Room of the Day: Pattern-Happy Powder Room With Secret Storage
An open vanity and recessed storage maximize space in a tiny cottage bathroom
Designer Robin Schwadron loves a good challenge. And that’s what she had on her hands when a client asked her to make a tight powder room feel larger and more refreshing. In a game of inches, she deployed several strategies to maximize physical and visual space, including some hide-and-seek storage.
Photo by Kyle J Caldwell
AFTER: Schwadron gutted the room down to the studs, then added new insulation, lighting and ventilation. An open counter-height vanity gives the appearance of more space. She created the vanity using table legs that her client picked up at an architectural salvage yard. (See what else you can turn into a bathroom vanity.)
To save money, she found the marble countertop slab in a scrap yard and brought it to a local fabricator. She splurged on the marble tile floor, reasoning that in such a small floor area, it was worth the expense to bring in a bit of luxury.
For character, she added coral-and-white patterned wallpaper above crisp white wainscoting. “We had a lot of white with the moldings, wainscoting, cabinet and countertop, which is what the client wanted,” Schwadron says. “Using a patterned wallpaper tones down and marries the white with the walls. This way, one doesn’t overpower the other.”
Wallpaper: Thibaut; vanity light: Shades of Light; mirror: Custom Art Framing; sink, faucet and toilet: Kohler; storage basket: HomeGoods
AFTER: Schwadron gutted the room down to the studs, then added new insulation, lighting and ventilation. An open counter-height vanity gives the appearance of more space. She created the vanity using table legs that her client picked up at an architectural salvage yard. (See what else you can turn into a bathroom vanity.)
To save money, she found the marble countertop slab in a scrap yard and brought it to a local fabricator. She splurged on the marble tile floor, reasoning that in such a small floor area, it was worth the expense to bring in a bit of luxury.
For character, she added coral-and-white patterned wallpaper above crisp white wainscoting. “We had a lot of white with the moldings, wainscoting, cabinet and countertop, which is what the client wanted,” Schwadron says. “Using a patterned wallpaper tones down and marries the white with the walls. This way, one doesn’t overpower the other.”
Wallpaper: Thibaut; vanity light: Shades of Light; mirror: Custom Art Framing; sink, faucet and toilet: Kohler; storage basket: HomeGoods
The small recessed cabinet can hold toilet paper and other toiletries as needed.
Bathroom Storage: Where to Keep the TP?
Bathroom Storage: Where to Keep the TP?
Schwadron raised the ceiling height 10 inches and added a small custom light fixture that takes up little space yet still acts as a statement piece.
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Location: Norwood, Massachusetts
Size: 30 square feet (3 square meters)
Designer: Robin Schwadron of R Titus Designs
BEFORE: The homeowner considered the powder room functional but out of date and a bit cramped. A low-countertop sink made hand-washing awkward for taller guests. Plus, whoever converted the former porch to a powder room failed to insulate it properly, making it chilly in cold weather.