Recently my husband and I completed yet another project in #HousePiazza. This project in particular has been one that I've been eager to execute since construction of our home was complete three years ago. The finished project I speak of is the execution of our Powder Room/Half Bath. Yep, you heard right! It took us three years to fully execute completing our tiny little powder room. Oh, but it was soooooo worth the wait. Peep the video below and see for yourself.
Crazy Wild Fact: Due to the petite size of our half-bath, it's extremely challenging to photograph or record the best angles. Please forgive the less than stellar video footage, but you all get the point ;)
Before I get into all of the details of project execution and the way I styled our half bath, I'd like to offer encouragement to my followers and readers out there that are currently feeling overwhelmed with your own home projects. Interior Decorating and Styling a home although extremely fun and an amazing journey, in particular for design enthusiasts like myself...it can also be very overwhelming. Oftentimes, people's greatest desire is to get to the finished line sooner than later when styling their homes. Why? Because, the ultimate goal is to enjoy your home and also to enjoy living in it. For many...home projects on top of home projects can become daunting, discouraging, expensive, and even feel like defeat before you really get started.
But, as I mentioned above...it took me three years to finally style and execute designing my powder room, which is the smallest room in #HousePiazza. One would think that it would've been the easiest and quickest room to execute. For me and my husband it just wasn't at the top of our priority list of rooms to complete because of the following...
We had two other functioning bathrooms
I was pretty set on installing high-end wallpaper, which meant the cost wouldn't be cheap
Finding a "GOOD" local wallpaper installer took more time than I thought it would
And ultimately, because the specific look I wanted to execute was going to cost us, Charlie and I decided to wait and save/raise the capital we needed, and focus our attention on other rooms that were more of a priority for us.
Saying all of that say...don't be discouraged in your home design, home decorating or even home renovation projects. Or, rather when you do get discouraged just remember this,
IT TAKES TIME! Not only does it take time, but in addition it takes MONEY! Time and money and a little bit of patience are all essential when undergoing any type of home decoration project. It's only normal to get frustrated or even anxious about wanting everything to be done. But allow yourselves the time and space you need for everything to come together organically. Be cautious about being in such a rush, because what you like today, you may not necessarily like tomorrow. Design trends change often. And, believe me in the end you'll appreciate having to wait a litter longer to get the exact look you envisioned initially.
The above piece of advice is precisely how I felt once I completed the design of my powder room. And without further ado, let's get into the details...
When our builder, Sunrise Homes, began building #HousePiazza, one of my very first requests was for them to NOT install any mirrors in any of the bathrooms. I wanted to personally select my own mirrors that would be more of a direct reflection of my design style. Also, customizing the mirrors through our builder wasn't an option. The only option available were the standard flat unframed mirrors installed in each bathroom. Personally, I wasn't a fan of that look and I wanted something that had much more style to it.
For our half bath/powder room in particular, I really wanted a mirror that would be a statement piece within the space. Also, because it's a small room, I felt like the perfect mirror with an amazing design would really help to pull my entire look together. The mirror that I fell in love with came from one of my many favorite stores, Restoration Hardware.
Source:
Salvaged Mansard Mirror - Restoration Hardware
The mirror comes in two different colors (Black & Natural) and two different sizes (Small & Large). In the above photo, the mirror is shown in black and is still currently available. To purchase click here.
From the moment I first saw the Salvaged Mansard Mirror, I knew I wanted to incorporate it into our home. The fact that it came in a size suitable for our half bath space was even more ideal. It's become quite a popular mirror, as I've seen it graced on numerous social media design accounts. In addition, I've seen it in various design print publications as well. I chose the black color for our half bath, which really isn't a true black but more of a deep espresso. For me this worked out perfectly because I was specifically looking for a rich dark brown framed mirror. So the deep espresso color was precisely what I was going for.
Staying true to my love for rustic designs, I absolutely loved the rough details all throughout the framing of the mirror. However, to add balance to the rustic nature of the mirror, of course I opted to style and design the rest of my half bath with modern elegant touches, as well as some glam features and accents. Also, due to the modest size of our powder room, I was careful to not overdecorate or crowd the space.
