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abigailca

Wallpaper and paint for a contemporary powder room

4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago

My husband and I recently bought a beautiful modern home that is painted an off-white throughout the house. The powder room is relatively small and windowless with a floating vanity and light wood floors and a high ceiling.


I wanted to dress it up a bit, so we painted it a dark grey. (We left the ceiling white because it felt too much to paint it dark but I'm sure some will say to do so.) I like the dark grey because it is dramatic and works well with a b/w photograph which I want to hang behind the toilet. I was going to hang another piece of art (also photography) on the side wall, but I am beginning to see that it might be better to put wallpaper on that wall because it is hard to get enough distance from the wall to take in a piece of art. I had initially considered putting wallpaper behind the mirror, but that wall already has a lot going on and the wall across from it doesn't.


This brings me to my question - would putting wallpaper on one wall in the same tone as the dark grey work? I'm thinking a fairly small pattern that isn't too busy ... I'm looking at peel and stick wallpaper because everything else is feeling somewhat too complicated to plan out. Attaching some pictures


edited - can't load pics :(


Thanks in advance for your help.

Comments (19)

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    pics aren't working on this site. no one can upload pics. been like that since yesterday.

    Without pics on your end, or pics from our end, it's difficult to show you examples.

    keep trying to load pics and hopefully this site is up and running again.

    (but to give you a generic answer, it's fine to do wallpaper on one wall. usually the wall behind the vanity is good. it just depends what you have going on in there and how it looks. hanging a pendant light can look good too. wish I could show you pics. You could also consider doing wallpaper on the ceiling.

  • 4 years ago

    Thank you! I was struggling adding them. I'll keep trying.

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Being a nudge here, but you know about the toilet "plume"? Unless seat is down when flushing, the spray can go at least 3' all around the room. Looking for design, wallpaper all four walls in scrubable finish. Thibaut has some great choices.

  • 4 years ago

    Trying this from my phone

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    It worked.

    I like the dark.

    since your ceilings are so tall, I'd try the wallpaper on the ceiling, (some bold colorfult wallpaper) some large art behind the toilet or on the other wall. maybe some wood shelves behind the toilet if you do art on the other

    since we can't post, google images of bold wallpaper on powder room ceiling


  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    check this, what if you did some cool tile behind that vanity? scroll down to the one w/the small basalt herringbone tile, round mirror, cement vanity and the triple modern pendant. I like that tile in your space.

    https://www.houszed.com/small-powder-room-ideas/


  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    You could paint your ceiling in a similar color as the wall. either a shade lighter or darker.

    I'd try and get the same wood as your vanity (is it bamboo?) for two shelves over the toilet.

    doing a large canvas print on the other wall would complete the look.

    you could also do a contrasting ceiling color, the wallpaper, or the tile behind the vanity.

    can't really see your lights, but some cool looking pendant (s) hung down in that corner would really look nice too.

    You have a great space w/that color. just needs some fine tuning.

  • 4 years ago

    Thanks for the feedback and the link, Beth!

    While I’m brave enough to go dark in the bathroom, I’m less inclined to do anything on the ceiling … my husband and I are minimalists so I’m looking for sleek. I have considered a pendant since the current bathroom light is not enough.

    If I put wallpaper behind the mirror, it leaves the wall next to the toilet just plain dark grey.

    Note: I have a lot of beautiful b/w art photographs to choose from to put up (and will do so behind the toilet) but it dawned on me that art on the wall directly next to the toilet would be a little awkward to see and that maybe a flat print would work well.

    Here are two possible wallpaper samples that I found on Houzz. Thoughts?

  • 4 years ago

    This is what I want to hang behind the toilet. My husband is a photographer and I love this. Will be a medium sized square print with maybe a white frame.

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    the bottom one is blah. do the entire room in that, or not at all. I think one wall of that paired w/your dark paint walls would look odd.

    the first one could work.

    the art will be reflected in the mirror, so it will be seen. why not try it out first before committing to the wallpaper?

    as for the ceiling, what about light silver metallic that's similar to that second wallpaper?


    i'll try and post some pics later

  • 4 years ago

    So I was trying to match wallpaper print to complement the photo. (See above) but I’m used to seeing wallpaper behind the mirror and don’t know if putting it up across the vanity makes sense.

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    You could do a wallpaper behind the vanity. you're fine there. what you have now isn't busy looking.

    I'd do that, a wood shelf over the toilet, with maybe a black/white print above that. And, if you like, do a few framed or plain canvas prints along that large wall

    what about a nice light fixture for the ceiling?

    paint the ceiling in a slightly lighter color than the wall and bring in a minimal, but modern looking chandelier or pendant.

  • 4 years ago

    Something like this (this is an app not a real framed pic)

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    I'd love something like this! (it's a powder room! you can step outside the box a bit)

    https://www.miltonandking.com/product/leopard-wallpaper

    Scroll down to the dark wall bathroom w/the pigeon pictures. What do you think about doing something w/artwork or photos like shown here? you don't have to go as wild or do as many, but just the eclectic sort of gallery.

    https://tiphero.com/bathrooms-transformations


    i've got some pics of the shelving on a dark wall behind the toilet. i'll post those when i'm able

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    man I wish I could upload some photos.

    yes to your art work. I have some other photos I'm waiting to show you.


    i have a better idea for the ceiling. get some slat wood to match the vanity. if it's bamboo, get a sheet of the plywood bamboo, stain in the same color, rip it down to 1x1's or 1x2', and nail them up to the ceiling.

    you could also do some bamboo flooring planks and use those.


    bring in your artwork and a nice ceiling light.

  • 4 years ago

    My iPhone is able to load pics that my computer couldn’t.

    So you are in sync with what I’m thinking with that pigeon photo (only not the frame wall because my husband doesn’t like grouped photos.) I think the bathroom needs a bold image with a lot of white. That isn’t exactly the photo that I posted though. More soon.

  • 4 years ago

    Thanks for going back and forth on this with me.

    I definitely want a pendant. (Just one since I don’t think there’s enough room for two.) I think the pendant will help being the ceiling down. if I install a pendant, then would o get rid of the light above the sink? Probably right? In which case maybe I would install a cluster. I also have considered a lighted mirror.

    Here are a few inspiration photos.

    I agree that tile might work behind mirror … it needs texture of some sort. I think some of your ideas about wood on the ceiling are too much for me to tackle. Trying to streamline.

  • 4 years ago

    *bring

  • PRO
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Nice if there is some way to incorporate the porthole into the design of the mirror????