This should be so easy, but I’m making it difficult. I need to paint the powder room on the first floor of our house. Everything in it is beige, but I hang different pictures and change the rug depending on the season. I’d like to find a new picture, pick a paint color and get it done. There is no natural light as there is no window. I would like to find an interesting picture or piece of art to hang then pick a color. The picture can’t be too big, maybe 12 x 12. I’ve looked around but nothing has caught my eye. Where do people find these things??
Of course, this is the powder room that guests use when visiting so I would like it to be nice.
If it were me I’d go to a local gallery or craft show and pick the art first - then I’d figure out paint from there. I think a powder room can go bold with paint. Alternatively you could have fun with wall paper - years ago I had a toile print with 18th century figures. It was unexpected. And my absolute favorite powder room of all was a family that papered all the walls with New Yorker cartoons.
The best wall art I ever bought I found at the local flower and garden show! I am a garden addict, and I love unique prints with plants and landscapes as well as interesting pieces made from twigs and leaves. I will be redecorating our powder room soon, too. The marble vanity has seen better days.
Have anything you love that would make a statement? that doesn’t go elsewhere in your home? Put it in your powder room. I have some vintage post cards which I framed and a wash stand that I refinished for the sink .It morphed into a garden theme with vines stapled to the walls and tiny flowers. Found Rose pictures at a garage sale. Love it! The walls are white–the color is all around.
Very easy to decorate with red and green colors since those are the colors for Christmas, Valentines, St Patrick.
And anything goes in a garden at any rate.
Pick something you really like–boats, flowers, special art, a photograph and go from there.
Have a friend who went with gold tones (not beige) for her powder room–very pretty. Also easy to decorate with any color and change out for the seasons.
Our powder room does not have a window either, so I had someone paint a trompe l’oeil picture of a window framed by stone that overlooks an English garden. Then I used colors and details from it to decorate the room.
Our powder room also lacks a window. DH took an old window from an old house (bought it on eBay) and added dried flowers behind it. He hung on the wall you face when you walk it’. It gives the feel and appearance of having a window in a windowless room! Everyone absolutely loves it.
Go toHomeGoods and find something you like and pick a paint from that. Don’t be afraid to paint a powder room walls a bold color. You aren’t in there that long, so bold is OK.
Mine is a deep mustard yellow. Over the summer I stripped old 1990s wall paper (was a bold red) and there was no way I was going to repaint the trim, so I was constrained to pick a bold color that coordinated w the existing cream trim, which after much angst, I realized had a lot of yellow in it, so the dark taupeI wanted wouldn’t work, so I amped it up and am very happy w the end results. (Pulled a piece of art from another room to use in it).
My powder room doesn’t have a window either. All the rooms on my first floor are painted colors that work with the William Morris wallpaper in the center hall. The PR is painted the same rich color as the DR. My sister used to have a windowless PR in a luxurious vintage building. The PR has luxurious vintage black fixtures, and wallpaper with jewel-toned florals on a black background. It looked gorgeous.
I found some old black and white photos , blew them up and framed them with simple frames from Michaels. One is of my mother being held by her uncle when she was about five at my great grandmother’s house on Cape Cod…it’s a cool picture. The other is one of my grandfather sitting in a dinghy on a lake in NH, wearing a suit and a hat…something about that one …they are together and on the opposite wall, I framed a water color I paint myself and put it with a mat I bought some time ago with a map of where I grew up…and then framed with another Michael’s special….also have no window in that room
I painted my windowless powder room a deep cherry red with a high gloss finish. I love it. An intense color with a glossy finish actually opens up the small space. The floors are black and white small checked tiles and I have black and white wood cut prints in bright gold frames. I love the effect.
My wood cut prints are originals from the 20’s and actually only cost me about 3$ each (bought from another collector) However, this sort of thing can be found in old art books ,then copied, and framed cheaply.
Don’t over think it. It’s a small room. If you go to the effort of painting and don’t like the results (give yourself a week to get used to the new color before you judge too fast), it probably won’t take more than another day or two to repaint. Sometimes you just don’t know until you get the color on the wall.
I’m not into expensive art - but we of course, can’t know your taste! If it was me, I’d also be at HomeGoods picking up a wall hanging - if you want, you could even bring the wall hanging into your local paint store and have them match one of the colors in it you want to try on the walls.
It’s a powder room - so real art is fine. I have a Japanese woodblock print and a couple of origami collages with watercolor of my own original art work. I have a soft dove grey on the walls that matches the old floor and wall tile and then I have the 1950s or so burgundy sink and towel hangers. Once I repainted the hideous oak framed medicine cabinet in burgundy i actually liked the room, so it will be the last to be renovated if it ever is.
I like my powder room. It’s posted on Gardenweb.
When I replaced all the old tiled floors with wood, I had them pull out cabinet and toilet. I put in an oval dark wood cabinet, with onyx bowl atop a matching counter, then a large oval mirror surrounded by onyx. Walls are BM Cameo, as are the surrounding rooms. I also have an onyx side table in LR, inherited from my mom.