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Use Your Powder Room to Make a Statement
I have to admit that
bathrooms and kitchens are probably my top two favorite design projects for a
home. There are so many layers, textures, surfaces choices…. all in one compact
space. For example, with just a few simple decisions and a little careful
planning, you can give your small half bath lots of personality.
The best powder rooms serve the basic functions of a bathroom,
but they do so with grace and charm. Their small footprints have no correlation
to their overall importance. The powder room is one space where items might be
examined up close and personal. All guests at one time or another will see your
powder room.
Design it well, and you put your best foot forward. The trick is
to turn the challenges of designing a powder room - the small size, the mundane
functionality, the all-too-common lack of windows - into opportunities.
Use the space to display art that is better viewed up close; to
experiment with layered lighting; or to hang a striking antique mirror.
Above all, remember…
make a statement.
Because they tend to
be small, powder rooms may pack more design punch per square foot than any
other room in your home. You can make them spectacular and… even outlandish, if
you want. They're ultimate accessory rooms, like little jeweled boxes. Want to
go a little outlandish? An extremely ornate mirror can be appropriate for a powder
room, where it can be admired up closely. You can anchor the small but elegant
space with an antique chest that has been converted to a vanity and add antique
sconces affixed to beautifully patterned wallpaper.
Are you planning to
update an existing powder room, transform a full bath into a half, or carve out
a new spot within an existing floor plan? A larger space may have more design
leeway, but in a tiny room, every item must function, fit, and contribute to
the aesthetic.
I highly recommend
that you talk to a master plumber. All sorts of obstructions - joists,
ductwork, and electrical lines - lurk behind walls and under floors. Before you
site or move a sink or toilet, ask a plumber if you can run pipes through the wall
and if your old pipes are up to today’s building code standards
One way to add more
punch to a small space is to include an oversized mirror to make a space feel
larger and instead of a heavy vanity, add a sink bowl on a wall so that it
appears like its floating in midair. This won’t take from the floor space and
will deceive the eye into visualizing a small bath as a larger bath.
If possible, avoid
placing the toilet where it's visible from the front door when the powder room
door is open. When the hostess gestures to the second door on the left, one
should not be staring at the toilet.
A Classic Powder
Room can be created by combining clean lines and an elegant vanity with crystal
light fixtures and tone-on-tone wallpaper to please your classic taste.
Mixing lighting
sources is a great way to add warmth and character to a Classic Powder Room.
When there are no windows in a Powder Room, I like to go with a moody,
atmospheric feeling. Try enhancing the lighting with rich, patterned wallpapers
such as damask.
You can give your
small bath lots of personality with a little careful planning. The trick is to
turn the challenges of designing a powder room into opportunities.
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