Le Petit Chateau: Papered over

I moved into my home in 1999 and I have been waiting to remodel my main floor bath ever since. Originally the only bath in the house, this dated room was outfitted with a plastic corner shower that made no sense whatsoever. Finally a broken sewer line (you heard it 'cha ching') created an opportunity to change the plumbing (more 'cha ching'). "No sense in stopping there", I said....walls were moved, eighties tile taken up, noisy fan disassembled. Finally, I had it! My blank canvas of a powder room.

My goal was to take this new found space and create a jewel box. A talented designer I work with suggested wallpaper. Now, I am with you-I thought the same thing. The first home I purchased in Seattle had wallpaper everywhere and when I say everywhere, I mean it....walls, ceilings, closets. Weeks of steaming, scraping, peeling and gallons of Dif turned me off to the idea of placing a glued piece of flowery paper on any wall. Needless to say, I was a bit hesitant to jump in to wallpapering any room in my home. But one look at some of the amazing designs on the market today (good bye chintz, hello gorgeous) and my head and heart turned right around.

Wallpaper on the ceiling, walls, even in the closets - a big no.

I chose a sunny botanical print that blended with the interior of my house, but pumped it up just a notch - lemon yellow and gold chrysanthemums floating in harmony with shiny gold leaves (sounds gaudy I know, but it's spectacular). This wallpaper transformed my small space into an oasis of happiness!

My sunny wallpaper...

...transforming my powder room

There is no question concerns abound...like making sure you choose the right design, or the headache of removing it down the road when your tastes change, and of course there is the expense of it all...good wallpaper is not cheap. This definitely gives one cause to pause.

But tackling a small space like a powder room is ideal for a wallpapering experiment, oh I mean project!

Powder rooms can be approached from a slightly different direction than other areas of the home. They present an opportunity to be more creative than in a larger, more prominent room. After selecting the wallpaper design unique lighting, mirrors, vanities, and hardware can build on its style to create a gorgeously layered and simply fabulous room.

I love the classic bold graphics of this paper.

It is difficult to see in the photo, but this grass paper has a lovely silvery shimmer to it. The mirror, sconces, and counter top (also with a bit of shimmer) build on the style.