Do you want to make the powder room pretty - or - just leave it looking the way it does now with very little change?

If you want pretty, then follow some of the advice given and this includes a new light over the mirror(you can have it pointing upwards).

No, nobody's dying, who said they were? You asked for feedback, I gave it. I saw your explanation about the sign. IMO, it doesn't do what you think it does. Regardless, I'll bow out now, wishing you luck in achieving your vision.

In the inspiration photo, the focal point is the sink wall. Because of the size and door orientation of your powder bath, the main focal point is the wall opposite the door. Even once inside the bathroom and facing the sink, the toilet comprises half of the vignette. It's not bad, it just is.

Clearly, you're drawn to Southwestern decor. It's important to use only the pieces that relate to each other so you have a clean, cohesive look like your inspiration.

You could try the large RC Gorman print on the focal wall which appears to relate to the countertop color and amber colors in your inspiration photo. Wood shelves above the toilet can add an organic touch along with a few white vessels to keep it minimal.

Yes, decant the soap into a white, ceramic dispenser. I'm sorry if this sounds harsh, but the light fixtures are killing the vibe. They look like exterior spotlights. You can still achieve brightness by using a fixture with bright bulbs on a dimmer switch or a canned light in the ceiling.

shirlpp,

Interesting. We have these wall lights all through the house. We get a large range of beautiful effects since they are on dimmers. The fixtures are humble and tend to disappear, leaving the light. Pretty cool in my book.

Some advice in this thread is contradictory, but I guess that's the nature of opinion. I have to evaluate.

JT7abcz,

I'm amazed that you are the first one to recognize the different viewpoints. Even I could see that!

Yep. The Southwest is color and form/shape.

My photos don't capture all colors in our pieces, but I think they relate

Nicholas Gage-turquoise

Zia-turquoise and purple

Flower-purple stems and petals, reds, pinks

Nagel-purple, red

Each piece is interesting.

I must admit. If the Gorman wasn't so heavy and behind the couch, i would try it out in the powder room. Think I will be looking for another Gorman print.

I intended to show how lights were positioned over the mirror. I did not fuss with exposure. I expounded on the lights in the comment above this one.

I put the soap pump on a small coaster and hid it behind the faucet. Makes a big difference. May get a dispenser. For some reason I'm seeing something dark shaped like a beehive.

If you liked the makeover your daughter did in her powder room why don’t you ask her to do yours. Clearly we, as advice givers, are not hitting your mark. Get your daughter’s opinion.

Barbie,

You are seeing something in my post that isn't there.

I am getting opinions from others. I have responded. Sometimes I disagree a bit. I think I have given reasoning behind my views. Is that process offensive?

Here are some bee/honeycomb dispensers for you.

This one is available in a bunch of colors- so you could easily pick up on your art colors.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1749858831/honeycomb-glass-liquid-soap-dispenser?

And this handmade ceramic piece below is also fun- and more art. Hand painted.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1775184091/bee-handmade-ceramic-white-soap?ref=cart

There are so many fun options on Etsy:

https://www.etsy.com/search?q=soap+dispenser+bathroom&ref=auto-1&as_prefix=soap+&instant_download=0

- even Picasso... ;)

Love it! Guess I'll be checking Etsy out.

Please go back and consider the points people are consistently saying - the items are too small to be by themselves on the large walls, they read as random objects and don't relate to the fixed elements.

Maybe think of it as assembling an outfit for someone to wear to a specific occasion: rubber galoshes worn with a too-short evening gown, messy hair tucked under a trucker's cap and an array of plastic bracelets are all wardrobe items but would look eccentric together no matter the occasion. There are better combinations if the goal is to "take it up a notch" and look refined like your inspiration photo.

Yes, turquoise is a common southwestern color. However, the relief that reminds you of Nicholas Cage's face staring back may not be ideal for a bathroom.

The Zia is Southwestern but it's bright purple background and turquoise swirl are bossy, dated and again, don't relate. Your daughter's artwork is lovely and IMO, should be grouped with other projects in another space.

Look what happens to your inspiration photo when your objects are added. It's completely transformed - are you still drawn to it?

I just re-read and saw that you mentioned that ”for some reason” you were “seeing something dark and shaped like a beehive”... I missed the ”dark” part, when I initially read your comment. I don’t know if you were serious about that... or if you were maybe just sort of ruminating... But in any case, I think this one could actually be very cool!

JT7abcz

Ok

I think the Gorman print looks fantastic with your inspo photo. I understand you may not want to move it but the palette may give you a jumping off point if you search for another.

