Galleries: Bath
Powder Room Pizzazz
Connecticut-based designer and photographer Erin Kestenbaum renovated this bath in her own home that is primarily used as a powder room for guests. Since there wasn’t a need for a full vanity, the designer swapped it out for a console sink, which allows the tile to be more visible. The unlacquered brass vanity legs and plumbing fixtures complement the green shades and will eventually display a natural patina with age and use. The sconces feature a little bit of black – and color Kestenbaum feels should be used in all rooms in a home.
Designer Ghislaine Viñas calls the powder room “a little jewel box of fun,” also wanted to bring in a little bit of kitsch, which she accomplished with the bamboo mirror and whimsical, vintage chandelier. Since the pedestal sink from the original space worked well in the new powder room, not wanting to rip out elements for no reason.
Vińas was inspired by the wife’s Greek heritage and used the pops of blue from the mainly neutral-colored nearby living room in an unexpected way in the powder room.
Industrial Masterpiece
The homeowners wanted a more masculine powder room that took advantage of the exposed brick wall they discovered during demolition. Since the brick was an irregular surface, Doug Walter, CMKBD, of Denver-based Doug Walter Architects, and his team added a trim strip to the left of mirror to create a plumb line to run the drywall to. There is also an extra-high baseboard covering up some badly eroded brick near the floor.
The new powder room offers a steampunk loft-type feel with resewn oak floors, a dark vanity with a granite countertop, a hammered copper sink, an antique-bronze faucet and an iron pipe sconce with filament bulbs.
Rustic and Refined
Designer Lori Carroll of Tucson, Ariz.-based Lori Carroll & Associates transformed a gaudy space with a dysfunctional floor plan into a powder room infused with tons of color, texture and materials – without having to include a bright accent wall. She also demolished the former wall between the toilet area and vanity to enlarge the space and expand the possibilities in this small room.
“The mission became finding an exceptional variety of options that were original and captivating yet calming and serene,” said Carroll. “They wanted the powder room to look as special as other public areas in the house, so finishing touches were necessary to make a big impact in this small space.”
Metallics and Moody Blues
Project designers Eilers and Abby Holmes transformed this spec-home space from white walls and gray trim to something much more colorful. The wife is an avid art collector who owns her own photo gallery, and she wanted something shiny, fun and unexpected for the powder room.
The design team painted the beige vanity a deep blue – the owner’s favorite color – and the contemporary, textured wallpaper mixes a lighter version of the hue with Venetian plaster and silver leaf. It was a challenge to locate a mirror large enough to fit the space, but Holmes eventually found the perfect mid-century match on Chairish.
Glam Black Lacquer
Designer Sherman infused this new room with a ton of personality, as her client was all about glamming it up. She chose a high-gloss, black lacquer treatment for the lower walls, which feature recessed-panel millwork and a chair rail, and the floor tile looks like ebonized wood.
Sherman juxtaposed that with a black and bronze grass cloth wallcovering in a geometric pattern and a bronze and gold leaf treatment on the ceiling. The gold balls on the mirror reflect the dots in the wallcovering, and the pendants look like actual champagne – bubbles and all.