We keep saying that “so many people are renovating” right now but IT’S TRUE. We feel that most of the focus has been on kitchens which we totally get. But bathrooms are second on the list. So because of this, we thought we would update a really awesome post that we did a few years about. Why? Well, well who doesn’t love a pre-designed, EHD approved, AFFORDABLE bathroom combo. So I updated all of the products and even add a couple of fresh ones:) Now, these are for powder rooms but they could easily be translated for full bathroom renos. Enjoy!
The powder room AKA half bathroom – although typically the smallest of all the rooms in your house, can be an opportunity to make a big statement for you and your guests. Because these bathrooms are small and often not a room that you spend a lot of time in, you have a huge opportunity to do something unique and fun in there, but it’s not a room in which I splurge for obvious reasons. So we’ve taken on the task and designed 9 budget-friendly powder rooms for you. All of these below lean more on the affordable side and everything in them is off the shelf and ready to order or pick up in-store. Let’s get into it:
Wallpaper | Towel Ring | Mirror | Pendant | Faucet | Sink | Paint | Counter | Hand Towel | Toilet
Graphic and Monochrome: A black and white color palette does not equal boring. Especially when you start with a REALLY cool wallpaper like this one from Bobby Berk. The key to keeping things graphic is to go for simple and clean shapes. Also balancing straight lines like in the wallpaper, sink, and toilet with round shapes like the mirror, pendant, and towel ring will make it feel interesting instead of one-note.
Tile | Hand Towel | Mirror | Faucet | Sink | Sconce | Paint | Toilet | Towel Ring
Bright and Traditional: At just over 1k for all the bathroom materials this one pretty impressively affordable for a traditional setup. The tile and traditional details are something that will always be in style but the light blue paint color helps it from feeling too boring and predictable.
Tile | Bath Towel | Mirror | Faucet | Vanity | Sconce | Wallpaper | Towel Ring | Toilet | Toliet Seat
Modern Eclectic: This is a new one! With our on-goings about EGG, ee thought why not go a little wild in this combo. The quirky wallpaper and towel ring make a really fun statement and contrast perfectly with the more modern mirror, scones, and vanity. Then for a pop of color why not have a blush hand towel?? The toilet is a nice balance of traditional and modern but with a black seat, it gives it a little more of that old-world vibe we want for this bathroom.
Tile | Hand Towel | Mirror | Faucet | Sink and Drain | Pendant | Hook | Paint | Counter | Toilet
California Casual: Because what we dubbed “california casual” became one of the most popular series on the blog we decided to pull together a bathroom inspired by that vibe. It has some industrial-inspired elements in it like the edison bulb light and shelf mirror but the textural tones and that spanish tile floor sound very inviting.
Tile | Hook | Mirror | Vanity + Sink | Faucet + Drain | Pendant | Hand Towel | Paint | Toilet
Geometric Spanish: In case you missed our post on what splurge worth tile or wallpaper can do for a room, click through here. But this tile is doing all the talking in this bathroom and is saying all the right things. To make it a little more playful and colorful, we added that green vanity (that comes with the sink and a different faucet but we like that brass one) and the really sweet pendant! Then to play off the circular nature of the pendant we chose a hand towel to complement it. And if you notice even the toilet as a geometric thing happening:)
Tile | Hook | Mirror | Faucet | Vanity + Sink | Sconces | Hand Towels | Paint | Toilet
Wood and White: For those of you that like less of everything – including color in your powder room then this one is for you. It is minimal yet still warm what with those hits of wood in the vanity, hook, lighting, and the mirror. And that floor tile looks textural and graphic without introducing something busy and fussy into a small bathroom.
Wallpaper | Tile | Mirror | Faucet | Vanity | Towel Ring | Towel | Sconce | Toilet | Tank | Seat & Cover
Modern Tropical: Another newbie! We wanted to lean into a “sophisticated vacation vibe” and I think we did it. That Jungalow wallpaper is so good and paired with that dark blue subway tile it just makes it chic. But to warm it up (and add some glam) brass was necessary. Both the light and towel ring have this cool asymmetrical thing going on that’s really cool and interesting. So for the rest, we kept it simple with hits of black to ground the whole look.
