SI’ve always been smitten with old, charming houses — especially their kitchens and bathrooms. I adore classic details: white porcelain sinks, pretty faucets, interesting lighting, subway tile, plaster or wood walls, and unique ceilings. It’s the small details that make these rooms feel special.
That said, I’m learning to appreciate the benefits of a newer home. There’s comfort in not having to rush into essential repairs, and it’s a relief to avoid tearing out outdated wiring or fixing plumbing under the house. With older homes, those behind-the-scenes fixes often cost far more than anticipated, and they’re not pleasant to live through.
Let’s be honest: no one oohs and aahs over the plumbing tucked under the floor. Guests don’t request a tour of the crawl space to admire new water lines, and nobody lingers around an electrical panel to appreciate a tidy installation. The projects I’ve enjoyed most have always been the visible, delightful parts of a renovation — the sinks, faucets, tile, and fresh paint.
My new house will be fun to personalize once I get started.
In this house, we can focus on updates we truly enjoy seeing — when time, budget, and opportunity allow. That’s my kind of project.
Although my main renovation plan this year was simply to paint the interior, I recently had the chance to do a small bathroom makeover through Home Depot. That opportunity was the perfect push my husband and I needed to tackle our powder room in a more substantial way.
Yes, I realize I already painted that powder room earlier this year on an impulsive whim — friends helped, and the update made a big difference. We even plan to pass the updated vanity along to someone who could use it.
Now I’m ready to take on our first real room makeover in this house, adding vintage-inspired details I love. Because the powder room is the smallest space, a thoughtful update there can make a big visual impact and help establish the overall tone I want for the home.
Home Depot launched a Renew and Redo event, which sent me to the store multiple times to explore options. I wandered the aisles imagining possibilities and browsed their online selection for vanities and faucets. The variety made it easy to visualize several ways to refresh the space.
Bathroom updates don’t have to be huge to be effective. Small changes — new cabinet hardware, a new faucet, fresh paint — can transform a room. If you want to go further, new tile or a modern vanity can change the look entirely. These options are approachable and often surprisingly affordable. I’m already thinking about updates for two other bathrooms that could be done with paint and new hardware this year.
For our “old house” inspired makeover, we chose classic, timeless elements:
- A classic white pedestal sink
- A new traditional-style faucet
- White subway tile
- Wood paneling and fresh paint
I’m excited — these details will help the house feel more like home very quickly. I’ll be starting this bathroom renovation after I return from Blissdom next week. After a season of mostly painting, it will be fun (and possibly amusing) for my husband and me to tackle a more hands-on project together.
$100 HOME DEPOT GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!!
To help one reader get started on a small project, Home Depot offered a $100 gift card. To enter, readers were invited to leave a comment on the original post describing bathroom updates they’d like to make or their favorite bathroom improvements — and to share whether they were nervous about tiling. It sounded like a fun way to encourage a little renovation inspiration.
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