Start with bigger, more and LESS

How much TP must be in there and no...it isn't decorative!

The hanging towel is just......... gross, sorry......

As a guest ? I would not touch that, I'd dry on tp before I touched that.

What's this? Get a soap pump.......

I have seen an article about a 2/3 ratio. I'm thinking horizontal dimension of art can be about 2/3 of wall width.

The TP stand looks better with fewer rolls, but then you have to reload more often.

Eucalyptus branches and a candle. My wife put it there. I would like to get rid of it but hell hath no fury......

The towel. That thing has taken on a life of its own. I think it's a metaphor for the battle between aesthetics and real life. Here we go:

Got the idea from a powder room photo on Houzz several years ago.

Liked the idea of freeing up counter and wall space.

Went back and forth about which side of sink to mount bracket. Right side won. Decided it would be less likely to be knocked off by someone walking in, particularly the grandkids.

Now we got germophobes, gross and paper guest towels.

I see a couple of ways out of this:

I think I need to keep a towel for grandkids. Easier to reach.

I have 8 inch clearance between sink and the wall. That holder looks nice. Will it fit?

Maybe I can use the guest towel holder angle on my wife. Baby, we need more sanitary tools. Can we make room for them?

A couple of months ago I got two boxes of Kleenex guest towels to lay out for company. Thought I saw an eye-roll.

We agree ! Go bold, fun tile, interesting vanity, fun mirror, and for sure add your art . This is your home, remodel it to your standards.

I would aim the wall lights down and use warm toned Edison bulbs to soften the lighting...the uplit ceiling feels institutional in this room.

I like the rendering by @JT7abcz. Your 3D face and flowers art would add a bit of whimsy hung together vertically to the left of the sink.

If I aim lights down I get the dreaded shadows under eyelids. Ceiling light is more even. As you can see, I can dim them. These are incandescent R20's, a rare commodity.

I would not use directional light bulbs as you have now....by '"aiming" down I meant pointing the fixture down. I think the problem with your shadows is the light would be coming from one direction with your floods-- above.

Frosted standard bulbs diffuse light in all directions....maybe those would work for you or even clear Edison bulbs with their large filaments. Then you can point the fixture downwards?

You can dim. ..... the need for that is why? You will not be able to replace r20, the lights are unattractive in multiple ways, Time to move on.

If i may . say ( or not ) ? but will in any case.

It's a powder room. You are trying to decorate, without decorating. Get a smashing wallpaper and visually enlarge it. Paint it a fabulous color , and get rid of the blah. Nothing about the art is dictating it MUST be hung in a powder room. I am certain a Nagel could find another home elsewhere? Grandchildren live with you or they visit? Children are germ carriers, though adorable, and lesson number one for DISPOSABLE towels. I would not use a hand towel after a child......: )

Powder rooms are "fast space", Make an impact; whomever is in it and using it, is not in it for long, and nobody is lingering beyond the necessary wee and wash aspect.

Google some images you love beyond the one you posted.

Disposable towels

May consider a darker color for this wall, which has the door. Note the wall in the inspo picture. Also will consider bigger art on back wall. This is also in the inspo picture.

Wall is not prepped for wallpaper. Has texture on it.

You need the UGLY box? Better, narrower......NOT ugly

Thanks for the link. The holder will fit in the space. Having trouble finding a towel that fits, though.

We had company. Judging by the wastebasket, I'll say the Kleenex towels are a hit. The boxes come with different designs. Recently discovered covers for the boxes on Etsy and Amazon.

The Kleenex towels appear to be less expensive than the 12x17 towels.

While talking about another picture, my wife asked about "Garden of Eros". We had the poster in our bathroom when Katrina paid a visit. I had looked for it over the years without success, but decided to try again. Found it!

I am coming around to the idea of dark walls. I used ChatGPT to do a rendition. Things definitely pop!

I like the idea of dark walls but what about Navy instead?

Don't care for it.

I love the wall color you are considering. The poster is nice, too.

Many people on this board seem adverse to warm colors- unless a warm white (which many here also seem to believe is the answer to all global problems! But that’s another show.)

I really don’t know why the reds, yellows/golds, browns, etc. seem to send many folks here to the exits- screaming. And especially when warm colors have been ”back” and trending.

You mention being in the vicinity of Katrina, when it hit. I don’t know if you are in New Orleans; but if you are- you definitely came to the wrong ”design” discussion board!

For example:

PPG 2026 COLOR OF THE YEAR-

Yep, we are in New Orleans.

No wonder.

Yep. You are a fish (totally) out of water. How do I know? I have been a fish out of water here for over a decade.

