Let’s talk about vanity. Specifically, the sink vanity I left primed in a previous post.
We spent forever sampling about fifty swatches and finally picked a bright kelly green we thought would be fun—a pop of color in an otherwise white bathroom. We bought a quart of Benjamin Moore Baby Fern in their semi-gloss Natura line and got to work. After two coats it was obvious the color just didn’t translate the way we’d imagined.
Bad call. At one point my daughter said it looked like Kermit the Frog. After a few sighs and a laugh, we wandered into the garage and pawed through our stash of paint until we found a familiar favorite: Silhouette. It’s a moody brown-gray with faint plum undertones—subtle, sophisticated, and much more our speed. We’d used it on previous projects and knew it would be a safe rebound.
Swapping to Silhouette transformed the mood. Instead of a white room with a neon vanity, the space reads as a chic, almost-black-and-white bathroom. It plays beautifully with the slate tile and hardware.
Luck came in the form of hardware. While browsing Anthropologie, we spotted faceted octagonal knobs marked down to $2.95 each—an irresistible find. Their angles echo the shape of our mirror and reinforce the room’s geometry.
We also picked up a clearance toilet paper holder from Lowe’s to replace an old wooden one—another small upgrade that makes the space feel more finished.
It’s definitely an upgrade from where the half bathroom started. Simple changes like paint and hardware can make a huge difference, and this project proved that a course correction can be the right move.
Next on the list are a few practical fixes: either scrubbing or replacing the grout and swapping out a leaky faucet. Those updates will tidy things up and improve function.
We also have a quirky lighting detail: the fixture is slightly off-center and was turned around earlier to accommodate a larger mirror. From some angles it looks like two little eyes with the mirror forming a mouth, which adds a bit of personality to the room.
The light, mirror, and faucet aren’t perfectly aligned—centering the mirror on the light would make it misaligned with the faucet—so we compromised and split the difference for now. It’s less noticeable and keeps the visual balance reasonable until we tackle a bigger update.
There are a few Phase 1 tasks left—grout repair, a new faucet, and possibly a light swap. I’m oddly excited about light shopping and admittedly procrastinating on the grout. Down the line we’re considering a more ambitious overhaul, like grasscloth wallpaper, a tiled accent wall, or a pedestal sink, but for now these affordable tweaks make the half bath more welcoming.
That’s the vanity update: a small detour, a better color choice, a few inexpensive finishes, and a much-improved half bath. Anyone else mid-renovation on a small bathroom? How’s your progress going?