How to Modernize a Powder Room
Giving your powder room a facelift can be a cost-effective weekend project that makes your home more enjoyable to live in.
By making a few small, simple changes, you can completely change the feel of your space and customize it to match your style. Like many home renovation projects, modernizing a powder room can also add value to your home and make it more desirable to buyers.
Keeping reading to learn our tips on how to modernize a powder room and fall in love with your space again.
Powder rooms are a great use of space in any home. When styled correctly, they offer a pleasant area for guests to freshen up during visits.
With a modernized powder room, you can add as much as 10% to the value of your home (source), usually for a lower cost compared with installing a new bathroom.
Refreshing a powder room doesn’t have to be a costly home improvement project. Simple changes can make a big difference to the overall feel of the space.
From adding new mirrors to refreshing the baseboards, here are our top 10 favorite ways to modernize a powder room.
1. Paint the Walls
One of the easiest ways to modernize a powder room is with a fresh coat of paint. Most people keep powder rooms a neutral color, like white, gray, beige, or a pastel color. Lighter wall tones pair well with white ceramic bathtubs, basins, and toilets. Softer blues, greens, and yellows are also popular for bathroom walls to create a slightly bolder look.
2. Add Wallpaper
Add depth and unique style to your powder room with a lightly patterned wallpaper that suits your wall palette. Installing wallpaper in a bathroom is best reserved for one wall as a feature, rather than the entire suite. Choose a wall with a mirror, basin, or behind the pan for the best aesthetics. When choosing the best wallpaper for a bathroom, make sure it’s splash-proof and water-resistant to prevent peeling.
3. Swap Out Hardware
Switching up your hardware can completely change the vibe of your powder room with minimal effort and a low cost. When changing hardware, choose similar colors and styles to create the best effect. For example, if changing sink faucets from chrome to brass, choose brass drawer pulls to match. Or, if changing a tap from a modern to a traditional design, choose drawer handles and light pull cords to match.
4. Design an Accent Wall
Accent walls draw the eye and can make your powder room look bigger than it is. Customizing one wall in your suite can breathe new life into the space without a huge investment. Some of the best accent walls involve installing wall paneling, wallpaper, a bold paint color, or decorations to one wall in a powder room.
5. Change the Art
Artwork can transform a powder room from drab to fab. Installing a large picture frame with botanicals, landscapes, abstract art, figurative, nude art, or playful slogans all complement bathrooms well. Choose a white frame for lighter bathrooms and opt for a medium to large-sized photo to make a statement.
6. Add a New Mirror
Adding a new mirror or switching an existing mirror is a quick, easy, and often affordable way to make your powder room appear brighter, larger, and more open. Install smaller mirrors on an accent wall to create an artistic aesthetic and larger mirrors above basins or on blank walls for a more practical benefit. The best types of mirrors for bathrooms include circular, rectangular, geometric, and backlit.
7. Adjust the Decorations
Another great way to give your powder room a DIY facelift is to swap (or add) decorations and opt for a different color scheme or style. Bathroom accessories are best installed on the sink, behind the toilet, on a floating shelf, or on the walls. The addition of plants, ornaments, photos, decorative towels, or new accessories (like soap dispensers, dishes, and toothbrush holders) can make a big difference.
8. Replace the Countertop
Some powder rooms with single or double sinks have a surrounding countertop that can be replaced and refreshed. Some of the best materials for bathroom countertops include granite, marble, quartz, or tiles. Depending on the style you choose, a new vanity countertop can cost between $100-$2,100. Being a cheaper option compared with replacing the entire vanity, it’s another quick and affordable DIY that can help modernize your powder room.
9. Evaluate Baseboards
While baseboards don’t often draw much eye attention, they can bring down the aesthetic of your bathroom if in poor condition. Replacing these for newer installments can make your powder room look fresher, cleaner, and more modern. Depending on the style you choose, new baseboards can cost between $500-$1,300 to replace.
10. Refresh the Grout or Molding
Similarly to baseboards, grout and molding in poor condition can drastically change how pleasant your powder room looks. It can even decrease the value of a suite when reselling. Renewing the grouting is a simple DIY home improvement project that can be done on a weekend. White is the most popular choice for bathrooms, but you can choose any color grout, from earthy shades to bold block colors.
How to Plan a Powder Room Facelift
In home renovation terms, a “facelift” is the least invasive type of home improvement. Since you’re only changing the things you can see when giving a room a facelift, it’s also the least expensive option.
Such projects usually take between a couple of hours to one weekend. Being simple DIY projects that involve no plumbing or electrical changes, they can be completed by anyone, regardless of your experience level.
Before you begin a DIY powder room facelift, it’s essential to follow the same steps you would for a more extensive home renovation. Keep reading to learn our tips on how to plan a small home improvement refresh.
1. Budget the Project
It’s easy to start a DIY project without a budget, especially when the project is as small as modernizing a powder room. However, taking time to sketch out a basic budget can save you trouble down the road and ensure you don’t overspend.
Remember, budgets for DIY don’t need to be professional and itemized. They just need to capture the main ideas and how much money you can allocate to each.
1. Agree to a Plan
While you don’t need to follow the same planning steps for home remodels when simply refreshing a space, it’s important to create a loose plan. If you have a partner or other household members, it’s a good idea to brainstorm a collective vision so you’re all in agreement.
Jotting down a couple of bullet points or sketching an outline for everyone to review can save time later and ensure everyone is happy with the result.
2. Order the Supplies
Once you have a budget and a plan, it’s time to order supplies. Some items, like cabinet handles or paint, are usually in stock. However, for your home improvement project, other elements, like tile or wallpaper, may require a few weeks.
Ordering supplies helps you finalize your vision for the powder room. Additionally, only ordering what you need enables you to stay on budget.
3. Schedule Your DIY Project
Once you know how long it will take to get supplies, you can schedule a time to complete your DIY home improvement. The schedule doesn’t need to be in-depth, but you should at least pick a date and time that suits your family’s plans.
Remember, DIY home improvement projects like giving your powder room a facelift may take longer than you think. It’s always best to plan too much time rather than too little.
Summary
Refreshing your powder room is a fast, fun, and affordable way to make your guest half-bath a more pleasant space to be in. The most important thing to remember is to plan the project properly before starting.
While you don’t need to plan in the same way you would a home remodel project, having a loose idea of what you want to achieve, how much you want to spend, and how much time you have/will need can make things significantly easier.
Want more home improvement tips? Learn more about planning a remodel or refreshing your home on our blog.
Or get in touch with our friendly team at Candid Home Design to plan your remodel project today.
