The new era of powder rooms is brimming with designs that prioritize bold statements over conservative choices. We asked industry pros to share modern powder room ideas to help inspire spaces that both you and your guests won’t soon forget. With exquisitely veined marble, dark saturated paint, statement-making wallpapers and more, these jewel-box baths prove that oftentimes the smallest of rooms can have the biggest impact.
Explore more stories from The New Statement Bathroom package, featuring 2023 bathroom trends, a dive into today’s maximalist bathrooms, and more.
Risk/Reward
“A recent powder room of ours has a defined modern tropical feel with the terrazzo stone and natural wood veneer wallpaper. The accessories in the space make it pop as well. Powder rooms are an opportunity to have a little more fun and step out of your comfort zone.”
—Brittany Farinas, House of One Interior Design | Miami
Make it Moody
“In a recent powder room we really pushed the limits by doing textured plaster walls in a deep purple color to tie into the purple veins of the Calacatta Viola marble. Thankfully our client loves purple and was open to pushing the boundaries and the outcome was truly incredible. Clients are typically more willing to go darker and stronger in a powder room space and take chances with wall colors and marbles.”
—Brittany Hakimfar, Far Studio | Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
Glamour is a Go
“The modern powder room for 2023 is packed with glamour. I’m currently designing powder rooms loaded with extra thick floating countertops and fluted walls in gorgeous marble accented by anything from intensely patterned wallpaper to super subtle grasscloths, and always a dose of statement lighting.”
—Jeff Andrews, Jeff Andrews Design | Los Angeles
Saturation Infatuation
“We love to do a super moody powder room and paint the trim, ceiling, and wall all one color. A deep jewel-tone green or blue is stunning for this. Wallpaper in a bold, fun pattern or wainscoting throughout the room work well too.”
—Jessica Nelson, Jessica Nelson Designs | Seattle
Give Them Something to Talk About
“Our clients are breaking out of their comfort zones to design these spaces with vibrant, eye-catching wallcoverings and fun, unconventional sink designs. We recently designed a powder bath that featured a custom, large-scale mural as the wallpaper, utilizing a historic photograph from the original property owners. What a conversation piece!”
—Sarah Tiedeken O’Brien, Vertical Arts Architecture | Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Pick Porter Teleo
“We are loving the Porter Teleo wallpapers for powder rooms right now. They are custom hand-painted and gorgeous.”
—Kristen Pena, K Interiors | San Francisco
Juxtapose It
“Whether it’s unexpected for the actual house or the homeowner who lives there, I love introducing a bold, traditional floral into the powder room in an otherwise sleek, modern home, or a graffiti wallpaper into a more classic design scheme.”
—Liz Caan, Liz Caan & Co. | Newton, Massachusetts
Modern and traditional elements combine in this powder room by designer Liz Caan.
Bold or Bust
“Powder rooms tend to not have as many functional needs as other spaces, so they are a great place to have fun. We like to experiment with dark color and/or bolder details in ways that we wouldn’t necessarily be able to in other parts of a clients’ home.”
—Maureen Ursino, Ursino Interiors | Colts Neck, New Jersey
Timeless With a Twist
“We selected a bold Viola marble to create a built-in sink and a light wood irregular paneling for all the walls, making the bathroom timeless but still bold.”
—Stephanie Halfen, SDH Studio Architecture + Design | Miami Beach, Florida
Look Around
“I usually consider the colors of the adjacent spaces when selecting a powder room color and do something that is complementary, but opposite. If you have a cool-toned green space, make the powder room warm in tone to provide the opposite pull. That way it feels unexpected, but natural.”
—Wendy Labrum, Wendy Labrum Interiors | Chicago
Find Your Tile Style
“Tile can bring something unexpected to a powder room. You can use something really over the top and since the area is not that large it won’t be too overwhelming.”
—Mary Patton, Mary Patton Design | Houston
Elements of Style
“Pick a theme, color, and feeling that speaks to you and your home. If you love something, it never goes out of style.”
—Julee Wray, Truss Interiors & Renovations | Denver
“In a recent powder room project, the owner chose a beautiful ungrouted flat river rock feature wall, stacked floor to ceiling,” says Julee Wray.
