Storage. While storage was important, maintaining symmetry in such a tight space was also a consideration. Fee worked with Zebra Cabinets and used black Shaker-style cabinetry, which she customized, maximizing the inside of the drawers to meet her client’s needs. “Custom cabinets allowed for optimal storage, and when the vanity is closed it appears to have four equal drawers,” Fee explains. This hair-accessory drawer has built-in outlets in the bottom. The vanity is a comfort height of 36 inches, several inches taller than the old vanity. (The higher countertop allows for better posture at the vanity.)Browse more vanities
Lighting. In a tight space, sconces and pendants can add clutter. Fee came up with an alternative solution. “The electric mirror gives off plenty of lumens for task lighting without the need for an additional light fixture, which allowed us to maximize the mirror space,” she says. Its proportions (36 by 42 inches) draw the eye upward, providing the illusion of more height in the bathroom and reflecting the glint from the gold shower tile. The shower has a recessed can light-exhaust fan unit. Also, a custom barn door with frosted glass shares ambient light from the bedroom.Check out more lighted mirrors
9. Natural branch. A pale branch silhouetted against a dark accent wall creates a distinct display in this midcentury modern room. It can be tricky to figure out how to mount wooden branches. Smaller pieces with sections that lie flat to the wall can be attached with long screws. Heavier branches require mounting brackets or wiring.
The spec home was a project by MF Architecture and Sett Studio, designed to be a modern interpretation of the older ranch-style homes in the neighborhood, which was established in the 1950s and ’60s.“We built the home in an L-shape to preserve the mature trees,” says architect and project manager Anna Katsios Deere, who collaborated with MF Architecture principal architect David Birt on the design. A single-story structure that faces the street contains the public spaces, while a larger two-story section in the back has a master suite and guest room on the ground floor and two bedrooms and a media and play room on the second. “The windows in front were strategically placed to allow light into the house,” Birt says, “but also so that the family is not on display.”
Vanity “after”: Because the room itself is fairly small, the vanity could not be super bulky. To best hide the sink faucet’s battery pack and fit into the room design, the team had a vanity custom-built.The team left the bottom of the vanity open to reduce the bulk of the fixture. The apron of the vanity features pieces of the house’s original oak base molding, neatly hiding the underside of the sink bowl and the battery pack. For the top, the team chose white concrete with an integrated ramp sink. They intentionally kept it simple to avoid clashing with other features in the room. Fixtures and accessories around the vanity are also from the Brizo Odin collection in matte black.Mirror: The design team could not find a mirror they loved. Meanwhile, a round mirror hung in the hallway outside this bathroom. Young tested that mirror above the vanity out of curiosity, and to everyone’s delight, it worked.Lighting: They replaced the previous wall sconces with brass ones. Other areas of the house feature modern brass fixtures, so the sconces were another way to connect the bathroom to the rest of the home.Sconces: Visual Comfort; vanity: custom, Kennedy Construction; vanity top: custom, V...
Wallpaper: The homeowners knew they wanted a “wow” wallpaper in the bathroom, and they turned to Young for recommendations. The clients narrowed down their selections to a few they really liked, one of which was this Chiang Mai Dragon wallpaper.“They loved the paper but wanted a little reassurance that it was the right choice,” Young says. Young quickly offered up reasons it worked for this space. She liked that it had a nice blend of traditional pattern and fun colors, had a farmhouse feel and aligned well with other renovated rooms in the home. Two downsides were that the wallpaper was a little pricey and that water might splash onto it near the tub. But the design team had a solution: Only use it on the top half of the wall and find a different material for the bottom. They ended up using white, horizontal wood planks, which will stand up to splashes and showcase the wallpaper. “There was some debate on what type of treatment we should add to the lower portion of the walls,” Young says. “We looked at tile and various styles of wainscoting but settled on this design for its clean simplicity.”Wallpaper: Chiang Mai Dragon, Schumacher; browse wallpaper
Before: This is the only bathroom on the main floor. It is used by guests and anyone hanging out downstairs, which is often the clients’ two toddlers. The family needed the space to be functional, but they knew they could do that without sacrificing style.
