• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Blog
  • Reno Projects: House by House
    • Colonial Revival Cottage Reno (our current home)
    • Old House Reno (our last home)
    • Coastal Cottage in Maine
    • Aaron and Melissa’s 1970 Redo
    • Condo Renovation (a client’s home)
  • Details
    • Before & After
    • Holiday & Seasonal Decorating
    • Gardens
    • Details about House Parts
      • Interior Windows
      • Mantels
      • Details on Creating Tablescapes, Vignettes and Hanging Pictures
      • Lighting and Lamps
      • Closets and Storage
      • Furniture, Antiques & Accessories
    • Chalkboard Art and Hand Lettering Projects
    • Travel to Inspiring Places
  • DIY, Tutorials & Tips
  • My Favorite Shopping Links
  • e-Decorating Consultation
  • Blog
  • Reno Projects: House by House
    • Colonial Revival Cottage Reno (our current home)
    • Old House Reno (our last home)
    • Coastal Cottage in Maine
    • Aaron and Melissa’s 1970 Redo
    • Condo Renovation (a client’s home)
  • Details
    • Before & After
    • Holiday & Seasonal Decorating
    • Gardens
    • Details about House Parts
      • Interior Windows
      • Mantels
      • Details on Creating Tablescapes, Vignettes and Hanging Pictures
      • Lighting and Lamps
      • Closets and Storage
      • Furniture, Antiques & Accessories
    • Chalkboard Art and Hand Lettering Projects
    • Travel to Inspiring Places
  • DIY, Tutorials & Tips
  • My Favorite Shopping Links
  • e-Decorating Consultation

Powder Room Renovation

March 2, 2015

After we first bought our 100 year old house and started to renovate it a little over a year ago, it had a very spacious powder room on the main floor, but everything about that powder room was a problem! I designed a new floor plan to actually make the powder room smaller in order to make it much more efficient and function so much better!

title page

Take a look at the original floor plan:

HometoCottage.com old powder room floorplanBesides the huge waste of space and hideous 1970 junky fixtures and cracked up tile floor, notice the ridiculous floor plan? With all this space for a powder room, for some reason when it was put in, obviously in the 70’s, they placed the vanity sink directly in front of the toilet, making it impossible to actually sit straight on the toilet, instead you would need to swing your legs off to the side.  Also, when the door swung in, (just barely missing the corner of the vanity) it blocked the window and the flow of natural light from it.

Since I’m showing you how it was before, even though I don’t have a good before picture of the whole bathroom,

HometoCottage.com powder room during renovations

this is the doorway from the kitchen into the powder room during renovations. The toilet and sink are just to the right of that DeWalt radio. (I can’t wait to show you the before and after of the kitchen, here you can get a glimpse of it before)

Although the doorway to the bathroom was trimmed in 1970’s ranch style, (the hollow core door to match it has already been taken off by the time this pic was taken) we were fortunate that some of the original base trim was left intact in the powder room area. During the renovation we had enough to re-use in the pantry area but had to make new trim, in a much simpler style, for the powder room.

So here’s the new floor plan for the powder room:

HometoCottage.com new powder room floorplanWe didn’t remove any walls, instead, we built an additional wall, dividing the original room into 2 rooms, this cut the powder room size down from over 8′ long to only about 5′ long.

Now the door to the powder room, a lovely solid 2-panel door, original to the house and leftover from the upstairs bathroom renovation… (I’m excited to show you all these rooms, but first things first…) is placed in the new wall dividing the powder room from the pantry area.

By splitting up the long single room, we gained a pantry space. (which I’ll show you later too!)

This 100 year old house had really old plumbing that was in terrible condition. During our renovation, we ripped it all completely out, including this room, so even though the toilet looks to be in the same spot, it is completely new plumbing and after joist and floor repair from the old toilet leaking so many years, the new toilet placement isn’t exactly in the same spot. The new toilet is a bit more in the corner than the old one.

As for the new sink placement, it obviously made so much more sense to have it now next to the toilet, instead of in front of it. We just had to find a very small sink so that it would meet code with its mandatory distance from the center of the toilet bowl.

Another big bonus with this new floor plan is that the bathroom door isn’t directly off the kitchen. Now, the pantry space is a bit of a buffer between the actual kitchen and the powder room. Plus, the window is no longer blocked by the door, now it can flood the pantry area with natural light and even bring light into the kitchen.

HometoCottage.com New Powder Room

For the new powder room, I order the Kohler toilet from Home Depot. My selection was narrowed by 2 main things: the style needed to be classic and it had to have a good ‘flush rating’. (Yep, they actually rate flush-ability!) I’m a designer with a die-hard belief in the motto ‘Form Follows Function’. The bathroom is one room that you want to be sure it functions well, right?!

