[Update, March 22, 2012. Three years since we completed the project, people are still looking at this post, so I thought I would replace the old, too-small photos with larger ones. Plus I found the paint chips and added that info.]
This is our new powder room! I love the vintage feel–perfect for this 75 year-old house. The process took a few months, because the space used to be a seldom-used porch. If I’d known I was going to be designing it, I may have chickened out. But our contractor talked me through it and gave me wonderful suggestions. I also scoured books on vintage cottages and bathrooms, which helped immensely.
The paint is a soft bluish-gray called “Ice cap” by Benjamin Moore, with Duron “Ibis white” trim. They match the floor tiles perfectly.
I love the vintage-y faucet. It’s polished nickel.
The beadboard was already on the ceiling–we added it to the walls as well.
The medicine cab and lighting are from Restoration Hardware.
I like that the octagonal window is the same shape as the blue-gray and white tiles. I had to draw the window on newsprint and figure out all the angles with my brilliant mathematician husband.
The pink silk peony came from a now-shuttered Home Depot Expo Center.
Our contractor managed to squeeze a tiny casement window on the other side of the mirror, so the outside of the house wouldn’t look weird with a big window on just one side. The framed print is an Italian “postcard” I bought in California.
Here’s a closer look:
This is how the space looked before. It was basically a spot to store my stepdaughter’s shoes. The benches were freebies from a law office.
The white brick is the original front wall of the house. We kept that, and painted it with the “ice cap.” The windows were all replaced.
It is soooo nice to have a powder room on the main floor. At first, I thought my husband was kidding when he said we had to go upstairs or downstairs. After some discussion, we decided to convert the front porch into a foyer and powder room. Here are a couple of shots of the new foyer:
I have a round glass table with an antique bronze base, but it’s too big for the space, so I found an inexpensive black console table. We had ceramic tile that looks like stone put down in the foyer and in another powder room in the basement. The small chandelier is now a favorite.
Thanks so much for looking!
Simon Keenlyside from Opera Chic
Pearls & Prose 