Design Tip: Sometimes less truly is more. When styling a small space, be mindful of not crowding the space with too much decor and too many accents. Decipher what will be your key items and what you'd like to be the main focus of your space. In the case of styling a small half bath...allow your space to be visually appealing, yet simultaneously comfortable for guests. Provide essential items for your guests, (towels, hand soap, lotion, fragrance, tissue, etc...) with only a few accents to enhance the beauty of the space.
Sources:
Interior Styling By: Allured By Design
Photo Still By: Asolid Photography
Shooting Location: House Piazza
Salvaged Mansard Mirror - Restoration Hardware
Decor & Accents: Soap & Lotion Set - Cost Plus World Market, Hand Towel - Target, Wallplug - Bath & Bodyworks
Sources:
Interior Styling By: Allured By Design
Photo Still By: Asolid Photography
Shooting Location: House Piazza
Decor & Accents: Soap & Lotion Set - Cost Plus World Market, Stones - Pier 1 Imports
Sources:
Interior Styling By: Allured By Design
Photo Still By: Asolid Photography
Shooting Location: House Piazza
Shelves: Cost Plus World Market
Decor & Accents on Top Shelf: Candle & Candleholder - Bath & Bodyworks, Washcloth Towels - Target
Decor & Accents on 2nd Shelf: All Apothecary Jars & Vase - Pottery Barn, Gold Seashell Fillings - Hobby Lobby,
Robin Eggs & Rustic Leaves - Niche Modern Home, Natural Seashell Fillings - Pier 1 Imports
Sources:
Interior Styling By: Allured By Design
Photo Still By: Asolid Photography
Shooting Location: House Piazza
Decor & Accents atop Toilet: Teal Bin - Cost Plus World Market
Outside of the mirror, the real crown jewel of our powder room is none other than the fabulous and gorgeous wallpaper. What's so ironic about the fact that our wall covering is the stand-out feature, is simply that you have to love the potential and possibilities that wallpaper can bring to a space. It's no secret in the design in the world, that wallpaper has truly made a huge comeback...bigger and better than ever and so much more modern and glammed out than ever. Gone are the days of dated wallpaper designs that after a year or two barely offer the same appeal as it did when first installed. Due to this past concern, I feel like many people are still a bit apprehensive about introducing a wall covering to their space.
Sources:
Interior Styling By: Allured By Design
Photo Still By: Asolid Photography
Shooting Location: House Piazza
Decor & Accents: Framed Paintings - Kirkland's
Wallpaper/Wallcovering: Revealed further down below...
Also, once you commit to wallpaper installation...oftentimes you compromise the integrity of your walls should you wish to at some point remove the wall covering. In the past, removing wallpaper has left severe damage to the walls underneath. However, today in more modern times...there are so many wall covering options that are much easier to apply without the need for hiring a wallpaper installer. Lots of DIY kits available, in addition to beautiful and less expensive stick and peel wallpaper options available at stores like Target.
I even considered moving forward with a beautiful gray stick and peel wallpaper option I found at Target. It wasn't my favored trellis print, yet an interesting print nonetheless and definitely far less expensive. However, for me and my taste, to make my decision I considered two things...
Will I be happy with the stick and peel wallpaper from Target for months and years to come?
Will I ever consider ultimately upgrading to a high-end wallpaper at some point?
Once I realized, that more than likely I would probably want to upgrade. I aborted the idea of going the cheaper route altogether. And, as I mentioned above, my husband and I decided to hold off on execution until I knew financially we could pull the look together that I envisioned without having to take any shortcuts.
So the wallpaper that has become the crown jewel of our powder room is designed and manufactured by Osborne & Little, which is a leading interior design company always at the forefront of interior trends. Designers, Osborne & Little, specialize in leading fabric and wallpaper designs that truly stand out from the crowd and nothing about their designs say dated!! I came about their stunning wall coverings through one of my favorite design apps, HOUZZ.
Design Tip: While there's Pinterest, Instagram, and a host of other social media outlets, some of the absolute best design inspiration for me comes from HOUZZ. The app allows you to see current visuals of what ever idea you have in mind. Simply type an idea into the search bar and a host of images will appear. Source information on products are available. In addition, contact information for leading interior designers behind many of the images are also available, with the option to communicate with them directly through the app. If you haven't already, visit their website @ www.houzz.com or download the app today.
