Powder rooms can be the most challenging room in the house to decorate — or they can be the most fun. From past eras, it’s said that powder rooms took their name from the powder that flew, when servants went into the tiny rooms to powder their master’s wigs. The Victorians called them powder rooms because they provided a place for women to remove the shine from their noses. These days, they’re also called half baths. Others believe that it was the women who powdered their noses there who gave the room its designated name.
The convenient-if-not-essential powder room usually figures prominently in any major home renovation project–if only because finding space for this much sought after but little used room can be tricky. On the main floor of a small house every inch must be utilized, especially in the design of a half bath.
A powder room space represents a fantasy for many people. A powder room is a welcome luxury. Powder rooms also are ideal venues for stepping out of the ordinary. Due to the smaller space, less expense will be incurred in creating an imaginative room design.
How and Where to Install a First-Floor Powder Room
As a general rule, adding a powder room does not require substantial modifications to the existing structure, especially if the new plumbing lines are placed as close as possible to existing lines. However, if the location of the new room is more than 20 feet from the main plumbing lines building and connecting will be more difficult and therefore more costly. When existing lines are used, they must be checked to ensure adequate capacity.
A closet near the front door or a space tucked under the stairs is sometimes appropriate for a powder room. Considerations include plumbing, heating, soil-line access and building codes.
Touching Up an Existing Bathroom/Powder Room
Even though a powder room is comparatively small, it contains a number of fixtures that are costly to remove, restore or replace.
The way to make such a project more affordable is by reducing, or even eliminating, the need to install entirely new structural elements. For starters, let’s talk about flooring.
If the existing surface is made of wood, don’t assume that it’s necessary to install a hard flooring such as ceramic tile, stone or vinyl on top of it. This type of surface may be all but mandatory in a bathroom, but a powder room, by comparison, receives less traffic and properly-treated with several coats of polyurethane or some other sealer, wood will become resistant to moisture penetration and less prone to scratches.
When shopping for fixtures, keep in mind that they needn’t be new in order to look good. It’s also not essential that they match one another. Salvage yards and shops specializing in demolition scraps are worth a visit. With luck, some real gems can be found in these places. A pedestal sink, for instance, may be just what’s needed to give a bathroom some personality.
A good-size mirror with a wall lamp above it will be sufficient to illuminate a fairly small space. Should there be the requisite wall space, however, it might be preferable to install two lamps on either side of the mirror. Outfitted with translucent shades, they will emit a quality of light that permits makeup to be applied with greater ease.
Baskets for towels and trash will enhance the elegant and unstudied style. Geometric patterns, including stripes and checks, or a tight overall design such as paisley, are other possibilities for the background in a powder room. Any covering of that sort makes a good background for pictures hung on the walls.
If there is enough space, it is good to include a small table for a purse as well as a coat hook. Other than that, the job is complete. Remember, most powder rooms are intended for use by guests and are not to be confused with bathing environments in which one can luxuriate for hours on end.
Powder rooms have been made out of converted closets no wider than 3 feet and not much longer.
