Think dark thoughts for your powder room
Your tiny bathroom oasis is the perfect place for a pop of rich colour to add drama
I am looking to freshen up our boring all-white powder room. The powder room is pretty small and I’m not sure what to do with it. We have plain white ceramic tiles on the floor and a white pedestal sink and toilet. We are not afraid of colour and are open to all suggestions.
As one of the busiest rooms in the home and frequented by guests, the powder room is often times an afterthought when decorating. Thought of by designers as the jewel box of your home, it needs to have a bit of a wow factor.
Averaging four feet by five feet, these tiny rooms tend to intimidate and present some of the biggest design challenges for some.
Because of the room’s small size, however, it doesn’t cost as much to make a big impact with bold design statements.
For those who are enamored with dramatic hues but are hesitant to take the leap, this is a room for you. Although a very important room, we don’t tend to spend a whole lot of time here, and because of this it is the perfect place to let your imagination go wild and experiment with colours you may normally shy away from in main living areas.
Colour can do wonders to make rooms look more spacious. There is a misconception that darker colours make rooms look smaller. Deeper hues can hide hard edges and add drama.
When decorating small spaces our first inclination is to go light — the paler the colour, the more light will be reflected, thus making the space feel larger. The fact is that deeper hues can achieve similar results — although in a different way.
Because of the depth of the colour, the edges of the room are shadowed, less defined and somewhat blurred. This absorption of light makes the walls of the room less marked, giving the illusion of more space.
If you still aren’t convinced, you can have both by installing a chair rail and using a dark and a light colour. If you paint the lower half a dark colour, your toilet and sink will be more prominent, which may not be what you want as a focal point. Painting it white, on the other hand, makes them fade into the wood work.
For added drama, add a decorative finish or stencil a motif. Few powder rooms have the luxury of natural light from a window and will always require a light fixture to be turned on when in use.
Lighting here is important as it also serves a decorative purpose. If the light source is on the ceiling, consider a chandelier. Hang sconces or pendants on either side of an interesting mirror for a stylish focal point.
Something to consider if your sink is directly against the wall is an eggshell paint finish.
In addition to reflecting more light, higher sheens have more resistance to moisture.
When you are working with a tight space such as this, just embrace it for what it is. Go deep, go bold and have some fun with it. Andrea Colman is a colour consultant and principal designer and owner of Fine Finishes Custom Design Solutions.