Today is week 3 of the One Room Challenge and I’m excited to finally share the mood board for our half bath! I’ll walk you through the inspiration for the design, what we’ve purchased so far, and what we still need to figure out.
Need to catch up on previous weeks? Links to all bathroom posts can be found below:
WEโRE FINALLY DOING IT | SPRING ONE ROOM CHALLENGE
HALF BATH RENO: THE BEFORE | ONE ROOM CHALLENGE WEEK 1
HALF BATH RENO: DEMO | ONE ROOM CHALLENGE WEEK 2

Renovation Mood Board: Half Bathroom
We are chugging right along with our half bath renovation. Almost all of the demo in the room is complete. The floor is the last bit that we need to finish removing.
Mike opened up most of the floor last week so the plumber could get a good look at our plumbing. It doesn’t sound like it will be too labor-intensive for them to move the plumbing for the toilet and sink. Now, we’re just waiting for them to send over the quote. If all looks good we should be able to get on their schedule and have the work done within a week.
There are a few things we can do in the space while we wait but today I wanted to talk about the design and share our mood board for the half bath.

The design
When approaching the design for our half bath I knew I wanted to keep it pretty classic and traditional in feel.
Whenever we start a project in our home, Mike likes to remind me that this isn’t our forever home. Aka, don’t splurge or doing anything that will turn buyers off. But, this is still our home and since we don’t have any definitive plans to move anytime soon, I want our home to feel like us.
By sticking with a design that’s more traditional in feel and selecting items that feel timeless, I’m able to accomplish both.
Inspiration
When we decided to tackle our half bath for the Spring ORC, I didn’t have a design plan in mind. Looking for some direction, I headed to Pinterest and Instagram to get some inspiration.
I was immediately drawn to this green traditional and historic-looking bathroom. I love the warm wood tones mixed with the green and touches of black. So classic and cozy and inviting for a bathroom.
This little guest bath by Whittney Parkinson has me drooling. I love the color pallet in this space. That yummy green with the darker vanity top and warm wood tones. Another classic but fresh-looking space.
These two spaces really solidified my decision for the color pallet in this space. A mid-tone green with touches of black to ground the space. I’ll mix in cream, antique brass, and a medium-tone wood for warmth. Seeing these colors come together on our half bath mood board is making me so happy!

