We’ve all been there. A bathroom or kitchen we’re not ready to tear down to the studs to rebuild into our dream but we want to do something to elevate and personalize our space.

Our powder room was far from a disaster, but it lacked unity and our story of home. There was a half wall of white bead-board with light gray paint above, a ‘vintage’ Restoration Hardware vanity with a chocolate/mahogany finish and a taupe/cream quartz counter, and brushed nickel finishes (faucet, vanity knobs, sconces). Also, the floors in this addition portion of our home are a copper/brown terracotta-style tile.

Liza Nicole Interiors Powder Room Before

Design Plan and Inspiration

The design of our family room, which connects to this powder room, was underway and the theme naturally evolved — fall traditions. There’s a gorgeous floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace (our entire home is stone, bottom-to-top) and a wall of windows that looks out onto our slate patio. It oozes all things fall and cozy. We wanted the powder room to match that modern-traditional vibe of warm earth tones and textures, and our goal was to mix highs and lows to achieve the updated look.

Step One: Selecting a Paint Color for the Bead-Board

While the space consisted of neutrals, the mix of neutrals wasn’t cohesive. Going monochromatic in any space immediately elevates a design — it’s timeless and luxe. So I took out my paint swatches to identify the best color match to the vanity. After two days of looking at the colors in the daylight and in the evening with the lights on, the best mate was Sherwin Williams Black Bean.

Liza Nicole Interiors uses SW Black Bean on bead-board in powder room.

Step Two: Selecting a Paint Color for the Walls

Now that the vanity and bead board would blend seamlessly together, the walls also needed to align. That meant identifying a tone that complimented the countertop — and worked with Black Bean. The color I selected after another two days of looking at the sample in varying lights was Sherwin Williams China Doll.

Liza Nicole Interiors Powder Room Wall Color China Doll

Step Three: Selecting Finishes and Mixing Metals

Let’s face it, brushed nickel wasn’t doing this powder room any favors. Once my heart selected the warmth of SW Black Bean, and seeing the rich tone of the vanity as it was, brass was the only finish that would provide the golden pop the vanity needed.

I also love mixing metals, especially in bathrooms. It’s another way to infuse personality and add visual interest. The plan was to use an aged brass finish on the vanity knobs (from RH), tissue holder (from RH) and sconces (from Wayfair), then use polished nickel on the towel ring (from RH) and faucet (from Wayfair). As for the mirror, I imagined a bronze finish, something to bring out the tones in the floor and vanity.

Mixing chrome and brass is also a nice combination, however, the warmth unfolding in the space lent itself to mixing the brass with polished nickel. If we chose a design with cooler tones (like grays, light blues), chrome and brass would mix nicely. It’s all about those undertones!

Liza Nicole Interiors Powder Room Mixes Metal Finishes Mood Board

Paint Prep Work

I love painting prep work (said no one, ever). But it’s an unavoidable step in any DIY painting journey.

You want the paint to adhere to the surface you’re painting and you want to make sure that surface is as smooth as possible. I used a 120# grit sanding block over all of the bead board prior to applying the SW Black Bean paint.

I also used painters tape to get the straightest line possible. I highly recommend FrogTape for delicate surfaces. I initially went with another brand and while it promoted sharp lines, it wasn’t made for delicate surfaces. This resulted in having to patch parts of the wall and ceiling, sand, then re-paint. DI-Y am I doing this is a thought that came to mind at that moment.

Vintage Artwork for the Win

Years ago, I found two pieces of nautically themed art in one of my go-to antique stores in Lancaster, PA. My husband is obsessed with all things nautical so the purchase was a win-win. From the moment I decided to match the bead board to the dark brown vanity, and use brass finishes, I knew these pieces of art would grace the powder room wall.

However initially, my husband was not thrilled with this idea. He wanted the art to be showcased somewhere more prominent, or to place in his future ‘hobbit hole’. I thoughtfully reminded him about the time spent in a cozy, purposefully designed loo and how nice it would be to see those pieces of artwork everyday. Dare I say that sold him.

Plaid Roman Shade Window Treatment

While the window in the powder room is high enough not to be seen from (and only 25” in overall height), the space just felt naked without the finishing touch of a tailored window treatment. If you know me, you know I am passionate about layered lighting and custom window treatments. These two things can absolutely make your space something special.

The custom accent pillows on our sectional in the family room have a plaid fabric. Being a design member of the continuity fan club, I selected a complimentary, but larger, plaid pattern for our custom roman shade from The Shade Store.

To give the illusion the powder room window is taller and wider, I opted for an outside mount roman shade. We added 2” to the length and 4” to the width of the size of the window (outside frame to outside frame) so when hung, it mounts 2” outside of the frame on both the right and left sides.

Our Modern-Traditional Powder Room Reveal

Any home update you tackle on your own is a labor of love. My mom says it connects you to your home, helps to get to know and care for each other. What I will say is it takes patience and a village, ideally filled with other handy DIY’ers who also know how to install new faucets and sconces without flooding the room or electrocuting themselves.

(thanks, John)