Tile | Towel Ring | Stripe Towel | Sconce | Mirror | Sink | Vanity | Faucet | Paint | Counter | Toilet
Woodsy and Warm: This one speaks a bit to Em’s Pacific Northwest roots, and we can see this particular bathroom in a modern yet warm cabin in the woods. If green walls aren’t for you then you could keep the walls white and you still have a really pretty powder room for your guests to enjoy.
Wallpaper | Tile | Hand Towel | Towel Ring | Mirror | Faucet | Sink | Sink Stopper | Flush Mount Light | Counter | Toilet
Sweet and Textured: This is a pretty darling powder room that we think would be so cute in a modern farmhouse:) Texture is key and is shown in the tile, wood mirror, woven light, and towel. But also the pattern of the wallpaper and countertop also add a ton of visual interest. However, that towel ring is SO GOOD!
Last but not least, a few things to keep in mind before you tackle your powder room remodel. These prices are obviously not including any labor which will differ depending on where you live, and for all of them we either included a vanity or a countertop and sink combo that could be used to replace your current setup, so if you decide to do something custom under the countertops then your price will go up a bit from this as well. Let us know if you have any questions on any of these and which one is your favorite of the bunch?
And what do you want us to do next? We are thinking kitchen:) But whatever you want we’ll start working on them. We just may as well do the ones that you want us to do. These are typically more renovation-based budget posts (not the living room/bedroom/dining room 3 ways) but let us know what you want and we’ll tackle. xx
Opening Image Credits: Photo by Ryan Liebe | From: My Powder Room Reveal
OK – so here is a somewhat daft cultural question. Why are none of these toilets hanging toilets?
I’m planning on remodelling my bathroom next year and have taken far more interest in toilets, sinks and showers than is healthy.
One thing that I find fascinating is comparing what is available over the pond vs. here at home in Europe. (Thank you Pinterest) For example, I love the old fashioned cast iron hanging sinks such as American Standard which aren’t available here. (And I want one really badly!)
In the same way, I rarely (if ever) see a hanging toilet on US websites. To me they are so much more hygienic as it is very simple to mop underneath the basin.
Thoughts anyone? Maybe there’s a gap in the market here?
I’ve wondered the same thing! I’m an American and I don’t understand why we don’t usually have access to things like hanging toilets, or for that matter, hanging towel-warming racks. I think the American style (non-hanging) toilet might be easier to install, and also, we generally have fairly large bathrooms (I think the hanging ones are a little better at saving space), so that would be my guess as to why there isn’t more outcry for hanging ones, but I’d love to hear from someone who knows the real answer.
There are “hanging” toilets available here in the US. Wall mounted toilets are higher end because they require a special $1,000 piece of plumbing fixture installed inside your wall. I think maybe people doing a remodel either can’t or don’t want to open up the wall, don’t want the large added expense etc. I bet they do get installed in new build high end contemporary homes. I wish I could justify the expense in my sons bathroom. I’d love to not have to wipe dribbles off that silly toilet base…
If your son was the one to clean his own toilet, chances are he’d have a better target aim.
Yes?
I don’t know the age or abilities of Julie’s son, but mine has special needs, so No.