And I am in New York. Not New Orleans!!

I am really glad that you found the poster. So significant. And it looks fantastic against this wall color/backdrop- with the colors in the poster, as well as your other art, etc.

It is a highly sophisticated color palette. It sure does ”pop”. Brilliant.

Thank you so much! I showed the rendering to my wife. She is ready for me to buy the paint!

Now comes the fun part.

The first time I did a rendering I prompted brown and BM Overcoat. Got a nice brown on my tablet, but later discovered that Overcoat is a dark gray. Realized that I needed better references, so I got a BM fan deck (classic).

I chose Chocolate Pudding for the prompt because of the name.

I haven't compared the latest picture with the chip. My impression is the picture is lighter.

The question becomes:

Use the original chip

or

Match fan deck chip to picture on a phone/tablet

Whichever way you decide to go with that, it is a good idea to try out some paint samples in your actual space. So narrow it down to two or three and get some samples.

Tracefloyd,

After seeing your latest comment I looked over your previous comments regarding lighting in the powder room. I thought another picture might help.

As you can see, the fixtures are nothing more than bulb holders. They are mounted 84 inches above the floor, a little higher than the usual sconce height.

I remembered that I have some regular A-type 60 watt equivalent LED bulbs (frosted), so I decided to try them. I was surprised at how bad the glare was. Looking straight ahead provided no relief.

I'd guess the beam angle on an A bulb is 315-325 degrees, so pointing it up or down makes no difference. You can look to my previous pictures to see beam spread of the BR (bulged reflector) bulbs.

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5688640/powder-room-accent-wall-ideas

Ran across this picture. Brown powder room with black accent wall. Thoughts on doing this with paint?

YES, to a black accent wall to tone down the brown if you are set on brown. What about Charcoal instead of brown?

I'm surprised a frosted bulb provides glare.

You have to have elephant skin around here. You have to know what you want.

Speaking of elephant skin- a stencil could be a way of adding texture, etc., with paint; using a couple of shades of black paint, and or black and brown paint, etc.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1821389708/elephant-skin-reusable-airbrush-stencil?ls=a&ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=painting+stencils&ref=sc_gallery-1-16&frs=1&plkey=Eu6RrNgygl6hDU_a6ed_GwwKm755%3ALTe1db6e0ab3d023ef59cb0c7f02f3a0a1a2fe722f

ETA: https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/color-overview/color-palettes/color-by-region/french-quarter-paint-colors

https://www.houzz.com/photos/powder-room-with-brown-walls-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_713~a_46-334

FWIW, I love warm colors, myself. I currently live in a townhouse in NYC that was built in 1940; all original architecture is intact. The LR, DR, kitchen, and hallways are painted in a yellow/gold color. Bedrooms and bathroom are a warm white. The paint colors were here when I found the place- and they are really perfect colors for the house- and for me. The buildings here are primarily brick.

Btw, I realize that not everyone in New Orleans is a musician and/or is into Jazz, etc. But I have a music background- plus, it really doesn’t help that AI is (mostly) happy to accommodate me. :)

I like jazz and I guess I can say I have musical background. I saw each of the 12 tones as a different color when I was little. Many years later in New Orleans I started guitar lessons. I found it easy to tie a pitch to a letter. Played with other folks and a combination clicked. Played a few paying gigs for a year or so until life got in the way. Still learning though.

So you’re a guitar player. No wonder! That is amazing that you saw the notes as colors when you were little. I did not, per se- but it makes a lot of sense to me! I know there have been songs done which reference colors- in one way or another. Since you are a guitar player, we could start with Purple Haze and Purple Rain. :)

I hear you freedomplace1. My kitchen and family room is painted BM cork. My dining room is BM merlot red and living room is BM autumn gold.

Beautiful and classic color scheme, shirlpp. And a dining room is an excellent place for red.

LOL

Purple Haze-I remember the day I bought the album because of that song.

Purple Rain-My first exposure was the Superbowl halftime show. I went "Whoa!!!" but have not sought the song to play again.

We do have a bit of purple in the house-3 accent walls inside and 2 different purples on the outside.

Jimi was/is a huge influence- on so many people, including Prince.

You have ”a bit of purple in the house-“ ... I would say that is more than ”a bit” !!

It’s wild that I mentioned those songs and you have all that purple... Well, I don’t really believe much in coincidence- so it must mean something!

I love purple- but the only purple I have in my place currently is a large piece of amethyst crystal on a window sill. It‘s along these lines- and I just found this article about purple. It looks interesting.

https://www.colorsexplained.com/shades-of-purple-color-names/