Powder Room Makeover, Phase 1

See Phase 2 here.

Last week I mentioned my powder room makeover, but at that point the only thing that had been done was paint. Which was still pretty huge for me, because it’s been builder beige ever since we moved in over 18 months ago. I was beyond thrilled when Craig busted out the paint supplies last weekend.
We used Restoration Hardware’s Silver Sage, for one main reason: we had a gallon of it sitting in the basement. Also, as it turned out, of all the colors I was considering, it actually looked best with the Benjamin Moore Natural Linen that is in the adjoining room. So this is now the fourth house in a row in which we have used Silver Sage.

Here is the only before picture I could find, and actually it’s after we put down the vinyl “wood” floor. But you can catch a glimpse of the typical unframed plate mirror which was over the vanity.



The mirror, of course, had to go. My plan was to use the mirror that belongs to my great-grandmother’s dresser (click on the link for an explanation of the bad photo below).




Craig hung it over the vanity, and then I got thinking, wouldn’t it be cool to make it look like a piece of furniture! The bracket that attaches the mirror to the dresser was too big for the vanity, and there was no way I was cutting it up. However, as luck would have it, I had this other mirror bracket from a different old dresser that we got out of our neighbor’s trash. It’s been sitting in our basements for the last 8 years.



This one was also too wide for the vanity, but since there’s no emotional attachment to it, I laid out my plan for Craig and he got out the saw.

First, he pried the strip of molding off the bottom. It was 11” too long for the vanity, so he cut a piece out of the middle, leaving the finished ends intact.



Then he cut the arms off the bracket. They had to be cut at a certain point to allow the one on the right side to fit between the mirror and the wall.



A few dabs of Liquid Nails put the whole thing together.



Now it looks like the bracket is holding the mirror and the whole thing appears to be attached to the vanity. (A piece fell off the top of the mirror in the last move; it’s around here somewhere and we’ll reattach it when we find it.)



I added a couple of knobs that I got at Hobby Lobby for 50% off, and I think the whole thing really gives the feel of an antique furniture piece! Even if it is a decidedly modern sink and faucet.




As funds become available, I’d like to change the faucet to something with a more traditional feel. Maybe something like this:

source

I’ve also got some basic decorating to do, but I’m very happy with my new "antique washstand”!

Joining DIY Day at A Soft Place to Land and Trash to Treasure at Reinvented.