Before and After: A $1,000 Powder Room Reno with Dramatic Roaring ’20s Style

published Jul 22, 2021
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Before: Pale green powder room with white pedestal sink
Credit: Rebecca Custer

If you’re looking for a small space in your home where you can make a big design impact, a powder room is a great place to start. The small footprint makes it easier to be daring with your design choices: It’s not only a lot cheaper to pull off, but the limited time spent in this room (unlike, say, a living room) means that you aren’t likely to tire of it easily.

Credit: Rebecca Custer

This powder room redo from homeowner Rebecca Custer is a prime example. Rebecca’s home was built in 2004, so everything was in good condition, albeit a bit boring. “While we don’t have the budget now for a full kitchen or master bath redo, the powder room was where we could make a drastic change and not break the bank,” Rebecca says.

Credit: Rebecca Custer

The powder room was the first room you saw after coming in the front door, Rebecca says, and it didn’t make a great impression. “I was just boring, builder grade, and an unpleasing sea foam green color,” she says. But she knew it had potential to be a lot more. “It gets great light so we knew we could go dark and dramatic,” Rebecca says.

Credit: Rebecca Custer

Inspired by an Art Deco wallpaper she found and installed on one wall, Rebecca went all-in on a dramatic Art Deco-style redo. Rebecca started by painting the rest of the walls black (HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams’s Bohemian Black) and the trim gold (HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams’s Proper Gold).

Credit: Rebecca Custer

Next came a new black and gold light fixture — but that’s when Rebecca realized that the old white pedestal sink stuck out like a sore thumb. A new black-toned wall-mount sink is just as space-efficient but blends seamlessly into the dramatic Art Deco look of the rest of the bathroom. A few new gold accessories — like the mirror and a towel ring — and the bathroom was complete for just $1,000 total.

“I love all of it!” Rebecca says of the new space. “It feels like stepping into the ladies’ room of a club in the ’20s. I want to put on a flapper dress and drink a Sidecar. The room is dark and moody and fun for a room that you don’t spend time in.”

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