I believe the primary reason is affordability. Wall hung toilets are not readily available in the US and need a special order to purchase (ie – you can’t just go to the Home Depot and pick one up). I believe they are more than twice the cost of a regular toilet. Both Toto and Kohler make them so they are available. Also, they require a plumber with experience to install. That adds to the cost. This is not necessarily a quick DIY project, as a regular toilet would be. They are best suited to new construction, as retro fitting one in a house would require three trades – plumber, drywall repair and paint. As you can guess, it would add a lot of time and expense to switching out a toilet. Finally, I think the fear of a difficult repair to a wall hung toilet causes most homeowners pause. You can’t just giggle the handle:)
Yep,. its affordability. i like them a lot for certain styles and certainly for cleaning, but they don’t fall in our budget/affordable roundups 🙂
To answer people’s questions about wall mounts… I installed a Toto wall mount toilet in a bath remodel because the original toilet layout didn’t have enough leg room in front of the toilet for current codes. This meant we had to move the toilet drain pipe and reinforce the studs in the supporting wall. The cost of the toilet, the in-wall tank and the seat was about $1200. The labor was another $1200. Gaining an extra 6″ in front of the toilet and having a sleek, minimal design was worth it.
It’s much quieter than the 40 year old toilet it replaced.
Repairs are made by removing the flush panel to access parts that tend to wear out.
They are totally stable and strong as long as they are installed correctly.
They are low flow toilets, so sometimes need to be flushed twice or scrubbed. That’s life.
Yeah, I’ve watched handyman videos on youtube from England and France – repairing the toilet is not that hard for the common “parts failure” type of repair that most of us go to the hardware store for. It was different than what I deal with currently when I repair my toilet or replace old parts, but not super strange and I could easily adapt. The kind of repair that necessitates a big hole in the wall is the same kind of thing that would necessitate a big hole in the floor with traditional toilets. Those issues are far less common, I think the differentness causes the worry to grow in people’s minds beyond the realistic likelihood. As we get more used to wall mounted toilets, that will subside. The quiet factor should be marketed more over here, IMO. That’s an effective hook for the average American psyche.
I think they are coming though. European style influences are trending widely on social media, Toto has been working on their presence and market share in NA hard for at least 3 years, and more people with throwaway money to update plumbing and not worry about expensive repairs are putting them in. Eventually, it will spread to the upper middle class that will go into serious debt to get the remodel they want and as long as their isn’t another economic setback that affects their demographic particularly, it will then spread to become mainstream. Heated flooring and bidets were once European (and common in specific parts of Canada) with almost no presence in the American market, and look at them now. Bidets didn’t even take very long – less than a decade from when the wider public here said their first “ew” and now they are all over the place with many saying it was never weird to them in the first place. With the western world becoming ever more connected at the speed of internet, we can expect to see more developments like the story of the bidet coming to America.
I dabble in commercial design work and the hanging toilets I come across flush really loud so we only use them in multi-stall restrooms or a back bathroom where noise doesn’t matter. Any residential designers out there ever use wall-hung toilets?
I’m not a designer, but my husband is a plumber and we put in a European style toilet in a half bath we did for our backyard. There were several options available on Signature Hardware that I thought were quite affordable. We got one there and like it. Rear outlet toilets is what they are called. They are useful for a bathroom remodel or addition when working with a slab foundation.
Commercial wall hung toilets are loud – the pipes being bigger and the water pressure being higher to push clogs through just makes it that way. Models meant for residential spaces are designed for the smaller pipes and lower pressure rating, they are much quieter in my experience. Sometimes I’m not sure I’ve flushed if the button felt really loose and I’ll have to lift the lid to make sure. I don’t have one myself, but I know several people who have them in their homes and a few older friends who live in one of those special apartment complexes with it’s own medical staff (but you move yourself in or out, it’s not a nursing home) that also has them installed in the apartments and the “communal living room” bathroom.
I had never thought of using a hanging toilet in a residential situation (we see them all the time in public restrooms) until I saw one last week on a decorating show in a small bathroom.
It’s the perfect solution for our small ensuite and I plan on using them in the other bathrooms for the aesthetic and easy cleaning. Couldn’t believe I’d never seen them in person before.
They do however seem pretty expensive compared to a regular toilet (500-1000 for the wall tank, 300-600 for the toilet, 100-300 for the seat, plus installation costs). You’re looking at 900-1900 + install so I can see why lots of people would go the $300-600 regular toilet route
Wow – thanks for the replies everyone.
