Redesigning a powder room

Inspirations are everywhere. Have you ever seen something and thought, I would love to design a room around this?

Here is what I call a waterfall faucet. It looks like an interpretation of a piece of bamboo sliced to allow water to cascade into a bowl.
In this case a bowl of orchids.



I have embarked on a new project....0r should I say we, because I am partnering on this job with another design firm. Ellie and I have done many projects together. Design jobs frequently require more brainpower and manhours than one person can offer. She is extremely experienced in managing projects both large and small. Hooray for Ellie!

Our new endeavor is a powder room redesign. We will be gutting it and starting over. We need inspiration. We work closely with our clients so we all went on our first scouting trip together to see what would create a spark that would give us direction. There are so many choices. The first thing is to limit those choices by making a few decisions. Sometimes when that first design decision is made the rest falls into place.....sometimes it is not so easy.

Our client had remembered seeing a handpainted sink last year when we were working on another bathroom with her. Since handpainted sinks are more limited than wallpaper we decided to start with the sink and see how that would influence the rest of the room. To our amazment we found the sink in person at the 3rd showroom we visited (Although we had seen it in a catalogue it is even better to see it in person, if possible.) It is what I would call simple elegance. The design is a single stem of orchids in a fabulous fuscia color.

My mind was going in a few directions.....we could create a spa-like feel, an Asian inspired design or even a tropical garden motif. We could get dramatic with a burst of color on the walls or we could keep it light and airy, clean and simple. This is going to be fun. Powderooms are like foyers. They are a place you can do something dramatic. Because you spend little time there, they are not rooms you will get tired of easily.

I visioned a faucet with a spout like a waterfall....but not too contemporary....and the salesperson at the showroom guided us to the perfect one. It is shaped like bamboo. The spout looks like a stalk of bamboo that is cut on an angle that allows the water to cascade into the sink. It comes in lots of finishes too. I can't believe we are so lucky to find this so early in our research.

Now my vision is coming into focus. As I share this with Ellie and our client we talk about the possibilities and agree this could be the direction we want to go. Next stop.......wallpaper.