 

HometoCottage.com Home Depot marble tile floor

The floor in the powder room area was originally wood, under layers of tile, but because the toilet leaked for so many years, enough of it was ruined that it just wasn’t worth it to repair. I was thrilled with this marble mosaic tile floor we got at Home Depot for a very suitable replacement. It totally matches the classic style of our 100 year old house. I chose a light colored grout to softly blend with the Carrara marble and not have too much contrast, just letting the black accent pieces be the contrast. (everywhere throughout the house we needed tile, I selected different styles of Carrara marble… here’s the selection I chose for the front entry)

I found this cute vintage metal basket at a fun shop in our area. It’s perfect for toilet paper storage. That’s one thing with a pedestal sink, you don’t have that extra storage space like with a standard vanity, so you need to be a bit creative.

HometoCottage.com Petite Pedestal Sink

And here is that pedestal sink. In order to pull of my new floor plan for this powder room and still meet code,  I had to have a small sink. (it had to be so many inches away from the center of the toilet bowl)  This 1920 styled pedestal sink, I ordered from Home Depot, totally fits the bill and the room, at only about 19″ wide! Plus, it has the classic styling I was determined to incorporate into our antique house.

HometoCottage.com Rejuvenations light

Over the sink we put in a reproduction light fixture, again playing off the classic style of our house. This ceramic light with its milk glass shade is from Rejuvenations, and it looks exactly like it is a vintage light.

The wallpaper is vintage wallpaper I found on Ebay. It’s so cute, but what a bear to install! I purposely only put the wallpaper on the top third of the walls. Hopefully, by being so high it will be protected from little fingers, water splashes and last much longer, as it has no vinyl coating to protect it, like modern wallpaper.

HometoCottage.com vanity mirror

The simple little vanity mirror or medicine cabinet, I found on Craigslist. I painted it black, covering the baby pink it had been painted before I bought it.  I have some Dutch heritage, so it’s fun to have some vintage windmills decorating this room, like the milk glass salt and pepper shakers… who says that has to only be in the kitchen for decoration!

HometoCottage.com Pottery Barn toilet paper holder

The toilet paper holder and hand towel holder are both from the same line at Pottery Barn. I love the simple but classic style.

HometoCottage.com Pottery Barn hand towel holder

For the fixtures, including the faucet, hand towel holder and t.p. holder I selected chrome finish. Again, I just think it’s classic and in our former house master bathroom, I had dark oil rubbed bronze so I wanted a change.

I am thrilled to have a bathroom on the main level of our 100 year old house. It is so convenient to not have to traipse upstairs or send your guests upstairs every time someone has to ‘go’.

Shop this room! I put together the links for most of the items in this powder room. If a certain style is no longer available, I put in a close 2nd option for you.

Kohler Memoirs Toilet, 1920 Pedestal Sink, Delta ‘Dryden’ Sink Faucet, Rejuvenation Ceramic Reproduction Light Fixture ‘Rufus’, Pottery Barn ‘Mercer’ Hand Towel Holder, Pottery Barn ‘Mercer’ Toilet Paper Holder, Home Depot Marble Mosaic Tile Floor, Ebay Vintage Wallpaper Options

Thanks so much for stopping by! Please feel free to follow and share this blog with your friends, as well as on Facebook, Pinterest, Flipboard, Bloglovin, YouTube and now Instagram!  I appreciate you reading along.

Want to read even more?

Click here to see all the renovation projects in our 100 year old house I’ve written about so far.

Click here to see all the posts I’ve written about the bathrooms in our former house.

This post is linked at these other sites: Skip to My Lou, I Should Be Mopping, Uncommon Designs, Under the Table and Dreaming, It’s Overflowing, DIY Showoff, Between Naps on the Porch, Thrifty Decor Chick, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, StoneGable, A Stroll Thru Life, Coastal Charm, Home Stories A to Z, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Tip Junkie, Savvy Southern Style, DIY by Design, From My Front Porch to Yours, The Charm of Home, French Country Cottage, My Repurposed Life, Design, Dining & Diapers, The Handmade Hangout, Chic on a Shoestring, Serenity Now, The Shabby Nest, Funky Junk Interiors, The Girl Creative

Share this:

  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Liz says

    March 1, 2017 at 10:34 am

    thanks

    Reply
  2. Sherry says

    March 11, 2015 at 8:07 pm

    Looks great! Thanks for sharing at HSH!