Yep – hanging toilets cost more here too (the UK) but are pretty standard in somewhere like Germany. In fact, I was in a 1970s Germany house (with original contemporary bathroom fittings in yellow/ peach no less) over Christmas and was surprised to see that even back then they had hanging toilets.
Was unaware that they are noisier! Will have to check that out before I choose to get one installed. But indeed, my bathroom is tiny – which is why I’ve been considering one.
I started looking up a few options last night and apparently the toilet water sits lower than normal toilets and lots of people have complained about needing to *ehem* clean them more frequently. I don’t know if it’s only certain models that have this issue, but check reviews for the ones you are looking to install.
Woodsy and Warm is my favorite. I’m really having a thing for deep greens at the moment, which makes even the most modern designs sway traditional (juxtaposition! Woooo!).
A full bath with floor and wall tiles would be crazypants awesome, though I realize it might be a bit weird to do it immediately after this post.
Oh yes I would LOVE a “several affordable full baths” post. I have 4 (!) bathroom renovations in my future and I need HALP.
Yes. Love these. A full bath with larger double vanity would be killer.
Same here!
I like this post – my favorite one is the Monochromatic and Graphic. For a future reno designs post, I think it’s hard to say what I’d like to see since you’ve already done bathrooms and kitchens – maybe a budget laundry and utility room (mine is one big room that includes both)? For a future 3 Ways post, I’d like to see any of the following: library guest bedroom, cozy petite guest bedroom, personal yoga studio, and homeschool classroom.
I’d love to see a laundry room post, with some practical pretty storage and paint choices (especially when your laundry room is a glorified windowless closet!).
I’ll second that request! Impulsively, I bought a new red washer and dryer and am now faced with designing the tiny laundry room around them. There goes my dream of pale blue checked floor tile.
I think pale blue and red look smashing together.
Agreed! That would be sooo cute! Add some gingham or cabana stripes!
Great post! I’d love to see posts about:
– designing multiple bathrooms in a house (how do you make them cohesive but not too matchy)
– tile combos for bathrooms. So hard to pick tile for floor, walls, shower floor etc!
– mixing metals in a home
– kitchen cabinet paint color/pull combos (different color for island or tuxedo style etc)
I second full bathroom options. I’m struggling with vanity ideas that will have enough storage for 5 people and also tile combinations.
do you have any links to possible cabinets would you recommend of the graphic and monochrome scheme? thanks for the timely post!
Great sinks but what about affordable vanities to put them on. Help!
I love the Cali-Cas, but I always worry it’ll fight the natural style of our house too much.
I would love to hear your carpet recommendations. I know wall-to-wall carpet isn’t cool, but I like how it feels! And it’s so much easier to replace carpet with carpet. What are the main types of US-readily available carpets? Least offensive aesthetically, but balanced with plushy comfort? Cleaning factors? Pet factors? Specific experience with any vendors?
I second this too! I’m in a condo where wall-to-wall carpet is required in most rooms (blurgh), and most design blogs don’t talk about carpet because it’s not cool. I’d love to hear recommendations on long-lasting carpet that doesn’t make a house look like an 80s subdivision.
Dear Alice podcast just did a whole episode about carpet! Check them out:)
Yes to a carpet post! I’d like a really informative post (for both wall-to-wall and area rugs) on what to consider when purchasing, which fibers are most durable, brands/vendors, etc. Maybe not the most glamorous topic, but it would be appreciated (much like the toilet roundup you did a while back).
Could you do table/floor lighting combos? I have no overhead lighting in my living room and playroom (house built in 1947 and has plaster walls so a pain to install hardwired lighting). I need like 4-5 lights per room and am currently relying on random lights that look good individually, but kind of weird together.
This, please! We live in a 1300 sq ft apartment with exactly THREE overhead lights (one in the kitchen and one in each bathroom). It is a fight against the dark and since we rent we are unable to install any overhead lighting. I would love some help making all our lighting sources look cohesive!
