"i'm thinking of putting up some shelves in the powder room i'm redoing,"

What else are you redoing? That would make a difference on your options. Are you getting a new mirror? Vanity? Or just painting?

No matter what, I would suggest not getting shelves but getting wall cabinet(s) instead. You want to hide clutter and protect your towels and cosmetics from moisture and dust.

well, most everything is hidden away, so its not really a matter of storage...its more a matter of accessories and design. setting pictures on them and nick-knacks or whatever...

maybe the lower ones would have tins with q-tips in them or something...but nothing TOO "usefull"...if that made any sense :P

other than that, the only thing i'm doing to do is add some curtains and i'm brainstorming on how to dress up the mirror.

I am assuming that you wish to frame out the mirror. If you do a search of this forum you will see some finished results of mirror framing. You can buy a kit or do it yourself.

Personally, I would not put up shelves in a bathroom sink area, just to set pictures and knickknacks on. I have seen some bathrooms decorated beautifully with shelving and knickknacks but they are much larger bathrooms with space to fill in. I would put the pictures right on the wall.

I assuming you are getting Romans for the window to soften the look. Once you get the Romans and the mirror frame that you already have on your list, I would instead, of getting shelves in the cramped sink area, spend the money on a new nickel faucet and pendant lighting for the area. Or put lighting on the wall over the mirror. The Hollywood lights on the ceiling do nothing positive for the look of the room, and harsh overhead lighting is not the best for applying make-up and contact lenses. These small changes should add enough design interest to eliminate the need for knickknacks and pictures on shelves. JMHO. The room has great potential. You have not said what your budget is, so some of these things maybe cannot be done all at one time of course. Is there a color scheme you have chosen for the room?

well, i moved back in with my parents, and as kindof a thank you gift for them i'm redoing the bathroom...

right now i'm more just doing what i can with what i have...

there really isnt much of a budget...its more of a "when i have a few extra bucks" type deal. so anything more than screwing into the wall or the like is going to have to wait.

there are so many projects going on in the house right now that i dont even want to get NEAR it untill everything else is done :P

some people suggested framing the mirror. i was also thinking of maybe some sort of silk flowers or beads or something like that around the mirror.

i'm trying to go kind of "glam-y" (for lack of i better word). the paint color is the final one. i'm doing a plum type towel and curtains with some yellow accents around there somewhere...kinda weird, but then so am i :)

so we think the room is too small for shelves huh?

Great idea to do something for your parents! Since you aren't replacing the sink, it looks like your room color will revolve around that. Save the plum and yellow combo for another space and focus on colors that go well with the sink color which appears aqua on my monitor. The dark brown cabinet over the toilet looks like that color works well and sounds like it provides enough storage with the sink cabinet. I agree with dilly about not adding more shelves in that small a space. It sounds like you've moved the clutter shown in the first photo--super! Dilly's idea of framing the mirror sounds great--in maybe a dark color to coordinate with the dark cabinet. If that's out of the budget, add cream and chocolate or dark plum colored handtowels, a valance or Roman shade for the window, and a taller narrow picture on the wall to the right of the sink beside the outlet. Check places like Ross, Marshall's, or Home Goods or 2nd hand stores if you don't have one that goes. Dark plum might also be added for accents without the yellow. I think if I were you, I'd skip the beads and flowers around the mirror. If you want glitz, add a pretty ceiling fixture (some are as cheap as beads and silk flowers). Check out Lowe's or HD or online. Good luck. I think it has great potential.

OK. I understand. Budget makeovers are a challenge. Believe me I know. I would look a decorating magazines, and HGTV.com Rate My Room and ApartmentTherapy.com for examples of budget makeovers. Even if you can only do a little at a time you still need an overall plan - a vision.

Silk flowers and beads are going to collect dust and look tired after a while. I would go for a clean, spa-like look. Maybe put ceramic or mirror tiles glued around the mirror. You can get odd lot tiles at places like ReStore and H.O.B.O. for next to nothing.

Since the blue sink, counter and vanity must stay as is, you need to pick a color that will work with the light blue. I do not think purple and yellow will be the best choice with the light blue. Is there a look or feel you are going for? A beach theme with the purple, yellow and blue? A shabby chic look. I know you said "glam" but I do not think you can carry off a 1930's Hollywood glam look, with this space on such a small budget.

With the blue sink you could do a Shabby chic look and maybe put white beadboard over the vanity. Paint the walls creamy Ivory. Add light colored, grayed out pastel towels, with lace like borders. Use mirror tiles around the mirror. Pictures for the walls and a few vintage finds from the thrift store should pull it together and you'll have fun shopping the thrift stores. Create some of the things yourself, like find a picture frame for fifty cents at Goodwill, and then glue seashells on it, or wrap it with ribbon. Frame some vintage finds like old keys. Just some ideas to use as a starting point to come up with your own.

Or you could stick with deep warm beige and chocolate colors with the blue sink and go for a serene spa-like look. You can do a lot with just paint. Paint the vanity chocolate. Use earthy tiles around the mirror. Use picture frames to frame things found in nature, like leaves or dried flowers. Get some brown and blue pattern towels. That color combo is very popular right now at stores.

Find some inspiration pictures of bathrooms decorated like your dream bathroom and noodle for cheaper ways of doing the look. Don't forget to check the 'Ooops' paint bin at you local hardware store or Home Depot. It's $5/gal or $1/gal if it has been opened and tampered with. You can get lighting fixtures at ReStore for a couple of bucks and paint them, A few posters here have painted lighting fixtures and they came out great looking. Maybe you can even make you roman shades or curtains from end of bolt leftover fabric that they sell for a buck.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tiny Wall Shelf