Long known as the space to be bold with wallpapers and patterns, powder rooms can be the true “design sandbox” of the home. Bright colors? Swirling jolts of paint? Custom graffiti art? Check, check, and check… you’ll see all of the above ideas come to life in the designer work below.
We spoke with 10 designers about their favorite ways to make statements in a powder room, including unique tile, mirrors, and of course, those eye-catching wallpapers we all love. If you’ve been hesitating about really going for it in your next redesign, well… read on.
Filip Malyszko, Steve + Filip Design
“A subtle texture makes spaces feel sophisticated, but when it comes to creating a playful design, we love using a pattern. Geometric, organic, realistic or abstract, all them add to the playfulness. For us, going with a larger scale pattern is better and makes the space feel more contemporary. In bathrooms, we love using a vinyl because it adds to the durability. You can also consider repurposing a vintage piece of furniture or creating a sink out of an unconventional item. In this bathroom, we worked with the architect to design a sculptural floating marble sink. Another component is an awesome unique mirror and lighting. For the mirror, the weirder the better!”
Allison Mattison, Trellis Home Design
“This colorful powder room was inspired by its poolside location, and we decided to amp up the turquoise to make it cheerful. The faux bois wallpaper by Meg Braff was reminiscent of a pool reflection, and the Oomph Home Tini Newport Mirror topped off the vanity with a sophisticated but fun statement. When designing powder rooms, I think of them as little standalone jewel boxes — this is where you can truly have some fun and play up color and pattern!”
Laura W Jenkins
“Custom artwork always guarantees a unique space. For this bathroom, we had one of the client’s favorite artists, Greg Mike, create a custom mural that blended with the black-and-white theme of the space. By hiring an artist to create a custom mural, the artwork can speak to you personally, represent the various members of your family, a favorite pastime, places you have traveled and so on — there is no limit to what you can create. Artists can be found through your interior designer, local galleries, or even by wandering through the city discovering wall murals and the artists behind them; don’t be afraid to reach out to artists and see if they would be interested in creating something custom for you.”
Alexandra Naranjo
“This bold powder room features custom handmade mosaic tiles. We used a blue high-lacquered wallpaper on the ceiling and a textured gold grasscloth on the side walls. Powder rooms give you the opportunity to experiment with color and pattern — they’re the room inside the house that should definitely give you that “wow” effect. Even if you are not ready to do color everywhere in your home, doing a bold color and/or pattern in a small space is very rewarding.”
Gil Walsh
“When renovating this Martha’s Vineyard home, we had a difficult time with the powder room — the walls were in a terrible condition. To stay within budget, we created a whimsical powder room with white painted walls, and we added red paint swirls for fun, which distracted from somewhat uneven wall surfaces. To complement all of it, we added a brightly patterned area rug, which we love.”
Dane Austin
“A playful powder room gives your guests something to talk about. What a fun surprise to find a little drama behind the door. Powder rooms are temporary use spaces and are quite separate from the rest of the home, after all. Whether you implement a bold lacquered trim detail, mirror the walls, add faux finishes, or apply wallcoverings, dressing the walls in your powder room is an easy way to go custom and turn it into a fabulous little jewel box.”
Doreen Chambers
“Living oceanside in Delray Beach, Florida, my clients fell in love with this ocean-themed Cole & Son’s Fornasetti Acquario black & multi wallpaper for their powder room. This whimsical pattern is a timeless classic. If my clients are considering wallpaper for the first time, I always recommend starting in the powder room. It’s the perfect space in which to have a playful pattern for an unexpected immersive moment.”
Rebekah Zaveloff, KitchenLab Interiors
“Powder rooms are a perfect place for even the most commitment-phobic client to take risks. It’s the one place even our most risk-averse clients will take the plunge and go for a fun and colorful wallpaper. Oddly, it’s one of the harder rooms for an installer to do – but who’s keeping score? We love mixing a floor pattern with a wall paper, and just going for it! I think clients see this room as a little peek into their parts of their personality that maybe people don’t know or wouldn’t expect.”
Kati Curtis
“When it comes to designing a powder room, feel free to infuse your personality! Powder rooms are like little gems of the house, so they are low risk, high reward when it comes to design. Think whimsical wallpapers, unique lighting, and eccentric tile work.”