“After” photos by Scott CasteleinBathroom at a GlanceWho lives here: A family of fourLocation: Petoskey, MichiganSize: 60 square feet (5.5 square meters)Designer: Lindsey Young of Designs by DawnThe backstory: Several years ago, a family of four found an old farmhouse in a great location. They purchased the home, moved in and started renovating the house room by room to fit their tastes. They had the bathroom remodeled in conjunction with the upstairs laundry room. Designer Lindsey Young and the contractors were already working on-site, so the homeowners decided to finish up the bathroom too. The homeowners had already purchased a new toilet, a pedestal sink and slate floor tiles. They had an idea of how they wanted the bathroom to look, and Young helped them execute that vision.
2. Rustic Brick This powder room combines rustic and industrial elements via its brick accent wall. While it may look like an exposed wall of a loft or reclaimed warehouse, it’s in fact made of a brick veneer product that the designer over-grouted using a German smear technique. Brick wall: Ironworks; star chandelier: Ballard Design; mirror: Home Goods; floor tile: Bedrosians
3. Patterned Tile FloorCement tile adds color and pattern to this otherwise neutral powder room, tying in with the black-painted sink and aqua step stool. The room is also near a pool, so the tile’s natural slip resistance makes it a practical choice as well. Subway tile: Virginia Tile; faucet and sink: Kohler; mirror: Rejuvenation; cement floor tile: Cement Tile Shop; see more tile102 Eye-Popping Powder Rooms
4. Bright WallpaperLike a bold wall color or accent tile, colorful wallpaper can transform a powder room — and because it’s being used in a small space, it probably won’t overwhelm you or your budget. Here, the wallpaper is also a jumping-off point for the rest of the room’s color palette, including the custom vanity. Mirror: Anthropologie; wallpaper: Arty, Pierre Frey; vanity: custom, painted in Benjamin Moore’s Starburst Orange in a lacquer finish
5. Sculptural ShelvingOpen shelving isn’t for everyone, even in a guest bathroom or powder room, as it exposes your plumbing and everything you might like to hide underneath the sink. But it can be worth it, as evident from this open vanity made of mitered pieces of solid cedar. It mixes natural with industrial by exposing the plumbing and adding the concrete element of the sink. And by keeping the shelving clean and open, it also helps the small space feel bigger. Wall paint: Snowbound, Sherwin-Williams; flooring: Specialty Wood Products; lighting: Restoration Hardware; faucet: Delta; sink: Native Trails; toilet: American StandardKey Measurements to Help You Design a Powder Room
6. Backlit MirrorMirrors and lighting are bathroom essentials, but compact powder rooms with awkward angles can make it challenging to comfortably fit both. This warm, contemporary powder room accomplishes both with a streamlined backlit mirror, which pairs well with the warm wood floors, white walls and black counters.
8. Mirrored Paneling There’s a lot to admire about this classic powder room, from the parquet wood floors to the gold fixtures and floor-to-ceiling wood paneling. The designer’s attention to natural light especially enhances the space. Mirrors installed around the perimeter not only brighten the room by reflecting light, but also create the illusion of more windows.Read more about this home’s renovation
Take talks about housework seriously. “It’s not surprising that housework is one of the top four or five things that people argue about,” says Relationships Australia practice leader David Roberts. When two partners are often both working and busy — and perhaps juggling parenting responsibilities too — talking through housework expectations is vital for a harmonious household, he says.“Couples with different backgrounds can often have very different expectations, and so the ability to communicate well and without judgment in the discussion is really important,” Roberts says. “Poor communication, along with finances and infidelity, are among the top reasons for divorce, so open discussion and exploration are vital.”
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