Decorating Ideas for Your Lake Home’s Powder Room

Photo courtesy of House Beautiful

Most likely, your powder room feels ignored. While this small yet essential space may not be the most popular area of your lake home, it has more potential than you know. For professional decorators, this liberating and delightfully noncommittal space is just the place for taking design risks. And because of its inherent smallness, you can remodel or quickly change the look at a reasonable cost. Consider it your creative canvas for experimenting with bold hues, textured wallpapers, a montage of tiles, and statement mirrors, fixtures, and lighting. If your lake home powder room or half-bath needs a makeover, here are some tips to make it memorable.  

Wrap It Up!

Photo courtesy of Elle Décor

If you’ve fallen in love with a wallpaper pattern, and you’re dying to try it but don’t want to commit to a large room, the powder room is the perfect place to do it. Small but mighty powder rooms typically don’t have a lot of square footage, so you won’t have to invest in too many rolls. With wallpaper, you can create your own vibe with bold graphics, calming botanicals, dainty toiles, or whatever pattern strikes your fancy. For this space, you don’t have to consider moisture issues from a shower or bathtub, so wallpaper is always permitted here.

Artful Solutions

Photo courtesy of House Beautiful

Beautifully minimal in both its design and color palette, this sleek little powder room integrates storage solutions without disrupting the smooth visual flow of the space. A luxurious marble backsplash inspired the designer to add a small shelf in the same material for lotion and hand soap. Cabinet space underneath an elegant black and white floating sink creates hidden storage for stowing away bathroom essentials. To punctuate the room, a single pendant light hangs next to a compelling work of art—an unexpected element in the bathroom in place of the usual mirror. Instead, an adjacent mirrored wall provides reflection and makes the room feel more spacious.

Relish the Rustic

Photo courtesy of House Beautiful

If your lake house has a more rustic style, carry it into the powder room to create a nice visual flow and a satisfying continuity. Here, chicken wire replaces glass on these charming cabinets, and you can still see the contents inside if that’s the look you’re going for. A tip? If you have exposed cabinets, make sure to style them neatly with essentials that are neatly folded and blend with your color palette. Select a mirror, fixtures, and faucet that aligns with your rustic aesthetic and keep them in finishes that either match or blend harmoniously. For instance, the silver hardware used here mixes effortlessly with the burnished metal on the wall sconces. The painted beadboard walls and ceiling add to the casual farmhouse vibe, and a simple patterned roman shade lends a delicate touch without interfering with the overall rustic feel.

Tile Tableau

Photo courtesy of Dwell

If you’re crazy for tile, the powder room is your design laboratory for trying your hand at blending styles. Infused with glamorous touches, this chic space mixes a bold black and white print on the floor with a stylish yet subtle herringbone pattern on the walls. In addition, the color black may not be a hue typically found in the bathroom, but in the powder room, all design rules are made to be broken. Here, luxe splashes of black in the tile, rug, and drapery introduce an element of drama to an otherwise bland and forgettable space. Matte black vanity fixtures complement the look and heighten the luxurious aesthetic.

Moody & Masculine

Photo courtesy of The Spruce

Deep, rich hues are not off-limits in the powder room. In fact, this is the perfect space to try them if you love color. Here, an intense, deep red shade mixes elegantly with bold matte black and an impactful graphic black and white floor tile. The floating vanity creates the illusion of more space, as does the long mirror behind it. Ivory accent pieces used sparingly produce eye-pleasing contrast atop the black surface. White globe lights create a visually powerful focal point and bring a welcome sculptural element to this tiny but tasteful space.

Beach Bliss

Photo courtesy of Houzz

A universal favorite, the beachy farmhouse style has a broad appeal. Crisp, clean, and simple, this look is ideal for a lake home with its pared-down, laid-back aesthetic. Here, limestone pavers set a relaxed tone along with whitewashed beadboard walls and a beautifully rustic vanity topped with a wide vessel sink. Gold fixtures and glass pendant lights create a sense of casual elegance to this charming cottage-like space, and woven baskets stashed with white towels introduce lovely texture to the bare floors.

For more brilliant ideas to power up your powder room, visit HGTV.