A powder room is an important part of your home, so let it reflect your style
The guest bathroom, the half bath, the water closet: whatever you call it, the powder room is the one space in your house that almost every guest is sure to see and even spend a little time in. With that in mind, it’s important not to overlook this tiny but vital room in your home decor plan.
That said, there are a couple of considerations before you run head long into re-doing your powder room.
First is that it’s likely the smallest space in your home, short of the broom closet, so you need to really look at it to make sure you make best use of what’s there.
Second, you need to make sure that the space is easy to clean because someone inside, with the door closed, will take the time to peek into the corners and dust, hair, dirt and the like won’t impress your guests.
Storage For The Extras
Does your powder room have a wall hung sink, placed there in the interest of saving space? The result is that you don’t have any reasonable storage for placing things that your guests might notice that they need, at the most inopportune moment.
Adding a small accent table with a closed storage cabinet will allow you to place a few necessities—extra toilet paper, feminine products, scent spray—within reach but out of sight. The top of the table is a perfect place for soap and hand towels, eliminating the need for wall hung towel racks.
Or if you prefer something with a more ‘open concept’:
The same effect can be achieved with a storage basket but having some of the items out in plain view, rather than behind a cabinet door, may be less to your liking.
Make Use Of Available Space
If your powder room is a standard rectangular space, you can leverage the corners for storage by adding a corner shelf unit, or place shelving above the toilet, which is also a frequently unused space.
Another intriguing option is to hang baskets in descending order of size from small to largest, alongside the strip of wall next to the mirror: this allows you to place all manner of items that your guests might need, right within reach.
Forget The Hook On The Door
A hook on the door is the standard for guests to be able to place a jacket or purse somewhere, particularly if there is no vanity or counter space. To create a space that is more than ‘standard’, consider using a thin coat rack. Your guests can hang up their things while they use the facilities and the coat rack is easily retrieved and placed in the entrance hall on those nights when you have larger parties and many more coats… because the days of throwing everyone’s coat on the bed are so 1982.
Skip The Tchotchkes
Minimalist is the order of the day when it comes to the powder room. A small space only looks smaller if there are too many bits and bobs on shelves that have no useful purpose. In addition to which, every extra item that goes into that bathroom is just one more thing you have to dust. Keep that in mind as you consider what to place in the guest bathroom.
On the other hand, wall art is a nice touch and a great way to keep the color flow going from the rest of your home, into the powder room.
What do you to make your powder room a little bit special, to ensure the comfort of your guests?