searched through tons of remnants until I fell in love with this piece of quartzite. I worked with the team to express my vision for the sink, and they made it happen. Tip: don’t be scared to ask the professionals how to do things, in my experience experts LOVE talking about what they know best. Also, when they offer installation, do it. This sink needed to be sent back because of improper measurements (cough) and the backsplash was redone to accommodate for a small gap between the sink and wall. Since they were doing the installing, they did all of this without any extra charge. I honestly don’t know what we would have done if we tried to do this ourselves.

My favorite part of quartzite is that it has gorgeous veining like marble, but it is much more durable. (Side note, I also learned quartzite stone, despite the similar name, isn’t related to the very popular quartz, which is a man-made material).

Keeping function in mind, I really wanted to add something to store toilet paper, garbage bags, and extra hand soap and towels. My original plan was to put the trunk under the sink. Unfortunately, the one I found that I bought without measuring didn’t fit under the sink because of the new plumbing. That’s not to say I regret having the plumbing done, mind you. It’s always best to keep plumbing up-to-date and well maintained which is why you should reach out to professionals in your area (you can find Plumbing repair Santa Monica if that’s where you’re located) if you ever notice problems such as leaks or low pressure. By the time I realized that, I had lost the receipt because, well, I always lose receipts. Anyway, then I thought I’d just ditch the trunk and buy a cabinet, which turned out to be quite a difficult task. After searching high and low for the perfect small-but-not-too-small cabinet, I gave up. So I revisted using the trunk after all. The bathroom is a long and narrow space, so breaking it up with the trunk did not crowd the room at all. Plus it gave me a place to add a little greenery. (I need some green in every room, even if it is faux eucalyptus because this room gets zero natural light). I had wanted to put flowers in a vase, but in this house with kids using this room constantly, I needed a plant that could get knocked over and withstand a bit of bruising without breaking.

For lighting I wanted to keep the black, white, and brass color palette and also give a touch of an industrial vibe. The mirror, which is probably my favorite piece, is a vintage find that I have owned for almost a decade. For years I couldn’t decide where to put it, and it is so heavy I was hesitant to hang it. There it stayed in our basement storage gathering dust, and I even considered selling or donating it before we moved, but thankfully I didn’t!

Lastly, the art that inspired it all is up on the walls. They are photographs I bought from Gamal Sabla, a street artist I met in New Orleans. I loved how the photos are filled with bright color and unique scenes from the city.

Now that I’m done with this powder bath, I am already excited to get started on my next project, my attic walk-in-closet makeover. Follow me on instagram @zahra_sandberg and check out my ‘home’ highlights to see what I’ve done so far!

Powder Bathroom Source List: