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Powder Rooms: 3 Ways To Add Impact To These Small Rooms

Pick your favorite design move — whether it’s graphic wallpaper, a patterned floor or a monumental sink — and watch the magic happen!

1. Whimsical Wallpaper

A designer’s favorite, wallpaper adds color and pattern, and is perfect in a small space where it can have an explosive impact.

A lively splatter-style wallpaper is enhanced with lacquered trim in the same shade of blue. A trio of gold-toned elements is pleasing to the eye and finishes off the space.

  • Photographer Virginia Macdonald
  • Designer Robyn Rider

The stained glass window in this Victorian-era loo was the jumping-off point for the lighthearted wallpaper. Glossy black subway tile grounds the space.

  • Photographer Lauren Miller
  • Designer Samantha Sacks

Designer Monica Fried transformed this formerly all-white bathroom into a visual delight with bold wallpaper and a veined black marble sink.

  • Photographer Nicole Franzen
  • Designer Monica Fried

2. Superstar Sinks

Stone basins are the latest must-have item for powder rooms. Play with scale and proportion to create dramatic effect.

This impressive black stone sink with strong white veining is complemented by the organic lines in the peachy-hued wallpaper.

  • Photographer Alex Lukey
  • Designer Ali Budd.

Although diminutive, a sculptural marble sink is the dashing focal point in this neutral space.

  • Photographer Lauren Miller
  • Designer Sarah Birnie

A custom pink onyx sink with integrated mirror and an asymmetrical sconce look striking with the highly coveted Coven wallpaper by Maison C.

  • Photographer Stacey Brandford
  • Designer Jennifer Overweel

3. Flamboyant Floors

If you love a patterned tile but worry it might be too much in a larger space, try it in a powder room. The effect is mesmerizing.

Designer Joel Bray wanted this powder room to feel like a chic restaurant bathroom, so he added a compelling floor tile, black-painted walls and a gilt chandelier.

  • Photographer Lauren Miller
  • Designer Joel Bray

A preppy plaid floor in classic black and white gives this predominantly white powder room unique personality. Stretching the mirror from wall to wall makes the space feel larger and bounces around the natural light.

  • Photographer Brittany Ambridge, Otto
  • Designer Mark Cunningham

Graphic patterned floor tile in dove grey plays nicely with the beachy blue shiplap walls in this Santa Monica, Calif., home.

  • Photographer Roger Davies, Otto
  • Designer Tim Barber