I just need to powder my nose...

I used to think that 'Powder Room' was a twee euphemism for 'lavatory', but I have recently come to understand that it may actually have a place in my vocabulary after all. 

There can be no doubt that the term 'toilet' is a grating solecism that should not pass one's lips lest it be the only term understood by the person whose help you are, with some degree of haste, soliciting. 'Loo' is in fairly common parlance in  the UK, whilst across the Atlantic the term 'bathroom' retains popularity. 

However, at Willowbrook we have made use of the term Powder Room to distinguish between those actual bathrooms and en-suites which have baths and the facilities to complete one's ablutions and the two small rooms we have upstairs and downstairs, where one may go to quickly freshen up.

We have just finished choosing the flooring, wall coverings, vanities, basins, taps, mirrors, and lighting for these rooms, and have also found a suitable supplier of toiletries for these rooms and the guest suites.

The downstairs powder room is a fairly generous size, having been designed with disabled guests in mind, but the upstairs one is a little more bijoux. Here are some inspirational ideas for smaller powder rooms...

Above and Below: We are toying with the idea of having dark walls in the upstairs room with a white Carrara marble topped vanity, with a matching floor. These ideas show how you can successfully pull off dark walls. We are thinking along the lines of black damask wallpaper such as the one below.

Light coloured rooms are more common...

Wood paneling is also timeless...

Chinoiserie is popular too...

 

 Mirrored walls enlarge a small area...

 

 whereas geometric patterns embrace it...

 

Powder rooms may be squeezed into the smallest of spaces...

 I look forward to sharing news about our guest powder room and en-suite amenities in the next post once they are confirmed!