Redesigning a powder room .....wallpaper

With photos of the orchid sink and bamboo faucet/spout set in hand, Ellie and I set off for DCOTA. That is our local design center. It is 3 buildings of 4 floors each full of design showrooms. National and international manufacturers of every imaginable home furnishing are shown there. Fabrics, furniture, lighting, flooring, accessories and more. One showroom is more incredible than the next. It can be overwhelming. For sure it is exhausting. We wear "sensible" shoes and bring rolling carriers for our samples and files. Yes it is fun but it is still work. Designers spend countless hours going from showroom to showroom....we know what we are embarking on....we need to eat a hardy breakfast....and at least some strong coffee to keep us up to speed. So off we go.

Ellie and I split up to cover more territory. We confer by cell phone and meet up here and there to see what each other has found. The showroom I assume is going to have the best selection proves almost fruitless. I am disappointed. What happens to me sometimes is that I have an idea of what I think will be the perfect thing ( in this case wallpaper) but find it is elusive. Does it exist somewhere? I will search till I find it or change my mind. But I do not give up easily.

However, what I have learned is to keep an open mind because sometimes I discover something that is even better than my original idea.

What we did discover is that fuscia is a hard color to find in wallpaper. Of course we can custom but usually that requires a larger minimum than what we will need. However one showroom carried a line that did have some papers with fuscia. What I was looking for was neither too repitious of the orchid pattern or too busy which would take away from the sink. I had in mind a "silk" or grasscloth background with perhaps a design printed on top....or a scenic pattern or a different type of trellis pattern or butterflies, lotus leaves, bamboo, ....I think you get the picture. Since the sink style we like only comes in white we also need the paper to have white....not off white. We liked the idea of polished chrome with the sink as well, so that will influence the paper too. Did we find it? We found quite a few but we are not finished with our research yet.

When the paper is decided upon I will design the vanity accordingly. I have an idea already about what the hardware might be too. We will need to select a toilet, towel bars, a mirror, lighting and accessories. The floor will be a continuation of the marble floors we are installing in the main areas of the home so that will keep it simple. Keep it simple? Is that possible? There is so much to think about, even in a powder room!

I interested to know what any of my readers have done in their own or their client's powder rooms. What did you use as inspiration? Did you go for the drama or keep it understated? Did you dress it up? Did you make it fun or whimsical? Did it have a theme? It would be great if you would post a comment . I would love to hear from you!