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Tiny Powder Room Reveal

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Turning a bedroom closet into a tiny powder room.

I shared the new closet reveal last week and today it’s time to share our brand new small powder room. I’m also sharing a video of the new powder room so make sure you check it out at the end of the post. 

bedroom closet with clothes hanging inside and shoe boxes on the shelf

Let’s take a quick look at where we started.

This is the closet that’s in our guest bedroom, which is not original to the house.

We’ve talked about adding a powder room to our cottage since we moved in and this closet seemed like a good spot.

It’s actually our largest closet and is right next to the only bathroom, the perfect spot to tie in the plumbing.

corner of bedroom closet with hat boxes and purses hanging

It took a while for us to plan everything but once we felt comfortable with our plans, we quickly got to work framing it out and wiring it. Check out the whole process of starting the powder room and building the DIY vanity.

new powder room framed out with wood

We added DIY shiplap to the walls and built a custom vanity. Most of the surfaces in this space were painted in my fave paint, Benjamin Moore White Dove, Advance, Satin, including the DIY shiplap, ceiling and barn door. Best. paint. ever!

shiplap walls and the start of the vanity build

Once the shiplap was up and painted, we had to build the vanity in place. Uneven floors, plus a tight space, meant we had to do it this way.

DIY powder room vanity before sink install


 

After the new powder room vanity was complete (and our new Moen faucet was installed), our work came to a standstill.

We needed to replace our 80 year old plumbing so that we could hook up the new toilet. We’d never tackled a project like that before so it took some time and a bit of research.

small powder room vanity, mirror and sconces with a striped towel on the vanity and yellow flowers in a glass vase

Once we tackled the plumbing though, we picked out a toilet and continued with the build. Picking the toilet for the new powder room was a job in itself. It had to be a certain size so it would fit in the space, and actually allow you to sit on it without smacking your head on the vanity.

toilet bracket in hole in hardwood floor

Woohoo!

I never thought I’d be so excited to see a toilet.

toilet in small powder room with shiplap walls

There isn’t a whole lot of space but it’s just enough….just.

looking in the doorway of tiny powder room

Our daughter came for a visit in December and used this space. She gave it 2 thumb’s up and said she had more than enough room. She still had to use our main bath to take a shower but that was it.

It feels like a real luxury having this extra space, even though it’s tiny.

sink and faucet in small powder room

I’m really loving our brand new space but can we talk about our new powder room door? I’ve been waiting 3 years to use this beautiful door. I’m so glad that I was able to use it here.

I found this door on it’s way to the curb when the hubs and I were taking a walk in our Illinois neighborhood. To say I was excited is an understatement, I may have even squealed.  After making sure that it was actually going out to the trash (it was), I ran home to get my car so we could haul it home. Hubs had the job of standing on the sidewalk, with his hand firmly grasping it, in case any door snatchers decided they wanted it.

frosted glass door on barn door for powder room

I’m happy to say that we got it home safely. It even made the trip to North Carolina, where it’s been waiting for its reincarnation.

mirrored closet door and powder room door

Let’s talk about using a door with a window in it for a bathroom.

I really wanted to use a door that had a window in it so you didn’t feel like you were in a small, dark box when the door was closed. The hubs made it a point to keep reminding me that a window wasn’t a great idea when you need privacy. Clearly, I didn’t listen.

I thought it would be ok because this space is in a bedroom so it’s a little more private. Plus there’s no traffic walking by while you’re using it. To add a sense of more privacy, and to make him happy, I used frosted glass spray paint. You can see the video I made when I was doing this project, here.

barn door and toilet in small powder room

I think the door with a glass window was definitely the right call. I’m loving the way it turned out.

Thanks so much for coming along on this journey. All the work we put into our new small powder room, and the closet, was well worth it. I never expected it to look this good.

Now we have to finish the guest bedroom. It’s never-ending.

Have you seen the new bedroom closet that we built next to the shiny, new powder room? You don’t want to miss it. We couldn’t leave the rest of the room in shambles so we performed a little guest bedroom makeover magic. 

(Make sure you check out the video!)

 

pin this for later graphicsink and vanity in powder room and door of powder room with graphic

 

 

 

 

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Comments

  2. Aerin

    How did you do the DIY shiplap? We have a teeny half bath that I’ve been trying to figure out the walls for and I think I like your idea best 🙂

    Reply

  3. Beth B

    Absolutely LOVE this space! And great call on the “door with a window” idea, can’t imagine being in the space without it. Everything turned out great and you’re truly inspiring. Can you tell me more about the pull you used on the door? I’m trying to find one with a large backplate like that to cover the holes in a repurposed door but am having no luck. Thanks!

    Reply

    • Kristi

      Thanks so much, Beth! I’m really thrilled with the way the space turned out, especially with the addition of the door. I found our pulls from a vendor on Etsy. I had some issues with them so I can’t really recommend them but there were others that can make handles and plates like ours. Hope that helps! Good luck with your search.

      Reply

  4. Jess

    I love this and am trying to do the same thing in my tiny hone in LA. Can you tell me what the denensions are? I am dealing with 31” x 58”. I think I might have to do a wall mounted toliet.

    Thanks,
    Jess

    Reply

    • Kristi

      Hi Jess! The dimensions of our powder room are roughly 70×30. It was just enough room for the toilet and a tiny vanity. I would say that if you can fit it, a wall mounted toilet may be your best choice. Hope it all works out for you. Thanks!