    Reply
  3. Jan says

    March 8, 2015 at 12:43 pm

    Hi, I’m visiting for the first time from The Shabby Nest’s Frugal Friday, where you posted. Wow – what a lot of work! I’ve been binge-viewing episodes of The Property Brothers the past few days and have seen a couple of powder room and/or bathrooms right off one’s kitchen. Yikes. Of course plumbing wise, especially in old houses where we all know things were jerry-rigged during ensuing years of living, having a bathroom near the kitchen plumbing made sense, but to our modern esthetic it’s an “eeeuuuuwwww” factor for sure, LOL! I am impressed by your solution and the clever addition of a pantry area that provides additional storage space while also providing a privacy shield (and totally eliminating the “eeeeuuuuwwww” factor from having the toilet area open directly into the kitchen area) in your powder room re-design. I also appreciate all the source information you’ve provided — thank you! I especially love the powder room floor, it is just simply beautiful. So perfect, and spot-on period wise. My only question is whether you considered using a pocket door installation kit with the door you re-used rather than going with the traditional swing-into the room door installation.

    Reply
    • LIz says

      March 9, 2015 at 8:04 am

      Hi Jan, Yes, we could have done a pocketdoor, except we needed that wall to run electric wires in as well as be able to use the studs for support for the pantry shelves. A pocket door frame limits that. Oh, and there wasn’t enough wall space for the door to slide all the way open either. 😉 Thanks for reading, Liz

      Reply
  4. angie says

    March 3, 2015 at 6:31 pm

    love the beauty that you shared. We will be doing this soon and always looking for ideas thanks for sharing come see us at http://shopannies.blogspot.com

    Reply
  5. Kelly says

    March 2, 2015 at 6:46 pm

    Lovely!

    Reply
  6. Donnamae says

    March 2, 2015 at 8:08 am

    I really like how you redesigned the bath….especially adding the pantry! And that floor….totally in style for a 100 year old home! It’s all in the details…and that cabinet is great! Great job Liz! 😉

    Reply
    • LIz says

      March 2, 2015 at 8:29 am

      Thanks so much Donna!

      Reply
  7. Pondside says

    March 2, 2015 at 8:05 am

    There’s lots to like in this powder room, but I love the wall colour and the floor tile. It’s a lovely little room now!

    Reply
    • LIz says

      March 2, 2015 at 8:08 am

      Thank you so much.

      Reply

Share Your Thoughts Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Our Whole House Renovation: Mid-Century into Colonial Revival Cottage Style

SimpleDecoratingTips.com How to tips Window Well Installation
Before and After Living Room Renovation
Simple DIY Curtain
Re-Thinking the Living Room Furniture Plan
SimpleDecoratingTips.com we had to cut down 13 trees
SimpleDecoratingTips.com
SimpleDecoratingTips.com Surface Mounted Suspended Ceiling
Front Entry Portiere
SimpleDecoratingTips.com Basement Apartment Bathroom Renovation Done
Vintage Window Awning Redo SimpleDecoratingTips.com
Tiling the 2nd bath floor
SimpleDecoratingTips.com Luxury Vinyl Planks
SimpleDecoratingTips.com Adding a Front Porch
SimpleDecoratingTips.com Cedar Closet Lining
SimpleDecoratingTips.com Door & Window Decisions
Main Floor Completion Celebration Giveaway SimpleDecoratingTips.com
Wall Mounted Pot Rack
SimpleDecoratingTips.com How I Made Curtains without a Sewing Machine
how to install a vintage ceiling light fixture simpledecoratingtips.com
Repurposing Vintage Screen Door
Fireplace Renovation SimpleDecoratingTips.com
Creating a Built-In Faux Fireplace
How to Install an Interior Storm Window SimpleDecoratingTips.com
SimpleDecoratingTips.com Renovating Update Post
Antique Inspired Kitchen Island
SimpleDecoratingTips.com Renovating a Whole House is a Lot
Dining Room Progress SimpleDecoratingTips.com
SimpleDecoratingTips.com Basement Apartment Progress
SimpleDecoratingTips.com Progress Report on our Whole House Renovation
Before and After Front Entry Renovation SimpleDecoratingTips.com
SimpleDecoratingTips.com How to Change a Door Lock
Incorporating Vintage & New Light Fixtures SimpleDecoratingTips.com
Hang a Group of Pictures with even spacing SimpleDecoratingTips.com
SimpleDecoratingTips.com From a Tub to a Shower
front porch addition mostly done SimpleDecoratingTips.com
hall closet into library simpledecoratingtips.com
SimpleDecoratingTips.com Repurposing Cabinets
SimpleDecoratingTips.com Renovating the Basement Apartment

Footer

Shop Decor Steals

AntiqueFarmHouse

Have you noticed this site is faster?! It’s because I switched to SiteGround!!

