Double Take - Powder Room Makeover

This past Spring I decided that it was time to make some changes to our powder room.  I wanted a real change, but did not want to break the bank making it.  So, I had to make some decisions about what I wanted to splurge on and where I needed to find some affordable options.

As you can see from this before shot, the room has no  real character.  There are no windows and it is very small, even for a powder room.  The only real thing it has going for it are the high ceilings.  

Here is the before.

The door to the powder room is to the left in this photograph, and the toilet (or "potty" as we like to say here at the Smith T house) is opposite the vanity.  In fact, I struggled to take this picture without sitting down on it! 

And yes, this space is just this tiny in person.  

So, you get the layout right?

Well, I  thought about what I wanted to splurge on (even with a small budget).  I first did some research into the perfect antique chest to convert into a vanity and the perfect thick slab of limestone to put on top of the vanity, but the price was not perfect.  It was prohibitive.  

So, I decided to invest a little money into wallpaper instead.  It was still a splurge, but not as expensive as a new vanity.  

Here is the after. 

(Please remember I am no photographer!  And because the lighting it so bad, the wallpaper is coming off very yellow in these pictures.  It is really more of a creamy white with a coppery gold metallic pattern.  I tried to use the flash but the mirror did not like it.)

 I decided to skirt the pedestal sink in this woven linen fabric. I still need to iron out the wrinkles, but you at least get the idea. 

This is a shot as you walk into the bathroom (vanity to your left and potty to your right).  I plan to hang a series of framed intaglios (I picked these up on Ebay for a real deal, if you recall from a recent post I did) above the small table.  This will break up the large wall and add some interest as you walk into the space.   

Here's a closer look at the trim detail on the skirted pedestal.  Note to self: never ever try to sew on self stick velcro.  It will ruin a sewing machine needle in about three seconds.  Instead, use sew on velcro on the fabric piece and stick on for the porcelain side.  

I will have to wait a while to have my intaglios framed (the budget is gone!), but once I do this and hang them, I will repost the final look of the space.  

This will be my last post this week.  Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.  

We all have much to be thankful for in our lives.  I hope you take some time this holiday season to count your blessings too!  I will be back next week.  See you then  M.

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Double Take - Square Coffee Table

This past Spring, my Mother was freshening up their beach place and somehow I ended up with this coffee table [it had a smoky glass top which shattered on the way to the car - oops].

  She said, "Maybe you could use it in an empty staging project." Well, at first I thought, "Not in this lifetime!" Then I thought, "The 1980's called and want their coffee table back."  But as the table sat in our garage, I began to appreciate the lines of the piece and came up with a solution to repurpose it.  So, here is the after (it now lives in our family room).

Needless to say, my Mom wants it back now! 

[BTW, yes that is a very large TV in a very large black hole above our fireplace, and yes, it is on the list!!  When I get the green light from the hubs to remodel that area, I will post pictures!]  

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