A Jewelry Box in A Home?
Yes Indeed - A Powder Room is That Room
It's been quite a while since I published a blog post. Rest assured it's for a good reason (happy New Year by the way!) My husband and I welcomed a new baby into our lives and most of my time has been spent doting on the little fella while adjusting to life as a mom of 3…the struggle is real, but I digressed.
Before
After
Now back to why you clicked on this blog post in the first place. If you own a house or renting one, you probably have a powder room (a room with just a toilet and sink [no shower]) and while the primary residents of the home may use it, the powder room is often reserved for guests.
To that end, it is the perfect room to showcase and dare I say, go bold with your design. You might wonder why...Well, most common areas of the home tend to be designed in a manner that doesn't overwhelm one's visual senses.
Playing it safe when using color, texture, and pattern often is the logical thing to do since as humans, we grow tired of very bold colors quickly and God knows it is costly to redecorate large spaces. In other words, painting your large family room that rich aubergine will be dated by Friday and you'll be due for a paint refresh which will be expensive.
All that said, there is that one room in your home that can withstand that aubergine paint color you like, a room that you can fill up with tons of art, in fact, a room where you can go bold with design and create a phenomenal jewelry box. That room is your powder room.
I'll expand on the above using my newly renovated powder room as exhibit A. As I have mentioned before, form and function should be key components of every design and you should always aim to enhance the functionality of a space when renovating it.
In my case, I love for my bathrooms to be self-contained with their own cleaning supplies, and spots to house extra toilet paper, paper towels, hand soap & lotion. Given how tiny my powder room is, stacking up bins with all these items wasn't going to look aesthetically pleasing. In fact, I tried it, and it wasn't successful. So, I knew I needed a more efficient and sustainable solution. That meant, I had to swap out the pedestal sink for a small floating vanity with storage; that way the room didn't feel cramped.
Once the practical things were sorted out, the fun began. I really wanted this room to feel like the powder room you see in luxury boutique hotels, so I paid close attention to the materials and finishes I chose. Case in point, I:
Used stone with heavy veining for drama (I settled for a quartz [Calacatta Umi]) instead of marble to avoid etching and stains from hard water.
Installed a very tall back splash with the same stone for added drama.
Added a custom teal concrete sink for a pop of color (purchased the sink from Concretti).
Donned the room with different sources of light at different levels to create ambiance. Note: Using softer light (2700K to 3000K) is best to create a vibe.
Switched out the builder-grade light switches for these lovely ones from Buster and Punch.
Upgraded the doorknob.
Added a café curtain for a touch of elegance (curtain was custom made by a vendor on Etsy and the rod is antique); and
Accessorized with art on the walls (lots of it).
Having a home that is cohesive when it comes to its colors is very important to me, and since the color palette in my home is white and black, I chose to paint this powder room charcoal gray (walls and ceiling). This gave the room a sophisticated look and to up the ante, I added some picture molding (a subtle nod to the style of my home). Contrary to what you might think, painting a small space dark doesn't always make it feel smaller especially if you paint the entire room the same color.
I am quite pleased with how this turned out and I hope my guests get to appreciate it as much as I do. While rooms in your home should be designed strictly for you and your family, I think the powder room is one exception to that rule since your guests get to use the space as well and I trust you’d like to make a good impression on them, right?
What are your thoughts on this room? How bold will you go with your powder room design? Let's chat about this in the comment section.
If you need detailed ODD tips for your bathroom design, do check out my other bathroom blog post and if you’d like one-on-one assistance with a room you are working on, feel free to reach out to me for a complimentary consult. I'd love to help.
Cheers