Why is the powder room, a tiny bathroom with just a sink and toilet, many interior designers' favorite room in the house? Though small, the powder room offers big opportunities for bold design. The jewel box of the home, the half bath, is often the place where people are free to bring their design dreams to life.
Bold colors, playful wallpapers, and unexpected details are bold ways to add interest to a very small space. Often, these vibrant elements are saved for powder baths, while other areas of the home are kept a bit more subdued. Interior designer Ellie Christopher says that powder rooms are perfect for this special touch because they see so little foot traffic.
“I get bored. [the powder room] “It's not something you see multiple times a day. It's not a place you wake up to every day,” she said. “It becomes a little bit of a refuge from everyday life.”
Christopher's expert powder room advice? “Wallpaper, wallpaper and more wallpaper. Wallpaper everything, even the ceiling.”
Know where to spend your money
Christopher says that because powder baths are such small rooms, renovating them can often be done on a relatively tight budget, but there are some elements worth investing in that can make a big impression.
“It's just a small space, so it won't cost you a ton of money — usually 3 feet by 6 feet,” says Christopher, “spend a little more on a mirror and a faucet.”
Go for the Gold Medal
Hector Manuel Sanchez Styling: Holly Smith
Make a statement by choosing a striking metal: shiny gold looks great, and when it comes to hardware, designers favor unlacquered brass or polished nickel.
Facilitate flow
“If the powder room is close or separate from the formal living room, I usually make sure there's a flow or similar feel,” says Christopher, “so I keep the powder room dark to set the tone for the other rooms.”
Try Blue and White
If you're using subtle blue and white in the rest of your home, decorate your bathroom with the same color scheme, choosing a bolder, more vibrant pattern in the same color palette for this space.
Incorporate scallops
Southerners love incorporating scalloped patterns into their interior design. Traditional or less symmetrical versions of the same silhouette can help accentuate the simplicity of your powder room.
Soft and masculine design
Playful patterns and bold designs are often interpreted as feminine frills, so flip that around by designing a more masculine powder room that any Southern gentleman would endorse.
Paying tribute to history
Allison Gootee Styling: Dakota Willimon
This powder room was designed to complement the home's historic character, with a modern twist on traditional elements and patterns that make the space feel right at home.
Stylish on the floor
While you're jazzing up your walls, don't forget to give your floors some love too: colorful tiles and a fun rug can give a room the calming vibe it needs.
Brighten up a windowless room
Many restrooms lack natural light, so designers must decide whether to go for ambiance or bring new light in. If the latter, light wallpapers, light textures and lots of indirect lighting can help create a bright and airy restroom.
Create a night garden
Floral wallpaper is a classic, so opt for dark floral patterns rather than bright or pastel colours for a dramatic twist on this popular motif.
Add a little whimsy
More than any other room in the house, this is the room where you have free reign to realize your boldest design dreams: feel free to play around with colors, patterns and unexpected motifs.
Loading Textures
Mixing different textures and materials can add charm to a more minimalist space, especially when incorporated into a small one. Here, grasscloth wallpaper contrasts pleasingly with matte hardware, polished wood and fluffy florals.
Don't hesitate to try unusual wallpapers
Florals, grasscloth and geometric patterns aren't the only attractive wallpaper options, so why not try something different to decorate the limited wall space in your powder bathroom?
Try Colorful Trim
Photography by Brian Beader, Design by Maggie Griffin Design
“Paint the trim,” Christopher recommends. “Try a gloss paint or go for a dark color. Do something totally different than usual.”
Providing coastal charm
Pay tribute to your home's coastal location with a high-stakes powder bath theme. If your home isn't by the sea, a coastal bath can be just as fun as a beach fantasy.
Decorate the gallery
Layer more interest over cluttered wallpaper: Create a stunning mini gallery wall with framed art and mirrors.
Bring in antiques
A powder bath probably isn't the place to put on your makeup in the morning — that's the role of the main bathroom, which means a beautiful speckled antique mirror can add a glamorous touch to your powder bath without taking away from the purpose of the space.
Making the most of your monogram
The powder bath is likely to be a popular spot for party and dinner guests to use during their short stay, so welcome them with custom towels featuring your monogram.
Turn up the volume
Take inspiration from your favorite design style, but take it up a level, two or three.
“I like to go bold and romantic or traditional – whatever my client prefers,” says Christopher, “I like to add volume and give it a powder bath.”
Do it all at once
“Some clients shy away from finishing an entire living room because it's expensive,” says Christopher, “but a powder room is a room you can finish and feel a sense of accomplishment in – and it doesn't have to cost a fortune.”
Use unexpected color combinations
If there's any place to take chances, it's the powder room, where you can experiment with interesting palettes and patterns in the safe space of your powder room.
Let the wallpaper speak
Christopher says, “Wallpaper, wallpaper and more wallpaper.” And we couldn't agree more – choose an interesting wallpaper as a focal point and keep the rest of the room simple.
Match Metal
For a cohesive look, match your bathroom hardware with other metal decor pieces—here, the faucet blends seamlessly with the mirror frame, sconces, and even the soap dispenser.
Think chic
A powder room can be anything you want it to be: quirky, whimsical, or anything in between. Another approach is to think chic: Here, deep colors, natural stone, and sophisticated wallpapers create the feel of an elegant hideaway.
More decoration
Sometimes, more is better. Layer patterns, knick-knacks, and anything else you can fit into the small space of your dressing room. After all, it's much easier to get rid of unnecessary décor than to add it later.
Expressing through art
Small restrooms only have a small amount of room for wall art, so be bold and striking when purchasing art to create enough interest with just a few pieces.
Make it personal
A powder room is a great place to decorate from the heart, like in this powder room, adding hints of the things you love, like color, pattern or your favorite sea creatures.
Fly High
When it comes to wallpapering or painting your restroom, the walls aren't the limit: Christopher recommends continuing the decor all the way up to the ceiling.
Mixed Pattern
Ellie Christopher
Christopher loves to mix and match patterns in his own home, sticking mainly to greyscales and accessorizing his powder room with fish scale wallpaper, vibrant rugs and dotted tile floors.
Embrace your femininity
Carmel Brantley
This farmhouse powder room is a woman's wonderland. Recreate the feel by incorporating vibrant florals and lots of pink into your powder room.
Get inspired by the garden
Just as Southerners love hydrangeas in their gardens, we love hydrangea wallpaper in our powder rooms, and we love real hydrangeas in vases too.
Visit the tropics
You don't have to live somewhere with palm trees or a tropical climate to decorate in this style, and a powder room is the perfect place to add a bit of tropical charm.
The charm of lighting
The secret to an ideal lighting solution is incorporating light on multiple levels. In this lovely powder room, pretty sconces are matched with a glamorous bubble chandelier.
Incorporate rustic details
A reclaimed wood vanity and wooden beaded hanging mirror add subtle rustic elements to a modern dressing room. To find more rustic home decor ideas, click here.
Include your favorite pieces
By Laurie W. Glenn, Styling by Buffy Hargett Miller
In the powder room of this airy cottage in Inlet Beach, Florida, designers Beau Massey and Susan Bollert Smith covered the space in beachy, botanical wallpaper and hung an antique mirror that was a gift from the homeowners' great-grandmother.
Rethinking sinks
By Laurie W. Glenn, Styling by Lindsay Ellis Beatty
For this powder bath in a cottage on Lookout Mountain in Tennessee, designer Hannon Doody paired a ceramic bowl with an antique chest of drawers to create a one-of-a-kind sink.