While perusing through the HOUZZ app looking for wallpaper inspiration for half-baths and powder rooms, I came across a beautiful half-bath with this stunning trellis wallpaper design (pictured below). The photo also came to serve as the primary inspiration for my own half-bath as well. I discovered that the design team behind the look of the bathroom, were designers Beth Dotolo & Carolina V. Gentry of Pulp Design Studios. After looking at over a good thirty or more different wall coverings, this one in particular was the design I became obsessed with.
First and foremost, I absolutely love just about any design in a trellis print. That alone, caught my attention. Also, once I reached out to Pulp Design studios, I realized I could choose from a variety of colors in the particular wallpaper design I favored. However, Project and Purchasing Manager of Pulp Design Studios, Tracy Wurzburg, was kind enough to send me a sample in the color and print pictured above to aid me with making my final decision.
Source:
Pompadour Du Barry Wallcovering - Osborne & Little
To view more options, click here
Once the sample arrived, and I was able to touch and feel the texture of the print and see it in
person...I was sold!!! As I mentioned earlier, because I chose a rustic mirror for our half-bath, I wanted to bring in balance with softer, modern, elegant, yet glam touches. The wallpaper alone provided all of that. And, sadly...the photos I'm providing within this blogpost (in my opinion), don't truly offer justice to the beauty of the wallpaper. Hence the reason I created a video to attempt capturing better views, as well as better angles. (see the video above at the top of the post)
Party in the half-bath of #HousePiazza so everyone can see this gorgeous wallpaper!! You get a visit, you get a visit, we all get a visit (In my best Oprah Winfrey voice, LOL)
I settled on the teal/aqua colored trellis print, with a shimmery champagne background. Of the many things I love about the wallpaper...the color, the style, the print, the shimmer and sheen...what I love most, is that the actual trellis print is textured. The texture is a flock effect so it's not abrasive or too overbearing. It's very subtle, yet raised just enough to where you can feel the soft difference of the print vs. the shimmery background underneath. And, let me just say the design team @ Pulp Design Studios were such an amazing team and staff to work with. I'd been in touch with these ladies (albeit virtually) for well over a year and they were so patient with me and even extended a discount to me because they knew how long I'd fancied this particular print.
Soooooooo to finally start wrapping things up...
I am thoroughly pleased with how our powder room and half-bath came out. I'm even more happy that I stuck it out and waited, in an effort to execute my initial vision that I just knew would look fabulous. The final touches that I added to our half-bath, were the shelves from World Market. What I love about these shelves is you have the option to mix and match your brackets. Initially, I contemplated doing the white marble shelves with the gold brackets, as the shelves come in three colors (walnut, natural, and white marble). Those of you who've come to know my love for #allthingsGOLD, know that any other color brackets wasn't even a consideration for me, lol.
Once I arrived at the store with my wallpaper sample, I was blown away at how great the walnut shelves paired with the gold brackets as well. Mainly because, I wasn't too sure if the gold brackets in particular, would pop or offer a great enough contrast with darker shelves. But it worked out so flawlessly in the end. Also, the shelves I went with have a wavy, almost curvy like perimeter. It's called the organic edge. Basically the cut of the wood at its edges, isn't leveled or straight. Instead, it has a more organic feel and rustic texture to it, which of course I fell in LOVE with!!! I am indeed, "Queen Rustic Glam" Hey, that's a new hashtag, lol. To purchase the shelves click here. I do believe however, the white marble shelves are no longer available for purchase online, but perhaps more are still in stock in your local stores.
As I mentioned earlier, I really worked to keep the decor simple and not do too much, using my top shelf for basic storage items and my bottom shelf for decor. Again, the wallpaper is the crown jewel of the space, so every accent I added was only to compliment and further enhance the beauty of the wallpaper and not serve as a distraction.
My ultimate goal was to create a spa like half-bath for our house guests...equipped with essentials, simple decor, colors that would evoke peace and tranquility, and overall stylish and beautiful. And, I couldn't be more happy with the way it came out. Here's to wishing everyone a happy journey in exploring and finalizing your wallpaper designs. Be certain of your choice before you finalize, yet work to be encouraged and enjoy the process.
And, as always...feel free to email me with any design questions either directly through my blog, by clicking here. Or, visit and like the Allured By Design FB page and message me there. Or, like us on Instagram @alluredbydesign and comment there as well.
With Love,
Tachic-