It’s taken nine years, but the powder bath on our main floor is finally finished to the point where it makes me happy every time I head in there! Painting the whole room black has really made it bold and chic. We have five bathrooms in our home, and this is the only one on the main floor, so it gets used more than any other. It should be described as a 3/4 bathroom because it does have a shower in it, but the shower only gets used to wash things off/out. It’s a small bathroom that really packs a punch now! Here are the details of our painted black powder bathroom mini makeover.
Here’s a little back story on the evolution of this bathroom. We moved into this house nine years ago. It was a new build but it had a really hideous vanity! And it was a moody blue paint color. Painted stripes were in back then, so I went with white and blue/gray stripes. The tile floors/shower are pretty builder grade.
After the stripes were painted, we had a custom vanity built at the same time we finished off our basement, which started the transformation. The vanity is painted Sherwin Williams Extra White with champagne pulls and a remnant quartz countertop. The bottom of the vanity is open and we use two baskets to hold extra toilet paper and extra hand towels. This open concept makes the bathroom appear larger! We also added a new mirror from Homegoods, but kept the existing light fixture.
Fast forward a few years and I was completely over the stripes and wanted to complete the mini-makeover! My parents came to visit and helped me paint the bathroom black! We already have a black bathroom in the basement, and I LOVE it, so I knew we couldn’t go wrong using the same color. There is no natural light in this bathroom, so painting it black might sound scary, but it actually makes the space appear larger and it feels super moody.
Prepping the Walls
First up, I lightly sanded in between the stripes. Using painters tape when painting makes hard lines where the stripes meet. This is difficult to remove! You can still see the lines through the black paint, but not enough for me to care! My dad likes to wipe down all the walls with a wet cloth to make sure to remove any dust. We taped off the doors and baseboards and shower, but not the ceiling. We covered up the vanity with plastic sheeting and got to work!
Painted Black Powder Bathroom
We used the color Graphite, by Benjamin Moore, in our basement bathroom and on our basement cabinets. It’s the perfect shade of almost black; darker than charcoal, but not as harsh as a true black. I guess you can say we love the color because it’s on the exterior of our home, on the doors inside our home, and now in two bathrooms! I chose to use an eggshell finish so it is still easy to clean, but it’s not too shiny. The black really makes the bright white vanity stand out like never before! Because we didn’t prime, we applied two coats of paint.
Adding Baskets for Storage
After the paint dried, it was time to put everything back together! I decided to reuse the existing baskets we had under the vanity. While my dad and I painted, my mom hand painted over the pink on the baskets with black paint I had leftover from a different project. These baskets already fit perfectly, so this was free!
I also grabbed a rattan basket to use as the wastebasket (see two photos down). All of my rooms next texture! Adding texture in this was allows for form and function! The rattan looks so good against the dark walls.
Adding a Vintage Rug
I don’t love the floors in this bathroom. We decided to just leave them and get a great rug to distract your eye towards it instead of the floors! This vintage rug was an Etsy find! I love the saturated colors with the black and white. It’s thin and doesn’t get stuck on the door and it fits the space perfectly. One of my favorite parts of the room!
Decorating the Vanity
We kept the existing light fixture and mirror and towel hook. I simply added some soap and a face vase to keep some cut stems in. All of my spaces also need some green in the form of live plants! This bathroom is dark and has no natural light, but cut stems from my houseplants work well in here. The tassel hanging off the vanity is just for additional texture and layers. I also chose to use mixed metals in here. The faucet is chrome and the pulls are champagne bronze. The brass makes makes the space not feel so shiny.
Accessorizing Around the Toilet
We kept the existing toilet (we upgraded this toilet and the master toilet when we moved in because I have a tall husband)! I added an acrylic tray behind the toilet to hold some more cut stems, room spray, and a reed diffuser. This graphic artwork was a Ross find for $25! It’s huge! I love pairing the graphic print with the vintage rug. Command strips for the win to hang the art. The toilet paper holder is easy to slide the roll on and off and was a Homegoods find!
This painted black powder bathroom now has so much more character, is moody, and modern yet classic. Give me all the black and white! In my dreams, I would add white penny tile with dark grout to the floors add subway tile behind the vanity and in the shower. For now, I have too many other wants that come before this! Simply changing up a few things can breathe new life into your boring/outdated spaces. The power of paint and a few accessories is truly amazing! XO
Sources for Painted Black Powder Bathroom
- Paint – Benjamin Moore Graphite, Interior, Eggshell
- Vanity – Custom built, quartz remnant countertop
- Faucet – https://ltk.app.link/TZObMlT92eb
- Hardware – https://rstyle.me/+k3zp_ym9nN_37YIW3eU6oQ
- Rug – Similar – https://rstyle.me/+SwUgK9Bc2TiG_T3CINqqzQ
- Mirror – Homegoods
- Wastebasket – Ross
- Art – Ross
- Acrylic Tray – Homegoods – Similar – https://rstyle.me/+901iUB-L0canI7jldPrgqg
- Soap – Homegoods
- Face Vase – Homegoods – Similar – https://rstyle.me/+gSL893k4z_poH5yNDufmIQ
- Towel Hook – Similar – https://rstyle.me/+k3zp_ym9nN_37YIW3eU6oQ