This Tiny 3x5 Bathroom Went from Blah to Bold

Sarah Everett
·4 min read
Small bathroom with a white toilet and a compact sink, light-colored walls, and wooden flooring.
This powder room was “just plain and boring and painted a gross beige color,” the homeowner says. Credit: Allison Vanek Credit: Allison Vanek
Narrow bathroom featuring a modern toilet, small sink, and light-colored walls.
It was the first room the homeowners wanted to redo in their house. Credit: Allison Vanek Credit: Allison Vanek
Small bathroom with pink wainscoting, floral wallpaper, a cat portrait, and a modern sink with a mirror.
The paint color is Behr’s Ballet Rose, and the wallpaper is from The Home Depot. Credit: Allison Vanek Credit: Allison Vanek
A whimsical cat portrait wearing glasses and a black hoodie on floral wallpaper, with a pink wall and decorative shelves.
A whimsical cat portrait wearing glasses and a chain hangs on floral wallpaper, with a pink wainscoting and a mirror reflecting the scene.
The white corner shelves — already owned by the DIYers — were a last-minute addition. Credit: Allison Vanek Credit: Allison Vanek
Narrow bathroom with floral wallpaper, pink wainscoting, a white sink, and a mirror. A door with a black handle is visible.
“The mirror was also something we already had that wasn’t being used anywhere else in the house,” the DIYer says. Credit: Allison Vanek Credit: Allison Vanek

ABOUT THIS BEFORE & AFTER

HOME TYPE: House

PROJECT TYPE: Bathroom

STYLE: Coastal, Maximalist

SKILL LEVEL: DIY

RENTAL FRIENDLY: No

If you’ve got multiple room transformations to tackle in your home, a small-ish powder room might be a good place to start because you can check it off the list quickly. Allison and her wife, Jules, plan to renovate every room in their 1930s home, but they started with this 15-square-foot bathroom because they could knock it out over a three-day weekend.

Although the home was built in the 1930s, this bathroom was actually giving builder-grade 2010s; it was an addition to the home about 11 years ago. “It was just plain and boring and painted a gross beige color,” Allison says.

Narrow bathroom featuring a modern toilet, small sink, and light-colored walls.
Credit: Allison Vanek Credit: Allison Vanek
Small bathroom with pink wainscoting, floral wallpaper, a cat portrait, and a modern sink with a mirror.
Credit: Allison Vanek Credit: Allison Vanek

Black hardware pops against the pink.

The first step in the bathroom makeover was replacing the hardware. “I really think that the black matte hardware stands out so nicely against the pink,” Allison says. “They really make a difference rather than if we had just kept the chrome.”

She and Jules selected a hardware set from The Home Depot.

Narrow bathroom with floral wallpaper, pink wainscoting, a white sink, and a mirror. A door with a black handle is visible.
Credit: Allison Vanek Credit: Allison Vanek

Wallpaper is the star of the show.

After adding new hardware, Allison and Jules added the wallpaper — which took a lot longer than expected. “I think this is because it was a new experience for us,” Allison says, not to mention that the intricate pattern required cutting and lining up perfectly.

Although the couple loves the floral peel-and-stick wallpaper they chose for the bathroom, they said they might slow their roll (pun intended) on wallpapering other rooms in the house just because it was such a labor of love.

“We know better how to do it, we’re just not so sure we want to!” Allison says. “But we also learned how to use our new table saw and work table, and how to cut and attach trim, and we think we’re going to do that for many more projects in this house, because it really does elevate the look a lot.”

A whimsical cat portrait wearing glasses and a black hoodie on floral wallpaper, with a pink wall and decorative shelves.
Credit: Allison Vanek Credit: Allison Vanek
A whimsical cat portrait wearing glasses and a chain hangs on floral wallpaper, with a pink wainscoting and a mirror reflecting the scene.
Credit: Allison Vanek Credit: Allison Vanek

Pink paint completes the bathroom.

Allison and Jules used a new saw (gifted by friends) to cut new trim for the bathroom, and they painted it pink (Behr’s Ballet Rose) along with the lower half of the walls. “The paint was color-matched to the wallpaper, and that’s what matched best!” Allison says.

“I painted the walls while my wife painted the trim,” she adds. “And then we attached the trim, touched up the paint, and lastly put all the hardware back on, plus the art, mirror, and shelves. The white corner shelves were a last-minute addition we hadn’t planned on, but we think they really add to the space.”

The artwork was actually used by Allison and Jules’ real estate agent as a staging piece. “We loved it so much we asked to keep it!” Allison says. “The mirror was also something we already had that wasn’t being used anywhere else in the house.” In total, the project cost about $300.

“It’s a powder room, so the door is always closed, but every time I open it, it just WOWs,” Allison says. “Like I actually get a big, goofy grin on my face every time I use that bathroom now.”

Inspired? Submit your own project here.

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