Before and After: A Modern Farmhouse Powder Room Reveal

In May 2019 we moved into our new house. We were very lucky that, for the most part, it was “move-in ready.” Other than some new paint and a few cosmetic fixes everything in the house functioned like it was supposed to. But there was one room that always irked me, and honestly, it’s a room that we use a lot – the main floor powder room.

While it worked perfectly fine, it was ugly. Like, super ugly. Not exactly the modern farmhouse vibe we were going for…

BEFORE

Let me start with the biggest eyesore in the room: the vanity. The first time I saw it I was kind of… speechless… I mean… huh? A flower-shaped ceramic sink atop a custom granite pedestal. Very… unique? I still don’t know what else to say about it.

The rest of the decor – lighting, mirror, fixtures, accessories – felt super basic and disjointed from the vanity; they were definitely included out of necessity versus design. Need a light? Got a $12 one from Ikea. Need storage? A melamine wall cabinet from Canadian Tire will do. Need a mirror? Just hang this garage sale find.

AFTER

So, in November 2020, when I finally convinced my husband to tackle this room with more than just paint, I couldn’t wait to get started. I immediately went all out! Ordered tiles, lighting, accessories, paint, a new faucet, mirror, and vanity. We were going to get this project done over Christmas break! Hooray! I couldn’t think of a better way to start the new year.

As all our ordered items started to arrive, one item was late. The vanity. Four weeks zoomed by as we welcomed 2021… then 12 weeks… then 20. Clearly, the universe wanted to see how long I could go before taking a sledgehammer to the granite monstrosity!

Around the 25 week mark, I panicked and called to cancel the order, but was assured, it would only be another 4-5 weeks…

And then I got the call… “Your vanity is HERE and ready for pick-up!” I can’t even begin to describe the wide range of emotions I experienced… after 7 months of waiting! I may have squealed very loudly, poured myself a glass of wine, and said A BIG FAT SAYONARA to the granite atrocity.

But then, I’ll admit, we did something really, really stupid. We left the new vanity (the one we waited 7 months for) in our garage while we tackled the tiling project. Two weeks. In the garage. With the humidex reaching 42°C (107°F). I’m sure you can guess what happened next. The second we brought it inside it began to contract… and contract… and contract… until crack.

Yes, the side panels of my beautiful new vanity cracked. Devastated, disappointed, and mortified doesn’t even begin to describe how I felt. I think I kicked myself for close to a week before I called Watermarks to tell them about my unfortunate mishap. My sales rep, David, was super helpful (and I think just as disappointed about the whole situation as I was – he knows how long I waited for that vanity) and offered to put me in touch with the manufacture to purchase a new one.

After telling Susy from Fairmont Designs my embarrassing story she helped me order a new one… but the best part was, it was only going to take 2 weeks to arrive. Phewww! And you better believe as soon as that vanity arrived it went straight into the house! Lesson learned.

Sob story aside, I am thrilled with how the new modern farmhouse powder room turned out! Since the last wall colour was super overpowering, I wanted to go with something calming and neutral, so I chose a warm white subway tile for the feature wall and Benjamin Moore’s “Cloud Cover” for the other three walls. I find it really helps accentuate the vanity and make it the focal point of the room.

The matte black Delta faucet, Schlage door hardware, and accessories really “pop” against the neutral backdrop, and the small rug, basket, and bamboo blinds add a nice warming texture and colour to the space. The only two things we didn’t swap out were the toilet and the flooring. The toilet still functions as it’s supposed to, so we couldn’t justify buying a new one (although I am in LOVE with this Portsmouth Champion PRO from American Standard. Yes, you can love a toilet!). And the flooring runs from the powder room all the way out to our kitchen, so that will be a larger project we have to address… hopefully next year.

All said and done, it took us months longer than we wanted, but it was WELL worth the wait!

SOURCES

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And for those wondering what happened to the granite vanity… we set it on our curb for 3 days with a big “FREE” sign on it. No one took it.

Metallic Gold Scalloped Frame from Michaels | Premium Bamboo Blinds in Maize from Select Blinds Canada | Warm White Matte Subway Tile (3×6) and Mapei 00 White Grout from Decortile | Jaxon 2 Vanity Light from WayFair | Bowery Matte Black Bath Door Knob with Greyson Trim from Schlage | Matte Black Align Wall Mounted Toilet Paper Holder from Moen | Matte Black Align Hand Towel Bar 9″ from Moen | Metal Toilet Sign from Creative Co-Op | Cloud White Paint from Benjamin Moore | Trinsic Widespread Lavatory Faucet from Delta | Hand Towel from Simons | Oval Framed Mirror from Bouclair | Basket from Homesense | Saharan Dunes Rug from Simons | 24″ Black Charlottesville Vanity with Brass Details from Fairmont Designs | Hand Soap + Reed Diffuser from Homesense