These ten powder room upgrades will create a cozy space.
Hello, everyone. In yesterday’s post, we promised to share some additional ideas for your powder room. We have ten powder room upgrades for you today that we actually do in our own homes. They are simple to achieve and will make your space look more inviting and maybe help it get over the winter doldrums. (Please note that I had to use artificial light in this windowless room, and there is a glare on some of the photos.)
Art
Because most powder rooms are small and we aren’t in them very long, they are great places to be whimsical. What you might not put in another room can be put in there. For instance, have some fun with the art. I have three pictures hanging in our powder room, and they are all vintage. One is an advertisement from an old French magazine that I bought at a Paris flea market; one is a print that hung over my bed when I was a little girl; and one is a recent purchase from an antique mall in Charlotte. Two of the prints are women, and one is a man. They all have been professionally framed, and they complement each other. I love looking at them.
Wallpaper
Do you love wallpaper but are afraid to make the commitment? Using wallpaper is a big decision. However, since a powder room is so small, you will need fewer rolls. That means it will not be as expensive to purchase or as difficult and time-consuming to hang or have hung. Because of its size, a powder room is a great room to tackle. We have a bold navy wallpaper in our powder room, and I love it. Will I get tired of it someday? Probably, but I made sure that we sized the walls properly to make its removal much easier. I also selected a paper that is dry strippable. Also, we have white beadboard on the bottom portion of the walls in our powder room, so it did not require very many rolls at all. I bought our wallpaper here and it’s on sale. They have a huge selection.
Soap Dispenser
If you use liquid hand soap in your powder room, an easy upgrade is to buy a more flattering soap dispenser than the plastic bottle it came in. It is also fun to change the colors of the soap depending on the season we are in. Liquid soap, rather than a bar of soap, is a better choice in a powder room. Just like the hand towels, a guest might not want to use damp, wet soap that has been used by someone else. I like this glass dispenser(similar one here), but when the grandchildren come, I use a similar plastic one available here. (;
Pretty Towels
What is the condition of the hand towels in your powder room? Do they need to be replaced? Would you be embarrassed if a guest had to use them? Some new hand towels with or without a monogram is an easy upgrade for your powder room. Over the years I have collected a few vintage white hand towels, and we use them regularly in our powder room. We also have a stack of paper guest towels that I bought here. Sometimes people would rather use a fresh paper guest towel than dry their hands on a damp towel that someone else has used.
Rug
Rather than using a bathroom mat, your powder room deserves a pretty rug. Since the chances of it getting wet aren’t as great as they would be in a full bathroom why not select a rug that will add some personality to your room. Depending on your tastes, you might want to opt for a Ruggable. They come in lots of sizes and colors and can be washed when necessary. See my review of our Ruggable here. We have an oriental rug in our powder room that Mike brought back from a trip to China 40 years ago. It was when China had just opened up to tourism, and he purchased the rug for just a few dollars. I have always loved it, and we have used it in various spots in all of the homes we have lived in.
Trash Can
Be sure to have a trash can in your powder room. That’s another thing that can be whimsical and cute. I used an old wooden trash can that was left in our last house. I spray painted it, and Jordan made a monogram for it, and it looks pretty spiffy.
Plants
If your powder room has a window, then lucky you. You can put a small live plant on the top of your toilet tank, and add some life to the room. Unfortunately, we do not have a window, but I do have a little faux boxwood that I purchased I think at Ikea. It gives the feeling of a real plant without the task of keeping it alive.
Tissue Cover
Another simple upgrade for your powder room is a cover for the tissue box. Our tissues are on the top of our toilet tank, and I bought a simple navy cover for it. It would look even better with a monogram on it, but that hasn’t happened yet. I have this metal tissue cover that you can buy here. White covers are available here.
Nice Mirror
Unless you need storage behind your mirror, why not select one that is cute and kind of fun. I love this faux bamboo mirror that we found at Wayfair. There’s a similar one for sale here, It goes so well with the antique French towel rack I found on ebay.
Wrapped Toilet Paper
And the final and probably easiest upgrade is the wrapped toilet paper that we wrote about yesterday. Go to this post to see how we did it.
I hope you got some ideas for some simple powder room upgrades. If you have any to add to the list, please share them in the comments.
Take care.
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Wendy Johnson says
My bathroom needs a serious makeover but I like your suggestions because I can use them now to make it less depressing for me! Thank you
Janette says
Wendy, they are easy and not too pricey. Glad we could help!