Love this! Would be VERY interested in a post on bathroom art. I find it hard to pick the right pieces that make an impact and are also appropriate for a bathroom. If there’s anyway to weave this into some kind of post, would be all ears. Happy new year!
We are in the planning stages for re-doing our half-bath so this is so well timed. Thank you!!!
I like a lot of these, although I do wish you’d included vanity options for all of them. Most of the ones I love just have the sink and countertop shown. My vanity is in bad shape, so I’d need to replace that too and would love some ideas.
I’d love to see a post on whole house design – how to express color/elements throughout house so the design looks cohesive throughout. I’d also love to see a post on fireplace design, or figuring out a personal style.
I second this! Would be great to have a post about paint colors for an entire house, keeping it interesting yet cohesive.
Thank you! This was so helpful and timely. Tackling my disgusting powder room (mint green vanity + beige tile + corroding 90’s sheet mirror = most revolting room in my house) is at the top of my 2018 list.
Other ideas for 2018 posts: styling the inside of closets (linen, pantry, etc); general tips on space planning, especially in large or awkward rooms; home office round up; answering a reader’s dilemma with before/after shots (a pipe dream, but one can hope!); anything kitchen round-up
Love that hook from the Wood and White board. I just ordered it, can’t wait to get it for my powder room. Thanks for the tip. Julia
kids’ bathroom! and full guest bathroom!
These are all so well put together! I am currently collecting ideas for a bathroom remodel next year. We don’t have a half bath, just the master and then the smallish hall/my young daughters/guests full bath. I do want to make it stylish and interesting in the manner of a half bath so I loved this post – only wish it had a couple attractive storage mirrors included as they are so handy.
I love this post! I’m updating my powder room now so this is such useful information for me. Marbled and Modern is what I’m doing but I looooove the round mirror in Geometric Spanish.
I would really like to see a post on inviting front porches bearing in mind that some of your readers (me for one) only have a square of concrete. I’d love ideas about house numbers, outdoor rugs, lighting, plant pots, etc. to spruce up the porch.
I loved the variety of looks–pinned two of them right away. I’m in the planning stages for building an ADU/Mother in Law Flat and it’s nice to get the ideas for my line item budget. My square footage may be a slightly bigger but not regular house size so this is a great yardstick. And it’s already designed for me with two looks I really love.
For future posts I would like to see what you would do in a smaller kitchen, a laundry/pantry, and a foyer situation–all in less than grand square footage.
Great post! I am thinking of redoing our powder room next year so this was great to read. Question about metallics in bathrooms- do they all need to match? I want to use a wallpaper with gold in it but we already have a sink with a silver faucet. Should I find a different wallpaper? Thank you!
Awesome! This is perfect timing since I was looking for a faucet and sink for our bathroom renovation. Great sources! Thanks 🙂
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Thanks for this awesome post! I’m rehabbing my home right now and I have the smallest powder room every. Like your knees hit the sink small. This is helpful for me to figure out how to still get a look even when working in the tight space!
2 cents being thrown in here. I have the Kohler Santa Rosa (Regency Luxe) and, while I love the look, I hate the toilet. Problem since day one–water runs for an abnormally long time before shutting off. Also the trap is missing glaze in areas. The raw porcelain is now permanently discolored due to my hard water. Very disappointed in the quality and will never buy Kohler again. I’m looking to replace it (after one year!!) with a similar style by Toto.
Thanks for all of the great resources! We’re planning a powder room reno this year, and that warm and woodsy board has me all starry-eyed.
Random question: Is there any way to make the mood board graphic at the top scroll just a little bit slower? I love to see all of the options side by side, but they flash past too quickly for me to focus on them!
Wow these are so affordable but actually so nice. I’m super impressed. I really love that you included dimensions in here. I have a small bathroom that’s still got a shower but it is so out of date and the dimensions for the tiles ect helped me apply it to that one. Thanks!
