I don't like the chalkboard in the bathroom. I'm sorry! I would've preferred to see pretty wallpaper and an actual mirror. But I'm a chick, not a dude....

It is a totally creative and different idea and I love that sink.

Wow, I can't believe it's the same bathroom!

What do you use to wash your hands and check your teeth? While it's cute, it's not very functional as a powder room.

I agree with Cakowalik. It's adorable and I love the simple, sleek design but the lack of function (no storage? no mirror? no soap?) makes no sense to me. Also the wastebasket just doesn't fit with the ultra stylized chalk outlines and minimal sink.

When design isn't functional it cheapens the concept.

FYI: Percy commented on D*S and said the chalk-drawn mirror and soap were temporary - he's planning to replace them with the real things.

At first I though..what is wrong with the before? And then I seen the after..haha..I really love this.definitely an upgrade!I love the big window too.

I think I'm going to draw a sink and a toilet in my hall closet and call it a powder room.

Weird.

I love it, so creative.

His house is so amazing, and I LOVE the stuff he finds and resells. He's got a great eye.

With the chalk outlines, it's fun but useless. Once he replaces the outline with the real thing, it's just a bathroom with a chalk wall. Why bother?

The only things wrong with the before were the sconces, lack of a light switch wall plate, and the color of the wall. The bead board wainscoting, the sink and fixtures, the mirror... all were perfect. Storage, style, a beautiful Christmas cactus...

The after has no storage, no counter space, the only things that I like about it are the sconces and the light switch wall plate.

I actually like the before a lot. The sink looks like a bureau with a sink top and bowl mounted on it, and I like that look. The after has a clean look, but it's absolutely impractical. It's kind of useless, unless you want to virtually wash your hands and brush your teeth.

Wait... did I spy a pair of gold-tone giraffe (or perhaps dragon? horse head?) sconces in the before photo? Those things are wackadoo enough to qualify as cool. Especially with a spray-paint overhaul. The after photo is lovely, of course - fresh, clean, composed and wonderful. But golden giraffe wall sconces!!! We'll see them in next season's Anthropologie catalog, I'm sure.

The chalk wall gives you options. See advertising photo here with a different chalk 'soap'. http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5170/5296784291_7ea741a625_b.jpg
You can draw on the soap container behind the real one and when you pick it up the real one you then see the outline. That's cute.

I love it! That before was horrid and this is a fun powder room for guests to enjoy and decorate when they visit. Like many other commenters have said, the hand-drawn mirror is temporary so when he fills that space, it'll be perfect! So much better than the 80s bronze sconces and that awful red (why are people still matching that ugly red with wood pieces?).

I know it's terribly impractical, if not totally temporary, but I love it!

It's funny & clever - I suspect he's worked out that washing hands with a chalk-drawn soap wont work as well...

& he could change the mirror & pattern of the paper at a zillionth of the price of regular renovations - lighten up

Can I have the old vanity?

Whip smart! Love it!!!

When design isn't functional it cheapens the concept.

Well put, thewintering.

And one small quibble - this is a bathroom, not a powder room (check the reflection in the Before). So it's not just about guests relieving themselves and washing their hands; it's the full deal with bathing, shaving etc. As such the lack of storage and other practicalities is a notable problem, unless Percy has included it elsewhere.

All the Before really needed was a tidy and a more subtle wall colour - the wainscotting was a nice feature and the vanity was cool. But hey, if Percy has the time, resources and money to redecorate for no good reason, then hooray for him.

The pale blue ceiling is an interesting touch. I do wonder what the rest of the bathroom looks like.

The first word out of my mouth when I jumped to the after picture...Interesting. And that is what it is...interesting. I like the choice in sink and the white against the black. The outline of the mirror...interesting.

Didn't see the drawing of the toothbrush holder and the soap dish. Hmmm...INTERESTING!

Well the only thing wrong with the before photo was the lighting. the red with the warm wood was nice. The after is pretty to look at but since there is not mirror it is not practial. Once you put a mirror in, you won't have the cool drawing of the mirror. I hope it is a cool mirror and not just a rectangle pasted to the wall. I am not as impressed as I know I ought to be.

Okay so feeling guilty about my review so I went to Design Sponge and looked at the two bedroom makeovers that you did and they were both amazing. Good work!

I think it looks great. I love the ceiling and the updated light fixtures. I would go insane without the storage though.

This is too meta for me.