      Reply

  5. Kelly DeNiro

    did you ever mention where you got the toilet? We are looking into doing a small powder room like this and would love to know what toilet you ended up choosing.

    Reply

  6. Michelle Cotter

    That is so unbelievable! Every little thing is just perfect! I honestly would have never thought about turning a closet into a bathroom and am inspired to think outside the box in a much bigger way. I have been griping about how small my bathrooms are but if a closet can work I should be able to make mine a vision of loveliness too! But first, I have to get all the straw embedded in the paint scraped off…why, oh why did someone think that was pretty?

    Reply

    • Kristi

      Thanks so much Michelle, I really appreciate it! It’s definitely tiny but it does exactly what we need. There was a time that I could have never imagined having such a tiny space but, desperate times…desperate measures. Or something along those lines. 😉

      Straw embedded on a wall? Oh my! Wasn’t that an episode on Trading Spaces? 😉 Good luck with that!

      Reply

  7. Mike Todd

    The powder room looks fantastic. We are thinking about doing something similar but we don’t know if we have enough space. What are the inside dimensions of your finished powder room? Thanks.

    Reply

  13. Ilene

    I’m totally in awe of this project. I own a small (750sq.ft) beach cottage and would like to do the same thing. How wide was your space?? I have the length, but am unsure if a commode and vanity would fit in the width. The door application is truly inspired.
    Thanks for sharing! Ilene

    Reply

    • Kristi

      Thanks so much Ilene! The space is about 32″ wide. You need to consider the toilet size and check with your town’s codes. We were sweating it until the toilet was bolted in place. It’s definitely tight but there’s plenty of room to sit comfortably. Hope you’re able to fit one in your cottage.

      Reply

  17. Renea

    I have followed your blog for a long time but have never left a comment. I just love your decorating style. My husband and I relocated to a new area last summer. The house we purchased is in very good shape except for the 1970’s decor. lol We are having a great time updating a room at a time. Your blog has given me a lot of great ideas and I just wanted to thank you.

    Reply

    • Kristi

      Hi Renea! Thanks so much for stopping in to say hi and for your sweet comment. I love hearing about my readers home projects so I hope you stop back in and share what you’re working on from time to time. Best of luck with updating your house (it really is fun isn’t it?). Thanks so much for following along. 🙂

      Reply

  19. Julie

    What a great project! An excellent use of space. I am looking forward to seeing what you will do with the bedroom. A lot work went into this project and it shows. I love all of your choices and finishes.

    Reply

    • Kristi

      Thanks so much for your sweet comment Julie! We are thrilled with our new space!

      I’ll be glad when I figure out what I want to do with the bedroom. I’m just not sure how I want to use the space yet. 😉

      Reply

  20. jillian

    Very excellent job, the design is pretty and the building talents are impressive, as this looks like it was tricky. Someone has amazing patience. I bet you are thrilled to have this finished.

    Reply

    • Kristi

      We are thrilled that it’s finished. The bedroom is still a mess so I’ll be happy when it’s all done and looking put together. Thanks so much Jillian. I appreciate you following along. 🙂

      Reply

    • Kristi

      Awww, thanks so much for your sweet comment Tracy! I’m so happy that it’s finally done.

      Thanks for following along with us on this project and for checking out the reveal. 🙂

      Reply

  26. MaryJean

    It turned out great, Kristi! I wish I had a closet to use for a spare bathroom. The only closet that would be available is way too small. I do like the door idea. Your faucet in there is almost the same as my new one. I had to replace it after about 20 years because it was leaking. Thank goodness my son can do all that stuff. He had it and a J pipe that was leaking done in no time!

    Can’t wait to see what you do with the spare room!

    Reply

    • Kristi

      Thanks so much MJ! We are so happy with the way it turned out. If the previous homeowner hadn’t built that closet we wouldn’t have thought to do it. It just happened to be the right size (bigger would have been better but small, old house=small closets).

      Yay for kids! Glad your son was able to fix your plumbing and add a new faucet.

      Reply

  27. Pat M.

    I love what you and your husband have done with this space! The toilet is fine, but your vanity area is as pretty as any in a high end, large bathroom. I don’t have a problem with it – and I understand the logistics – but does your bathroom door have to be open in order to open the closet door? If not, I don’t know how that works. Regardless, it looks perfectly fine to me. Good job. You must walk in there several times just to admire both the closet and the bath. You guys are amazing.

    Reply

    • Kristi

      Thanks so much Pat! We’re really thrilled with our new space. I actually do walk in there, slide the doors and just look at it. Probably because it’s still so new. 🙂

      The bathroom door does have to be open in order to open the closet. We have it open all the time anyway so it’s not an issue (unless someone is using it). We also put a stop on the bottom of the closet door so it only goes in front of the bathroom opening a little bit. Hope that helps.

      Reply

  28. Debbie H

    It turned out beautiful. I have the chance to move closer to my son and am looking at a retirement park near him. The home I have an eye on has a tiny bathroom like this one. If I decide to buy it I will use your bath as inspiration. Going to watch the video. Have a great week.

    Reply

  29. Margaret Robinson

    I’ve been following this project from the beginning and have to say “Great Job!” This is wonderful and I’m sure it will get lots of use. That door is super and glad you thought to save it from the rubbish.

    Reply

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