The ‘gold & glam’ toilet has terrible reviews! Please for round ups consider endorsing products we should actually buy!
This is too funny! We just worked on our powder room a short while ago and a few of the items you have listed above – we used! (Or very close to it). Which makes me feel like I have a E.H. approved powder room 🙂
We have the gold hexagon mirror from the Marbled & Modern board, a pedestal sink, the exact globe light fixture from Woodsy & Warm board and an almost exact faucet from the Wood & White board.
We are adjusting the water lines for the sink (and floor is being ripped out next year), but here it is:
http://www.megansmoments.com/powder-room-mini-makeover/
Loved this! I’d love to see one of these actually “installed”. I know that you’re not doing client work as much, but a half bath install for a more real life client might not take as long?! Would love to see your process more behind the scenes. Seeing the before and your design process in real time, sort of room one challenge style! Also: would love to see you get micro blading done! I’ve been lusting over getting it done and would love to see Your hilarious spin on it! Hope the year brings you lot of excitement and new things! A
This is so great! We are starting our bathroom renovations in 3 weeks! Love a few of these!
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These are by far my favorite posts that you do!
I fall between Woodsy/Warm and California casual. I picked up the pendant for Woodsy/Warm immediately! because I have a vision for the Powder room we’re building and the electrical is already done for a pendant- but I needed an idea! Plus the price was right on Overstock.
I have a question about wallpaper in a powder room… Do you always paper the whole room or would you sometimes just do 1 or 2 walls? If so, which walls?
Cute looks but most of those vanities look like they’d last about 18 months. ” Bright and Traditional’ has a substatrial vanity but its not sourced for shopping. Anyone have affordable large STURDY vanity picks?
substantial
If you are looking for product/shopping post ideas – please do CLOCKS! It is really hard to find wall clocks that are not either super kitchy and themed or really ugly and boring. Sure, you can do super modern in California Casual, but what kind of wall or counter clock do you do for EEG or transitional or traditional? Why are they all so awful????
Talking toilet agony here. Ok, so I designed 2 of the most lovely bathrooms ever for our townhome, complete with wall-mounted Kohler toilets (HATE cleaning around the base of toilets!!!!!). It was so expensive, and during COVID, that my husband decided we should just move instead, to avoid doing that project. Fast forward to our “new” house, which is only 14 years old instead of 50. The house is part of a huge planned community which is so wonderful! So beautiful! But, “value engineering”- they really skimped on the things that buyers wouldn’t notice right away. Things like plumbing and toilets. We have 4 of them. They didn’t look bad, but they were all leaking and deteriorating from inside the tank. We had one leak repaired (we thought) before we moved in, and all the others had to be worked on within the 9 months we’ve been here. Plumber came for a different problem a couple of months ago, and while he was here he got started on how awful the Mansfield toilets are that we had in the house. Quoted me $3800 to replace all four and after I picked myself up off the floor, I said, “maybe not… Read more »
This is a great post! I have missed these type of posts over the past few months. It’s the main reason I follow the blog. Please do more!
This is very specific but I have the pink hand towels in the Eclectic Modern roundup and they shrunk in the wash, so now they’re very narrow and unattractive to hang. They’re real cute but I don’t have time for hand towels I can’t run through the washing machine.
Emily, did you know Target has a special one year return policy for their house brands? Return them! “ If you’re not satisfied with any Target Owned Brand item, return it within one year with a receipt for an exchange or a refund.”
What about affordable medicine cabinets? Powder rooms need storage and they are the best when they aren’t UGLY.
I am SO HAPPY that budget posts are back!! Yes, please do more!! I often reference the two older budget kitchen posts–an update would be divine!!
Thank you for this!! PLEASE post more coastal/beach inspiration… would love more of that! We’ve got mountain, farm house… would be so grateful for more coastal decor ideas.
Yes, please please do this for kitchens next! Exactly what I need right now.