22 Powder Rooms That Pack Serious Style Into a Small Space
Hear the phrase "powder room" and images of tiny (maybe even bordering on claustrophobic!) bathrooms spring to mind. But just because these small half-baths—as they're sometimes called—aren't known for being spacious doesn't mean that they can't be some of the most characterful rooms in a home. Without the issues of humidity that arise in full bathrooms that are equipped with showers and bathtubs, powder rooms actually have even more design freedom, enabling the use of saturated colors, vivid wallpaper, and moody lighting to create an otherworldly feeling. We've gathered up 22 powder rooms that go bold, luxurious, and exuberant despite their small square footage—take a look below!
A Brand-New Powder Room That Feels Right At Home In A 1910 Four Square
Portland, Oregon–based architects Heidi Beebe and Doug Skidmore created an updated addition—consisting of a master suite upstairs and kitchen, pantry, powder room, and covered patio downstairs—that’s perfectly integrated with the original house and vibrantly modern at the same time. Playful wallpaper from Graham & Brown livens up the house’s otherwise staid powder room, which also contains a pint-size Ikea sink.
The bathroom set-up in this renovated barn in Northern California echoes that of the kitchen. A single-bowl, apron-front sink sits on a thin steel shelf, with exposed plumbing and separate hot and cold taps. The tall, slim inset mirror conceals a medicine chest in the bottom portion.
Lawyer-turned-interior designer Delia Kenza recently renovated her parlor floor powder room, which is tucked behind a staircase. She stuck a piece of glass like a transom near the ceiling, exposing the old plaster. She used a textured wallpaper and a marble backsplash alongside brass fixtures and unexpected artwork.
A 1930s terrace house in London saw a transformation by Gruff Architects, complete with a new powder room whose green leaf wallpapered interiors flow onto the back of the bathroom door. White and green tiles at the floor provide a contrast of scale while still maintaining the color scheme.
In a 1930s home in Australia, a bungalow gets a renovation including new bathrooms. A monochromatic powder room in pinky-orange features a wall-mounted sink and mosaic tile with matching grout.
A sculptural freestanding washbasin by Gessi is found in the first-floor powder room. The hex tiles are courtesy of Dear Human, while the concrete floor is softened by natural daylight.
If designer Lynne Bradley had to choose a favorite bathroom design in her portfolio, it would be this guest bathroom. "Incorporating a strong, geometric pattern through the use of
white, rectangular mosaic tiles with black grout created the illusion of space," she says.
In a powder room at a luminous home in Australia, a terrazzo basin in the powder room makes a statement set atop a concrete countertop. Large-scale white penny tile continue the light color palette.
The team behind Randy Bens Architect worked with Moosehead Contracting and Falken Reynolds Interiors to create this minimalist family home on St. George Street in Vancouver, Canada. With 11 skylights throughout the home, even the powder room has one; the circular shapes are mimicked in the circular mirror and sink.
Cement tiles are featured in the bathroom, powder room, and even around the fireplace in this house in LA. The Teselle tile on the wall behind the sink make it a focal point of the small space.
A meticulously renovated penthouse apartment in Denver, Colorado included this powder room, with graphic blue and white floor tiles that contrast with the smaller scale of the white penny tile on the walls. A triangular vanity for the vessel sink is a smart, space-saving solution.
At a family compound in Nantucket, the materials in the restroom speak to the local vernacular, with wood paneling and countertop, but the minimalist detailing and light finish make it modern. The black sink and accessories contrast against the white walls, adding another dimension.
In a four-story, ground-up project with dramatic ocean views, the powder room exudes clean, simple vibes with a warm palette and mix of walnut, stone, and white walls. The undulating, unfinished edge of the marble backsplash recalls the waves of the nearby water.
In Brooklyn's Bay Ridge neighborhood, a home from the early 1900s is completely renovated and expanded. The tranquil powder room features marble tile floors and a marble vanity, and the walls have a warm gray paint with an undulating off-white wallpaper.
A large apartment in the Indian city of Mumbai features a range of materials, textures and patterns throughout the spaces, and the powder room is no different, with hexagonal tiles on the walls and a marble vanity that serves as the support for a gold and white vessel sink.
An under-the-stairs powder room is transformed into an exciting space in this home in Australia, where the gray subway tile gives way to a colorful printed wallpaper.
A large condo in San Francisco's Pacific Heights neighborhood has a powder room whose cheery wallpaper has pops of yellow, which are repeated throughout the space with accent towels.
One of the great challenges in powder rooms is finding sinks that are small enough to fit into tight or narrow spaces, but that still work with the style and aesthetics of the room. Here, the all white tiling, walls, and fixtures including the sink provide a visual consistency that make it feel more spacious.
A dramatic black and gray marble brings subtle glamour to this petite powder room, which was originally designed in the 1920s by noted female architect Frankie Faulkner. Dark floor tiles and accessories like a black-framed mirror and dark window treatments tie the black-and-white theme together.
In a complete remodel/addition of a 1920's Monterey Colonial on one of Sacramento's greatest streets, the powder room comes alive with wallpaper depicting galavanting zebras for a playful touch. Photo by Kat Alves
The powder room in a renovated 1957 midcentury modern home in Portland takes on a moody vibe with textured, irridescent floor-to-ceiling tiles but stays sleek with streamlined fixtures in polished nickel and marble.
In Golden Beach, Florida, a new residence was designed with a minimalist, zen-inspired approach that carried through to even the small powder room, where the focal point is on a sculptural sink and a textured tile wall behind the sink.
Related Reading: You Don’t Have to be a Narcissist to Update Your Vanity
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