Powder Room Surprises: Ideas to Make Your Space Elicit Emotion
POWDER ROOM SURPRISES: IDEAS TO MAKE YOUR SPACE ELICIT EMOTION
March 10, 2023
The powder room in our vibrant Ravinia residence evokes the client’s colorful personality.
A powder room is a small space with huge design opportunity. As tempting as it is to start envisioning yours based on how you want it to look, we believe there’s so much more fun in creating emotional connections to our spaces. “The powder room should be a statement about who you are and what you want people to experience in your home,” says our founder and lead designer, Emily Mackie. “It should transport people and leave them thinking about something.”
What emotions or sensations do you want your home to stir in guests—and yourself? Whether it’s laughter, wonder, or affection that comes to mind, identify those feelings and work with your designer to create a space that makes a unique statement about you. Here are a few ideas to transform this small but mighty corner of your home into an unforgettable oasis worthy of many repeat visits.
How to make your powder room elicit…
Laughter
Make your guests laugh with an embroidered hand towel from Etsy
Laughter begins with surprise—so why not put something unexpected in the everyday details of your powder room? Imagine washing your hands and seeing this quote embroidered on the hand towel: “‘Even I don't wake up looking like Cindy Crawford.’ —Cindy Crawford.” Or how about these pieces of wisdom from Phyllis Diller—“Never go to bed mad. Stay up and fight”—or Betty White: “The older you get, the better you get. Unless you're a banana.” Remember, fun is luxurious: No one can leave your home in a bad mood if this is what they see on their way out.
Learning
Turn some of your favorite articles into a gallery wall that gives guests a sense of who you are.
We’ve all been in a bathroom or dentists’ office with the fraying stack of early 2000s gossip magazines. Let’s turn this idea on its head and place objects in the powder room that teach, rather than merely entertain. Add some of your favorite books to a shelf under the sink, or create a gallery wall that helps your guests get to know you. Artfully framing concert tickets, old family photos, articles you love, and business cards or matchboxes from your favorite restaurants allows you to buck trends and find your unique design style. What’s more, it gives visitors something to ask you about as soon as they step into your home.
Pleasure
Why not try some scratch-and-sniff wallpaper by Flavor Paper?
How do you make a visit to the bathroom feel as luxurious as possible? Through scent. Channel a boutique hotel by choosing one signature fragrance for the candles, soaps, and hand lotions in your powder room, or place a perfume and cologne tray on the counter so guests can freshen up on their way out. And our favorite idea yet: scratch-and-sniff wallpaper. Flavor Paper makes all the custom scented wallpaper you can imagine—like the pictured banana edition that’s inspired by pop art and said to smell like banana bread—and Spoonflower offers nature-inspired fragrances like orange blossom and summer rose.
Wonder
Our Lincoln Park greystone features a powder room with can’t-look-away wallpaper.
When in doubt, leave ‘em awestruck. A powder room is the place people might expect to be the least remarkable part of your home, which is why maximalist design is delightfully unexpected. Opt for a disco ball instead of traditional lighting, make your flooring out of tiles you found in Portugal, or choose wow-worthy wallpaper. Think deeply saturated colors, intricate patterns, or even real-life landscapes—we’ve seen walls decked out in one big panoramic photograph.
love and affection
A trip to the powder room becomes a heartwarming affair if you take inspiration from the good old fashioned guestbook. Leave sticky notes and markers on the counter, and your friends can write you a message to stick to the wall or a bulletin board. The same concept works to spice up your marriage, too. Emily remembers one of our projects where she left his and hers note jars in the powder room, encouraging a couple to write regular love letters. Each time you’re in the bathroom, you realize, “Oh, there’s a message in here for me!” she says. “It’s a fun way to not forget about each other.”
Establishing surroundings that evoke an emotional response is easier than you think with the guidance of the Inspired Interiors team. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest and share your home photos with us. We’d love to collaborate on an interior design that dares you to feel deeply and live boldly.