Bathroom remodels can be a daunting task, but with a little planning (and patience) they can be quite rewarding. When I first laid eyes on the powder bathroom in our new house, I literally cringed. The vanity had a huge red stain on it, and the room was so dark...black toilet, black sink, black ceiling and black wallpaper (albeit with a muted print). The fixtures, although solid brass, were outdated and in no way fit within the overall decor scheme I had planned for our new home.

But ironically, the hardest part of this remodel was removing the wallpaper! Apparently the walls had not been sized prior to adhering the wallpaper, and despite steam, scraping and a few choice words, this was no easy task. To add insult to injury, the removal of the wallpaper left some pretty sizeable gouges in the drywall, which then had to be repaired.

Once the wallpaper removal was complete and drywall patched, I used Zinsser Gardz Problem Surface Sealer (by Rust-Oleum) to prepare the walls before priming and painting. I highly recommend this product if you ever find yourself dealing with torn drywall. It is easy to use and provides a hard, paintable seal over damaged drywall. With this behind me, the real fun began!

I tackled the job of priming and painting the ceiling and then painted the walls. My vision for this bathroom was a rustic old world look, so I opted for a vanity that was reminiscent of an antique wash stand. I knew I wanted to incorporate a copper vessel sink and antique looking wall mount faucet, so I went on the hunt for those first before choosing my tile backsplash and granite countertop. The old brass wall sconces were replaced with rustic textured iron wall fixtures with hammered glass. But the finishing touch was the antique mirror I found at a local antique store that pulled it all together. Voila! Mission complete!

gdg4rusticbarn