3 Styles That Look Great in Small Powder Rooms

Small square footage doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice style.

In partnership with 

Powder rooms may be small, but they can still offer loads of opportunity to showcase big style. These designs show how three different styles can work in three similarly sized spaces.

1. Traditional and Colourful

Designer: Amy Storm of DesignstormsSize: 23 square feetStyle: “This old farmhouse has had a lot of work and several additions put on it over the years,” says designer Amy Storm. “The homeowners wanted this bathroom to look like it had been in the home since it was first built, so we used products and materials that had a vintage farmhouse feel and look to them.”Special features: Wall-mounted sink with black-painted base; white subway tiles; colourful patterned cement tile floor; button light switches; vintage stool; detailed floor register.Designer secret: “At the last minute, the contractor said we needed material behind the wall-mounted sink for added support, so we used it as an opportunity to create something beautiful,” Storm says. “We turned it into a backsplash and shelf, which is now the perfect place for a small vase, pretty soap or extra hand towels—plus it gave us an edge to connect the wall tile to for a nice and clean, finished look.”“Uh-oh” moment: “The floor tile was installed, and we took a photo of it and posted it on Instagram,” says Storm. “One of the designers in my office came to me and said, ‘Why didn’t you change the bad tile in there?’ As we looked closer, one of the tiles was missing a part of the pattern. Thank goodness she noticed. We had the contractor go back in and dig it out and replace it with a good tile.”

2. Modern Farmhouse

Designer: Kal Macdonald of Trickle Creek Designer HomesSize: 33 square feetSpecial features: Shiplap walls; a custom furniture-style vanity; rustic reclaimed mirror; gold sconces; hardwood floor.Designer secret: “Start with a big piece you love and build from there,” says designer Kal Macdonald. “This powder room started with the rustic mirror we found at an antiques store and was our inspiration when selecting the rest of this room’s pieces.”“Uh-oh” moment: “Mixing different-coloured woods,” Macdonald says. “This can be a scary idea to homeowners, as it’s hard to envision how it will actually look once it’s all together. If you are going to mix woods, keep to neutral undertones and make sure they are vastly different. If you go too close in colour, you risk it looking like it’s supposed to match but one item is an odd colour. Go bold or not at all.”

3. Contemporary and Industrial

Designer: Amy Emery of Amy Emery Interior DesignSize: 38 square feetStyle: “We wanted to mix contemporary with a bit of an industrial and nautical vibe, being that this home is on Lake Keowee,” says designer Amy Emery.Special features: The vanity is built with mitered pieces of solid cedar; the concrete composite vessel sink is stain-, crack- and scratch-resistant; the pendant light and exposed plumbing add to the industrial style; clean white walls keep the space feeling cool and airy on hot summer days, while the white-washed dark floor helps hide dirt and scratches.Designer secret: “The rest of this home is very much about natural materials and blending with the outdoors,” Emery says. “We continued that theme using the cedar wood, and then contrasted that with industrial materials of metal and concrete.”

More from Houzz

More Traditional Bathroom Decorating Ideas

Light Switch Covers for Button Styles and More

How to Incorporate Shiplap Walls into Your Design