This week I’m sharing my powder room makeover, complete with stunning tropical wallpaper c/o Wallpaper Direct! The wallpaper we chose is called “Amazon” from Albany and this tropical bird wallpaper also features monkeys, frogs and exotic plants. As I shared in my previous post about my dark moody powder room inspiration, I wanted the perfect tropical wallpaper that was vivid, three-dimensional and in shades of blue and green to match our vanity. We couldn’t be more pleased with the results, and this wallpaper from Wallpaper Direct truly feels like stepping into a different world!
Of course, I had to share the before image of our bathroom. A boring, bland space begging for a rich upgrade! We ripped out the wood vanity, the grey slate tile and even replaced the toilet with all new fixtures. We also recentered the light into the middle of the ceiling. I sadly didn’t take before pictures prior to demolition, so I pulled these from a video I took when we first viewed the loft!
As I explained in my previous blog post, we also opted to add a new terrazzo tile from Ciot, specifically, the Cristallo Classico Honed tile in 24″x24″ . This is an engineered stone and while it has a natural stone appearance, can withstand moisture and foot traffic – a must in a guest bathroom! I absolutely fell in love with this tile, and how it reminds me of beach glass you can find walking along a sandy coast. I love all the different stones and crystals that make up this terrazzo, and highly recommend it for installation. We opted for a classic off-white grout. It also perfectly compliments our tropical direction with the design of the powder room, with a modern, trendy edge!
After re-centering the light fixture, we also installed a beautiful Willa Glass flush mount light fixture from Wayfair, that reminds me of a tropical shell! This vintage-inspired fixture with its milkglass, fluting and brass reminds me of an art deco vintage shell lightfixture, and ties in the beachy tile perfectly. I can’t recommend this fixture enough if you’re looking to replace boob lights in your home!
Last but not least, we had a thick poplar wood baseboards installed, tieing into the millwork of the rest of our home. I prefer poplar millwork over MDF especially in bathrooms because it withstands moisture much better. I love that it made the bathroom feel more grand and fancy, like a powder room you’d find in an old Victorian home instead of just a condo loft! We gave it a thick coat of Benjamin Moore Advance Interior Paint in Semi-Gloss, in my all-time favourite, goes with everything white, Chantilly Lace OC-65. I had considered doing a matching dark blue trim to blend into the wallpaper, but the millwork was so pretty, we decided to keep the contrast, which also ties in the white ceilings (also Chantilly Lace), counter and light fixture. We used the save Benjamin Moore Advance paint in Chantilly Lace on the door as well. All of our baseboards and doors are painted Chantilly Lace in our home, so I don’t mind the consistency!
Installing Tropical Wallpaper in a Small Powder Room
Next, the fun part–installing the tropical wallpaper into our powder room! For this powder room makeover, we decided not to install a “splash” wall behind our vanity/sink, so the wallpaper needed to wrap behind the vanity and go up the slanted ceilings under our staircase.
I’ll be honest it was a bit daunting installing this wallpaper, as I had only helped my mom on other projects involving completely flat bedroom walls! However, for our first time installing wallpaper in a bathroom, I was so impressed with the results. Part of that credit is due to the incredible quality of the Amazon by Albany wallpaper from Wallpaper Direct. This tropical wallpaper is printed on a thicker vinyl, which made it easy to manipulate without tears.
We watched a Home Renovision DIY YouTube video on how to install wallpaper. To start, we used a scrappy laser level, used a sharpie to draw a straight line and put up our first strip against the line and got going! One thing we learned is to definitely be generous with the wallpaper paste! We also used foam brushes and added extra paste to the corners and edges as we went along. As the video mentions, the wetter the walls are, the easier it is to manipulate the paper and get a perfect, straight finish. The trickiest parts were getting the paper to match perfectly on our sloped ceiling. This was definitely a two-person job, and I helped hold up the paper at an angle, while my partner Daniel pasted the wall, and matched the bottom part of the paper first, before going up the angled wall. If your powder room has straight walls, this will be a piece of cake for you! Simply take your time and use lots of wallpaper paste.
The entire wallpaper installation process took about 6-8 hours. We actually did this overnight the night before new year’s eve after a trip to a spa. If i can offer any advice – install wallpaper first THEN go to a spa, since it can be a bit tedious and stretch your back.
Another tip is to install the wallpaper first, before putting in your toilet, floating vanity, or mirror/medicine cabinet. This will give you more space to move around in the bathroom and allow a perfect canvas before installing large fixtures that might get in the way.
Powder Room Bathroom Accessories
After finishing the wallpaper install, we had our plumber install our Veneto bath floating vanity, Rubinet Hexis satin brass faucet and Toto toilet. We used some heavy drywall plugs for the floating vanity, and one side was screwed into a wood stud. If you have the ability to open up your drywall, it’s a good idea to put wood behind your drywall for reinforcement. Remember to do this BEFORE you wallpaper over the entire wall!
We finished off with some accessories, including a brass mirror from Structube (similar style here), a NEST New York Bamboo Reed Diffuser, a Hexagon toilet paper holder and Hexagon brass towel ring from Anthropologie to pull the tropical wallpaper powder room together!
Amazon by Albany Blue Multi Wallpaper Direct Review
I am so pleased with the results of the tropical bird wallpaper from Wallpaper Direct in this powder room. It truly was what I was envisioning for a powder room makeover, and every time I use this bathroom, I feel like I’m in a chic restaurant with a fun and funky wallpaper from another world! If you have a bland small bathroom, I highly encourage you to go with a bold patterned wallpaper to elevate your space. The ease of installation, especially for our first project makes this wallpaper a no-brainer! I am already thinking of other Albany Wallpapers from Wallpaper Direct to install in other areas!
Thank you to the following vendors for partnering with me on this powder room renovation: Wallpaper Direct, Benjamin Moore, and CIOT Tile.