Web Hosting

Disclosure Policy: According to FTC guidelines, I want you to be aware that some of the content of this blog may be a source of income and therefore may be used to promote products, services, or other businesses. I will only choose to promote products/services/businesses that I feel will be beneficial to my readers. While I hope to generate a small profit for my time and effort to create this blog, I hold myself to the highest standard of integrity. I appreciate my readers, and make it my goal to deliver quality, honest material on this blog through each post. Thanks for reading along, Liz

Copyright

Sharing is great! Please feel free to share this blog with your friends, as well as on Facebook and Pinterest and Flipboard and Houzz and YouTube the more the merrier! I appreciate you stopping by. But please remember that all photos, images, text and content are owned by SimpleDecoratingTips.com. So anything you share, please be sure it always links back to my original post it came from. Please do not remove watermarks, crop or edit anything without written permission from me first.

Disclosure Policy: According to the FTC guidelines, I want you to be aware that this blog is a source of income and may occasionally incorporate endorsements or testimonials and shopping links. It is important to me to disclose this to you. The content of this blog is a source of income and therefore may be used to promote products, services, or other businesses. I will only choose to promote products/services/businesses that I feel will be beneficial to my readers. Products provided to me by my advertising partners for my review are given to me free of charge with no cost to myself. This does not ensure a positive review of the product in any way. While I hope to generate a small profit for my time and effort to create this blog, I hold myself to the highest standard of integrity. I appreciate my readers, and always make it my goal to deliver quality, honest material on this blog through each post. Thanks for reading along, Liz

Graphics Fairy

Graphics Fairy

Feedspot

Feedspot


My Household Tips and Tutorials for You:

DIY  natural sachets
How to Clean Spilled Wax
How to Avoid a Greasy Mess when Frying on the Stove
Hang a Group of Pictures with even spacing
how to install a floating shelf
How to Remove Carpet Depressions
Make your own Natural Potpourri
Plate Hanger
First Aid Remove Sticky Residue
how to install a vintage ceiling light fixture simpledecoratingtips.com
How to hang a window box SimpleDecoratingTips.com
How to Mount a Door Knocker in a Hollow Steel Door
Five Ways Hardware made a Difference
How to Remove Pet Urine Stains
Housekeeping Naturally
DIY Natural Simmering Potpourri simpledecoratingtips
Packing & Moving Tips
7 Simple Hangers and How to Use Them
how to naturally clean silver
How to Hang a Wall Mounted Lamp

Gardening Tips

spring-planter-arrangement
How I re-did these Concrete Lions
Kid's Craft DIY Miniature Fairy Garden
moving-a-screened-gazebo-onto-the-property
2 pergolas  garden update
DIY Window Well Installation
Tips on Forcing Bulbs Indoors
before and after front terraced garden
DIY Compost Bins
Growing Grass in a Vintage Scale
we had to cut down 13 trees
DIY Simple Deer Proofing
Potting Shed
Creating-an-Oasis-with-a-Water-Fountain
What-is-this?
raised bed container gardening title
rooftop-garden
before  after front garden landscaping
How to Prune a Peegee Hydrangea
before  after circular garden
install this arbor and fence in one day
DIY Brick Edging
Before and After Landscape and a DIY Pergola
Backyard Boat Pond
snug-harbor-farm
Window-Boxes-inside-a-2nd-story-porch
Turtles and Window Boxes
Creative-Planters
Humidity Tray for Orchids
1-in the garden with water walls and cloches
DIY Hanging Terrarium
Ingenious Tips to DIY this Planter
The-Beauty-of-Fences1
The-Story-of-a-Blue-Jay-Title-Page
Garden & Landscape Inspiration
Transplanting Stella D'Oro Daylilies

Copyright © 2021 · Genesis Sample Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

  • Blog
  • Reno Projects: House by House
    • Colonial Revival Cottage Reno (our current home)
    • Old House Reno (our last home)
    • Coastal Cottage in Maine
    • Aaron and Melissa’s 1970 Redo
    • Condo Renovation (a client’s home)
  • Details
    • Before & After
    • Holiday & Seasonal Decorating
    • Gardens
    • Details about House Parts
      • Interior Windows
      • Mantels
      • Details on Creating Tablescapes, Vignettes and Hanging Pictures
      • Lighting and Lamps
      • Closets and Storage
      • Furniture, Antiques & Accessories
    • Chalkboard Art and Hand Lettering Projects
    • Travel to Inspiring Places
  • DIY, Tutorials & Tips
  • My Favorite Shopping Links
  • e-Decorating Consultation
↞
↠
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.