Would have painted and got new sconces. The old mirror could have stayed until he could afford a new one. A bathroom with no mirror is stupid, to me, and half unusable. That old mirror would have been fine in the meantime, its the red that's the problem.

Would not have scrapped the storage of the vanity for that new sink. It's all right but I think I would have just changed out the vanity's hardware and maybe painted it, and kept the storage.

In short, that's a lot of making a space useless to just get rid of the red.

You just cannot be serious with this one.

I just got an estimate on a bathroom redo. I'm tempted to just draw on some new fixtures as a coping mechanism.

Must have those sconces (the replacement ones). Anyone know where to find them?

I think it's great! - It's not my personal taste, but it shows freedom of creativity and a sense of fun!

If you don't like this mauishopgirl, don't do this in your house. No need for the vinegar.

I absolutely love this! Whimsical ánd classy!

Ok, so all you have to do now is to find a place where you can brush your teeth....

Is the brush going to be drawn too?

Also, it seems some people do not understand that when you take a picture, you frame and crop the image. There may well be storage outside the frame.

This is so lovely and the "new" antique sink is a dream.

I like the chalk wall and sconces, but that's about it. The 'before' isn't my style at all, but much more practical in terms of function. Even with a mirror eventually added, it's given up a lot of storage. And granted as a girl, I need bathroom storage so I notice that right away, but even for a guest room I'd think you'd want a place to stash some toiletries, towels, cleaning supplies, etc.

@Sooso: stop getting on comment sections if you find it offensive that anyone, anywhere has something critical to say. jesus she didn't even come close to what others have said.

anyway, i'll take that beautiful repurposed marble top vanity he didn't want. i'm not a fan of this, but it IS creative and i can appreciate that aspect.

it's so fun!
where can i get a small sink like that? it's so lovely...i am doing a bathroom renovation soon and i'd love to have that sink my small powder room.

I just hate chalkboard paint anywhere.

It reminds me of the nun who wouldn't let me do any work on the blackboard because I'm left-handed and it really annoyed her. (No kiddin' --she thought I was Satan's kid or something because of it.)

So little time...so many issues...

This is very, very silly.

I think the mirror concept would be great if the chalk outline was the frame for a frameless mirror - so there was a mirrow there, but the frame was drawn around it. Maybe he'll go for that idea once he gets a mirror!

I'd also need more storage space, but maybe he has storage somewhere else in the bathroom.

More vinegar? Must be the heat, I forgive you.

And I forgive you.

Looks great!

It may be a work of art, and it is striking, but I prefer a powder room with a mirror, and I rather not see the plumbing.

This will be nice once he gets the mirror in, but I kind of miss the wainscoting.

did the pictures get reversed? those little white sinks are everywhere in nyc, often in dumpsters (tho' they are nice, esp w/ nickel-plated legs). many would call that chest, w/ marble! an upgrade from chipboard storage usually replacing the white sinks. the style of the home should inform the rehab; too new in a victorian is as awful as too cute in a ranch. if that clawfoot is a hint, should have stuck w/ paint changes.

otoh, 1915 house would be transition pd for bath: clawfoot tub & ceramic sinks w/out storage, often large pedestal. wainscoting would be light tile to be "sanitary." the correct period is between the pics.

If there were a way to get a mirror custom cut to fit inside the drawn mirror that would be kinda cool.

Please re-post when the mirror is installed.

I prefer the "before" by far.

Sans the sconces

Percy here!

Somehow missed this post until now, so I'm not even sure if anyone will see this. Anyway, thanks so much for all the positive comments! The sconces are actually just cheapies from Lowe's or Home Depot, but I really like the classic feel of them.

To all the detractors, allow me to address some of your concerns. I have no intention of putting in a real mirror. There already is one to the right, out of view, resting on a four-foot tall pie safe for more-than-ample storage.

The vanity and wainscoting had to go. Not only was the vanity not my style, it was a poorly done DIY conversion with water damage. The wainscoting suffered a similar fate. The previous owner had no fan in the bathroom, so condensation had been getting behind the wainscoting for years and rotting out the plaster behind it. I had to build the plaster back up with mortar and then subway tiled the three non-pictured walls.

Seriously, where's the real 'after' photo??

oh my gah, that is cute!

FWIW, I thought the before was really awful. Kind of like 90s MIL look.

The old vanity was gorgeous. The new sink looks like it belongs in a hospital or nursing home.

Sorry, just saw the post about the water damage.

MIRROR??