Half Bath Makeover for Small Spaces

Make a big difference in your small space with a stylish bathroom makeover.

A bathroom remodel is a great way to update the design of a room. As the primary bathroom on the main level of our house, our builder grade half bath was in desperate need of a bathroom renovation. See how we completed a half bath makeover for this smaller space.

Old Builder Grade Bathroom

When we purchased our home this small half bath was already overdue for a remodel. Everything in it was builder grade and very traditional, not something we wanted as the main guest bathroom for visitors coming over. It was hard to overlook the bright yellow paint, too.

We ended up doing a partial remodel with different paint before we completely tore out and redid the entire main bathroom. Take a look at how to successfully demo a bathroom here.

Small Bathroom Makeover

This room is an odd L shape and it is small. When planning for a small bathroom space like this it is important to make the room look elegant, but also embrace the oddities.

For this half bath makeover, we made changes to the wall designs, lighting, flooring and decorative finishes. All of these finishes embrace the small area and make a big impact. Affiliate links - shop this bathroom below.

Wall Designs

Wainscoting

I wanted to add some type of wall art, crown molding or wall design to the space. Many know that I love wainscoting and wood designs. But this type of wall decor can be a ton of money. I found an alternative way to add a wainscoting look for significantly less. See how you can also create wainscoting style in this 7 step tutorial.

Paint

Making this room feel larger was a main priority. Finding the right paint color can help do that, particularly a light color palette. I chose to paint the walls a very light grey, Halo by Benjamin Moore. I opted for White Dove by Benjamin Moore for the wainscoting.

The soft contrast between these two bright colors create helps to really open up this space.

Tile Wall

With a limited design space, one of the best things you can do is to add texture and color through finishes. Instead of a traditional tile wall behind the sink, I installed a peel and stick glass tile from floor to ceiling in the small alcove surrounding the new sink. I love the beautiful pop of color of the light blue tile. It brings a fun element into the space.

Lighting

Too often we overlook the power of lighting. It's the little things that make a difference in a finished look. And there are so many beautiful light fixtures these days, not only do they provide light but they can also add a fun element to any space. We hired an electrician to do some electrical work and add a light fixture above the toilet for more light and style in the bathroom.

Chandelier

Everyone needs a chandelier over their toilet. This beautiful chandelier from Lighting Design Company was the perfect option for bringing elegance into our half bathroom makeover.

This particular light is from Elk Lighting. The details of this light are so exquisite. Unfortunately they have discontinued this light, but here is a link to another option I love too.

Vanity Light

For over the vanity we decided to go with this beautiful one light wall sconce in chrome from Lighting Design Company as well. Wall sconces are the perfect design element for this space.  The great things about these fixtures is that the arms are adjustable. You can easily move the arm to get the vanity light just right for your space. For more farmhouse light favorites, look here.

Flooring for Half Bath Makeover

For remodeling our floor space, I went with a light grey wood-look tile floor from Floor & Decor. This store is a great option for flooring with their good prices, a huge selection and great quality tile. They will also ship if you don't have a store close to you.

I went with this tile floor for a few reasons:

• This is a much easier tile to install on my own because it is installed in a brick pattern rather than trying to match 4 corners.
• The light color really helped to lighten up this space and make it feel larger.
• I love the wood look but the durability of tile is amazing.

Decorative Finishes

It's definitely important to give your bathroom a little love and glam for decorative finishes.

Mirror

I took the existing mirror and gave it a little facelift by painting it white. This helped to save cost of buying a new one.

Vanity

We chose a small, but beautiful new vanity with a vessel sink and open area for storage. The best part is how much larger this tiny little half bath feels with an open vanity. Add a faux plant centerpiece to the shelf and it's the perfect mix of elegance and farmhouse style.

Shop This Post

This is the perfect renovation for a small half bath makeover. I love that the bathroom designs compliment the rest of the house. For more farmhouse bathroom inspiration, take a look at our master bath remodel or these other ideas on small bathroom remodels.

Happy DIYing!

Brooke