Design Spotlight

Design Spotlight: Powder Rooms by Renata Buenrostro, AIA

The powder room can be the jewel box and the most unexpected space in a home

March 20, 2020

Renata Buenrostro, AIA

Morganate Wilson Architects

Evanston, Ill. 

Powder rooms present an opportunity to make a design statement. They can be the showcase, the jewel box, or the most unexpected room in a home. Because a powder room is small, designers can experiment and splurge on high-end materials without blowing the budget and can let their ideas run wild, using daring patterns or bold colors that could overpower in other parts of the home.

 The combination of the floor tile’s strong geometric pattern with the simplicity and openness of the washstand creates a dramatic, fresh look (Photo: Werner Straube Photography).

A live-edge wood vanity top, modern vessel sink, and wall-mounted faucet create a balanced modern/rustic contrast (Photo: Werner Straube Photography).

For this powder room in a Mediterranean-style home, the combination of arabesque tile, dramatic wallpaper, and a playful light fixture offers a great example of mixing materials (Photo: Michael Robinson).

See more Powder Rooms by Janet Brooks

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