You know I love a good wall moulding treatment and adding one to this bathroom shouldn’t be a surprise. I love the classic and elegant look of picture moulding and this one draws the eye up and is similar to the moulding treatment we did in the upstairs hallway.
I also really love the panel moulding in this bathroom by Studio McGee. To me, this style feels a bit more masculine and makes me think of an English library or something. I’m leaning towards this style for our half bath since it’s off of Mike’s man cave room.
What we’ve purchased so far for the half bath
While I feel like I’ve got a good grasp on the look and feel of the design for the space, I’ve only purchased a few items so far.
The sink was one of the first items we purchased for the bathroom. I’ve always wanted an open console sink in this bathroom but they are so freaking expensive. I did find a great DIY tutorial that would bring the cost down to a fraction of what it would cost buying one new. Ultimately though, because this room is so small, measuring about 3′ x 5’8″, I thought it best to go with a wall-mounted sink. We found one at a local salvage store that just needs a bit of cleaning and touching up.
The other big purchase we made for the space was our toilet. If there’s such a thing as a beautiful toilet, this is it! I love the traditional look of the Miseno toilet I found on Build. Very classic in feel and it’s one of the smaller ones I found making it perfect for our little space.
The final big purchase I made 2 days ago was for our floor. Originally, I wanted to go with a black-honed marble hexagon floor tile but Mike said no. My close second was this Greecian white basketweave honed marble. I liked that it felt timeless and still had a touch of black to tie in with the other elements in the room. Mike fell in love with this Tellaro honed natural stone marble. I really love it as well but feel like it takes the design in a different direction.
I’ve been going back and forth between these two for weeks and finally pulled the trigger the other night. I was shopping on Home Depot’s website looking for accessories and saw that the price dropped on the one I wanted. Making it about half the cost of the one Mike picked. Because we’re trying to stick to a budget, I took it as a sign and jumped on it.
I also scooped up this Kichler ribbed vanity light for above the mirror and this 12″ black and gold flush mount for the ceiling. The vanity light is on backorder and may not make the final reveal but the flush mount is here.
At the last minute, we decided to add replacing the pocket door and the window to our to-do list. I was planning on painting our existing flush surface hollow-core door but Mike really wanted to upgrade to a solid door. We decided to go with this Evermark 6 panel solid wood door that I’ll paint to match the space. The window we went with is by American Craftsman. It’s fine for this house and will be an upgrade from the one we have now.
Decisions and purchases we still need to make
We have most of the big items and main elements of the space figured out. There are a few things though that I’m still working through.
One of those items is the faucet. I didn’t realize when we purchased the sink that the holes were drilled for a 4″ mini spread faucet. I’d been looking at 8″ widespread faucets assuming that that was what I needed. I’ve never specified a 4″ before and don’t love the look of the faceplate most of them have.
A few I’m considering include this 4″ Heritage centerset 2 handle in polished brass and this 4″ Vintage centerset 2 handle in polished brass. I really like this Victorian mini-widespread but it’s on backorder for 10-20 weeks. This English Country faucet is pretty but I don’t know if I want something this tall and the price is a little more than I wanted to spend. The finish also needs to work with the natural brass finish on the vanity light. Which is a little hard to do without the light here.
Another important item I need to figure out is the paint color. I have a rough idea of the shade and tone of green I want to use but haven’t selected THE color for the space. I’m hoping once the plumbing is complete and the drywall is up it will be easier to determine this. Trying to select a paint color while looking at studs isn’t ideal.
Another item in the space that I need to figure out is the mirror. I like the idea of a simple arched mirror with a thin black frame. It brings in more of the black that I’m wanting in the room. I’m also considering using a wooden mirror I thrifted last summer. I don’t have any wood in the space and this would be one way to add some in.
Whichever mirror I go with I’m hoping I can DIY a way to use it with the medicine cabinet we’re building. It was one of the elements in the space I was hoping to keep allowing us a little bit of storage in this small space.
We also need to get the wall moulding, base, and crown for the room. I’m not too worried about this and feel like we have some time to figure it out.
The other things we need are the small detail items. These are the things that will reinforce the design and add some personality and style to the space. These include:
- Outlet and Light Switch Covers
- Pocket Door Hardware
- Floor Tile Transition Piece
- Floor Register
- Toilet paper holder
- Waste Basket
- Towel Hook
- Rug
- Window Treatment
- Styling Pieces Such As Art, Guest Napkins, Napkin Holder, Soap, Towels, etc.
Mood Board Half Bath
There you have it! Our mood board and design direction for our half bath renovation. I’m in love and I hope you are too!
I’m so excited to see this space come to life and transition from the dated and awkward little blue bath it was to a classic and timeless functional and traditional bath of our dreams.
Let me know your thoughts below and if you want to help a girl out and weigh in on the things we still need to make decisions on.
Don’t forget to check out what the other designers are doing! For more inspiration and to cheer the featured and guest designers on, head to the One Room Challenge blog to follow along!


Erin says
Absolutely STUNNING design! ๐๐ Weโre excited to continue following your transformation! Good luck from fellow ORC participants!
Deanna says
Thanks, Erin!! I appreciate the love! Thanks for the comment and I’m so excited to follow along with your project! Loving options #1 for your play kitchen and activity center ๐ Good luck, friend!
Erin says
Thank you so much for your input!
Erin Zubot says
I love your plan! I am using a very similar tile in my bathroom, you can’t go wrong with a classic basketweave!
Deanna says
Thanks! Yes, I agree. My husband is always reminding me that this isn’t our forever home so sticking with the classics makes me happy but him as well ๐ hahaha
Bridget says
Your design plan is so classy and timeless! Looking forward to seeing it all come together. Good luck!
Deanna says
Thank you so much, Bridget! Looking forward to following along with your office reno as well!