Yes.

I agree with IdaClaire. I love wallpaper, and the powder room is a room that you can definitely afford to go wild or bold-- but I don't think those two papers would do much of anything for any room.

I think they're too busy as well. Plus remember that your eye mixes color. when you step back from black and white, it's going to read as gray, especially the dotted pattern. I once bought a small green and red print fabric that was really pretty up close, but looked gray-brown from across the room.

I have a few black and white striped bathrooms in my inspiration folders. I actually have been drawn to the idea myself. But I notice that the ones I like have wider stripes or are hung horizontally too.

I do not like this one with the thinner stripes as much, though I love the vanity and floor more!

I was going for something like either of these two images:

but I was apprehensive before and definitely am more so now. I just don't want a boring powder room with subway tile, ya know?

The bathroom needs all new fixtures, toilet and sink, so I have a blank slate as far as that goes. The floors are actually a continuation of our wood floors throughout the rest of the house.

How do I pick a wallpaper that isn't obnoxious but still really cool and fun?

I like the wider stripes compared to the skinnier stripes in the 3rd striped inspiration pic. Do you have a pic of your actual bathroom you want to do wallpaper in?

I like both your choices. We looked into graphic wallpaper as well, and I saw this pattern installed -- it was really nice looking in person:

It's less dizzying when it's broken up by tile or wood underneath it:

@always1stepbehind I actually do not have a picture of the bathroom because we aren't moving in until next week. I do have its ugly, outdated, purple image burned into my mind though! The one nice thing is it does have a window, which not many powder rooms have. Other than that, it's pretty standard. Toilet on one side, sink across from toilet. It's in an 'L' shape, with the toilet on the shorter wall and the sink on the longer wall.

Maybe a more gentle white and black paper that also includes grey tones? Stripes can be annoying, and the dots are simply too busy...

If you end up with stripes, Roarah's suggestion might work, depending on the rest of the room.

Maybe if you find the solid stripes a bit much you could use a paper like Farrow and Ball's Block Print Stripe.

However, if there is anyplace that you can do something that you would not be able to tolerate anywhere else, it's a powder room--because how much time are you going to spend in their anyway?

It also depends if you personally use the powder room to put on make up or things like that. You don't want to have something that could have a negative impact on lighting if so. But if the powder room is going to be used briefly I see no problem with using something that might be headache inducing in a bedroom or TV viewing area, none at all.

They are both a little less graphic and you can feel the pigment on the paper.

Keep searching there are some much easier on the eyes in B &W

The thing I like is that you can go BOLD in a powder room without tiring of the look (as you would, in say a bedroom). And you can spend more money on paper because you need so little (say as compared to a master bath). I had black monkey wallpaper in mine for a long time. I finally did tire of it but believe me if it had been in any other room, it would have been changed a lot sooner! I like both of them although I think I favor the stripes.

I recently saw this in a house for sale. It is a combination of mirrors and mylar wallpaper (and two kinds of marble) in a powder room. I would do this in a powder room, not anywhere else.

I love black and white elements, but didn't care for your wallpaper choices at first glance. Seeing your inspiration pictures changed my mind about the stripes though. I'm still not keen on the spots (maybe if I loved dalmations), but I think the stripes look really cool :)

I want to do something fun and dramatic in our powder bath, where we have bead board on the bottom and a pedestal sink (a lot like your inspiration picture) with polished nickel fixtures, but I can't seem to commit to anything. For years I've kicked around ideas of painting the upper walls a dark color and/or covering it with a gallery wall (like ttodd's black and white gallery wall in her family room), wallpapering the upper walls, or painting a wallpaper-like stencil on them. But I can't seem to decide, so it remains a boring yellow color. I do like the bead board, but it limits my choices because whatever I do has to work with it. With your blank slate, I think you should go for the stripes :)

Brunschwig & Fils makes a 'Les Touches' fabric and wallpaper that might be a bit less seizure inducing. It comes in several colors. In the red color, and low light below, it's not bad at all!

I rather like that B&F paper in the black and white. (I'm squeamish about the red, though. Reminds me of blood spatter.)

I'm jealous b/c I don't have a powder room to decorate, but if I did boy I would haunt the sale stash of the fanciest wallpaper store to find something fun. Monkeys or carp or some such and then make sure every element was tightly in line with the scheme. Have fun, go wild!

I like the dots but not the stripes. The dots remind me of one of our fabrics called "Dragon Dots", and it has been a good seller, but it is in muted colors.

The black and white large stripes make me dizzy, but the dots do not. The stripes tend to vibrate for me, but they may not have that effect on everyone.

I've used black white toile in a power room with great results, but I am more traditional in style. I say if you love it go for it. You can always redo it after a while if you get tired of it. Prep the walls properly before papering to make removal later easier.

Saypoint I know it was a typo but now I want a power room.

I like your second choice but if it were me I'd only do the upper half and paint the lower half of the room.

For a small space I prefer wallpaper that is more random. I find repeat patterns in a small space anxiety inducing. When the repeat is less obvious I find that much more calming.