Going Big in a Small Powder Room
Large-scale floral wallpaper is a hit in this mash-up of polished traditional and rustic style
Solutions. First things first — Hay had to make sure that the room was toasty and warm and not in any danger of flooding. She had insulation added to the two exterior walls and underneath the floors. She also added radiant heat beneath the floors.
Layout. Step two was coming up with a better layout. “They had this long, bulky vanity, and you just don’t need that much storage in a powder room,” she says. “We planned for a smaller one with plenty of space for toilet paper and cleaning supplies to make room for the toilet next to it.” This freed up floor space and got rid of the awkwardness.
Style. To stay in keeping with the traditional look of the home, they used a paneled wainscoting. But while many of the finishes are high-end and polished, there also are a few rustic farmhouse touches.
Light fixture: Rejuvenation
Layout. Step two was coming up with a better layout. “They had this long, bulky vanity, and you just don’t need that much storage in a powder room,” she says. “We planned for a smaller one with plenty of space for toilet paper and cleaning supplies to make room for the toilet next to it.” This freed up floor space and got rid of the awkwardness.
Style. To stay in keeping with the traditional look of the home, they used a paneled wainscoting. But while many of the finishes are high-end and polished, there also are a few rustic farmhouse touches.
Light fixture: Rejuvenation
Inspiration. With the new layout set and the draftiness gone, it was time for the big design move — the wallpaper. “We knew we wanted wallpaper in here, and I knew it had to be a showstopper,” Hay says. She found the large-scale floral option from Schumacher and knew it was the one. It inspired the rest of their choices. “Having a highly skilled wallpaper installer is an absolute must,” she says. “The results here look seamless.”
Find wallpaper installers in your area
Find wallpaper installers in your area
Mirror. The mirror Hay’s client found online was just the right touch, playing off the forms of the petals and providing something softer than another rectangle or square. The curves also play off the light fixture overhead. “It was also nice to bring in the black to contrast with the high-end brass finishes and to pick up on the dark floor,” Hay says.
Flooring. The floor is slate laid in a herringbone pattern with white grout. “The slate was more budget-friendly than some of our other options, and laying it out in a herringbone pattern elevated it,” Hay says.
Mirror: Uttermost; check out more black bathroom mirrors
Flooring. The floor is slate laid in a herringbone pattern with white grout. “The slate was more budget-friendly than some of our other options, and laying it out in a herringbone pattern elevated it,” Hay says.
Mirror: Uttermost; check out more black bathroom mirrors
Vanity: The right dose of rustic came from the custom vanity, inspired by one the clients had fallen in love with at Restoration Hardware. “Going custom allowed us to personalize it more and was actually less expensive,” Hay says. “And the rough-sawn solid wood adds so much texture. Other wood finishes can look flat.”
Counter and faucet. The polished Carrara marble counter and brass faucet are an elegant contrast to the rustic wood and vanity hardware.
As for the timely completion of the project, Hay may have been more of a psychic than an exaggerator. All of the work was complete when the homeowner went into labor three weeks ahead of her due date.
Faucet: Delta; hardware: Lee Valley; browse more farmhouse-style vanities
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Counter and faucet. The polished Carrara marble counter and brass faucet are an elegant contrast to the rustic wood and vanity hardware.
As for the timely completion of the project, Hay may have been more of a psychic than an exaggerator. All of the work was complete when the homeowner went into labor three weeks ahead of her due date.
Faucet: Delta; hardware: Lee Valley; browse more farmhouse-style vanities
More
Yes, You Can Go Bold With Wallpaper in a Powder Room
Key Measurements to Help You Design a Powder Room
Photo Flip: 102 Eye-Popping Powder Rooms
Find bath designers near you
Powder Room at a Glance
Who uses it: A couple and their two children
Location: Central Toronto, Ontario
Size: 40 square feet (4 square meters); 5 by 8 feet
Designer: Rebecca Hay Designs
This couple has a beautiful traditional home with some farmhouse style, thanks to beloved antique hand-me-downs from older generations. “They love to have people over, and they wanted this powder room to be a little gem for themselves and their guests,” says designer Rebecca Hay. They also wanted to pull the home’s style into the room.
The couple was in a hurry to get their renovation (which included a nursery and other upstairs rooms) done before their second child arrived, so Hay may have exaggerated the baby’s due date she relayed to the contractor to ensure everything would be done on time.
Problems. The existing bathroom had an awkward layout, with a long vanity running across this wall and the toilet placed at an angle across from it in the corner. Between that taking up floor space and the swing of the door, there wasn’t much room to move around. Also, the room was part of a previous renovation and it was cold and drafty with no basement beneath it, which meant the pipes were in danger of bursting.