This lovely powder room offers tons of great décor ideas. The stylish Kohler pedestal sink and toilet are a perfect choice for this small space. These fixtures mirror the architectural details of the room and fit the era of this older home.
If you remove everything from this small bathroom you're left with a small, boxy yet tall room with the window on the back wall being off center. This is not an easy room to decorate, but the designers here have done a wonderful job of balancing the look and creating an inviting, quaint space.
The placement of a rectangular mirror hung beside the off-set window helps balance the focal wall. One could even go so far as to frame the mirror similar to the window to create a faux-mirrored window complete with mullions if desired.
The design details on the sink and toilet mimic the wainscoting effect which helps them fit right into the space. In fact, the bathroom fixtures may have been the inspiration for this room's décor. Remember, inspiration can come in many forms. If you happen upon something you absolutely love, consider using it as inspiration for your room's design. The item caught your eye for a reason so using its colour, pattern, shape or style as a starting point for your room décor will, no doubt, point you in the right design direction.
I find this particular room appealing for several reasons. This quaint bathroom is stylish yet humble. It's not trying to be more than it is. One could install marble flooring and over-the-top designer fixtures, granite countertops and replace the windows with something more modern. The room would have all of the design buzz words attached to it, but would it be as charming and at what cost? Sometimes you have to let the room speak to you. This one is saying, "Don't mess around with my best parts. Just clean me up and enhance what I've got." You wouldn't wear jeans and a T-shirt to a barbeque and accessorize your outfit with a diamond tiara.
Accessories are fun
I love to check out the things people use as accessories. I find this facet of decorating the most fun and creative. In our feature room there are tons of great ideas. First, you would not normally find silver service trays hung on a wall in a bathroom, but they work in this room. The silver tones coordinate with the sink faucet, toilet handle and paper holder, whereas gold-toned trays might not work as well.
Above the window hangs a set of what look like deer antlers. An empty wooden frame is hung around it. Deer antlers are not necessarily my cup of tea, but I love the empty frame idea to highlight other things like a unique seashell, a pair of vintage gloves, a small beaded purse or a pillbox hat, for instance.
This empty frame technique allows you to frame items that probably couldn't be framed in the tradition manner. Sometimes if the frame (or collection of frames) is highly carved or decorative it can hang empty. Want to add some playful colour to a room? Get a bunch of mismatched wooden frames (cheap at thrift stores) and paint them in various cheerful colours to create an artful wall display.
I love the old chandelier. While it doesn't provide much light, it lends a touch of elegance to this small room. Sometimes one grand statement in a small room is magical.
A framed, vintage postcard leans on the ledge over the sink while a collection of miniature perfume bottles add colour on the pedestal sink. Any inexpensive collection of clear bottles or other containers can be filled with coloured water for the same outcome. Again, check out the thrift stores.
There are more of these little bottles on the window ledge along with an old trophy (with pennant), an eclectic grouping of framed prints, an old leather wallet and a wristwatch. On the left window ledge sits a few pieces of driftwood and a colourful umbrella. Most of these items are not bathroom accessories, which makes them unique and interesting. To finish off the look, a vintage leather suitcase, complete with travel stickers, and an old leather satchel sit on the floor.
Two characteristics of this room are quite unexpected but work just the same. The wallpaper with a modern design provides visual movement but has muted tones so as not to overpower the space. The candy-striped throw rug is quite unusual but works. It subtly mimics the design of the wood floor while adding colour to the room.
Charming and quaint rooms should be appealing yet unassuming, stylish yet old-fashioned, cozy but functional.
connieoliver@shaw.ca
