Recently, I noticed that the pedestal sink in the powder room was wobbly, and after further investigation I realized it wasn’t connected to the wall! After calling the plumber we came to the unfortunate truth that the sink wasn’t connected to any studs in the wall, but was simply drilled into drywall. The plumber had to cut a hole in the wall, install wooden shims and replumb everything. In order to do so, he had to remove a section of the wallpaper. Since this wallpaper is five years old, it isn’t produced anymore and I don’t have any leftover, so….surprise! We’re making over the powder room.
This is a little bittersweet, simply because this is the first room I flipped after buying this house and my mom and I did it together. Actually it was the day after I signed the house – I just couldn’t wait. I found this gorgeous wallpaper by Graham & Brown that had a little bit of sparkle in it. I love the concept of making a small powder room dark and moody, and this wallpaper was just the ticket!
Above: original powder room | Below: my 1st renovation after closing on this house. I was so proud of it!
Since the pedestal sink is propped up in a corner of my dining room, and I have a giant hole in the wall, I’m highly motivated to get moving on a new design concept. The plumbers can’t come back until I’ve patched the hole and have uninstalled the old wallpaper and re-installed the new wallpaper, so it’s time to get moving!
Moodboards
I’ve put together a handful of moodboards to start visualizing the next phase of this room, and it’s definitely starting to excite and energize me about the impending change. I’ve had a couple wallpapers bookmarked for a while now, so I’m hoping this might be the right spot for them. I’m a firm believer in ordering wallpaper samples and creating moodboards to get the design out of your head and onto paper. Here are my top 3 contenders.
Moodboard #1:
I’ve been eyeing Sandberg’s Kvitten wallpaper in midnight blue for a while now, and have been trying to find the perfect place in my home to integrate it. I love the muted green color in the leaves and think Benjamin Moore’s Oil Cloth would be the perfect accent color for the trim, door and ceiling. I’d add a double light sconce with round milk glass globes to play off the circular shape of the lemons. Adding a wooden framed mirror will help break up the brass between the faucet and light fixture.
Sources: Sandberg Kvitten Wallpaper (Midnight Blue) | Oslo Mirror | Reagan Milk Double Globe Sconce | Paint: Oil Cloth by Benjamin Moore
Moodboard #2:
In such a small space I love the idea of a larger print, as it won’t be an overpowering experience when the door is shut. This beautiful wallpaper by Woodchip & Magnolia checks all the boxes and I’m excited about all of the color way options I could pull out for trim. I have a pint of this pretty smoky pink (Shiny Kettle by Behr) that I never used, and I think I can pull out the right tone of pink from this print to match. The bumblebee vanity sconce from Anthropologie would make so much sense given the flowers in the wallpaper and I think it’s such a fun light fixture in general. I’d again break up the brass light fixture and faucet with a walnut mirror in between.
Sources: Ava Marika Wallpaper | Ophelia & Co Mirror | Bumblebee Vanity Sconce | Shiny Kettle by Behr
Moodboard #3:
This is such a beautiful pallet of muted greens and I love the concept of a mural in this small space. I’ve been trying to work green into my house and this would be such a wonderful solution. Since I plan to install the wallpaper myself for this project, I love the idea of using panels that already line up, which would avoid measuring for the pattern repeat and eliminate some user error. I would anchor the room by pulling out a darker green from the pattern, and I think Farrow & Ball’s Green Smoke would be the perfect pairing. Adding a double sconce with a black shade will bring some elegance into the space and will allow for a black oval mirror as a neutral element.
Sources: House of Hackney Plantasia Wallpaper in Sage | Berkshire Double Sconce | Rapido Black Matte Wall Mirror |Green Smoke by Farrow & Ball
Out of this group of three, I think I have “the one”…but maybe with a couple tweaks. While I wasn’t initially thrilled about the unexpected renovation, I’ve decided to embrace it and am excited to see the evolution of this tiny space. Drop a comment below and let me know which option is your favorite, and stay tuned for the progress report + full reveal.
#2
Thank you! Stay tuned for the final decision coming soon!