Our powder room opens off the hall and is quite tiny. I cannot decide whether to go minimal and paint the walls white to make it feel bigger. Or, is it a good idea to match it up with the main floor colours, which are beige, taupe and green. Love your ideas.
Francoise, LO, USA
Hi Francoise;
Powder rooms are great fun to decorate. Because it's small, it's the perfect place to splurge on unique and more exciting décor and details. Even if you have chosen a neutral colour scheme for the rest of the house, you can do anything you want here. Go dramatic, have fun. Give your powder room the royal treatment with a paint technique that mimics exclusive imported wallcoverings.
Large stencils:
Stenciling is back in vogue. Large motifs and oversized patterns are replacing the old-fashioned ivy-around-the-door theme. Large stencils can be purchased or you can cut out your own design. Trace or draw from a paper or pattern book onto a sheet of Mylar (stenciler's plastic) and cut out with an Xacto knife. You will need two or three copies to allow the stenciling to go more quickly. Use a small roller to fill in the stencil pattern, applying very little paint to avoid leakage.
Veiling:
I wanted the walls in this powder room to imitate the look of a high-priced French wallcovering, without the cost. Instead, I stenciled a gold metallic pattern over a blue/gray base coat. This effect was muted with a wash of translucent silver glaze using a technique called 'veiling'. The glaze is applied with a wide bristle brush, moving in one direction only -- vertically. By pulling the brush through the glaze repeatedly you will produce the appearance of soft sheer fabric with the stenciled pattern peaking through. The smoky effect is subtle and sophisticated, and very current.