Dream Spaces: 12 Ultraglam Powder Rooms

Often the smallest room in the house, the powder room is a place where homeowners can easily realize their most extravagant design aspirations. Remodeling one is less expensive — and less time-consuming — than revamping a living room or installing a new kitchen, so these manageable spaces are a good spot to get a lot of design bang for your buck.

Graphic wallpapers and rich colors that might be overwhelming elsewhere provide pizzazz here. For lighting, think shimmering chandeliers or eye-catching pendants, rather than conventional overheads. Instead of a traditional vanity, why not use a modern vessel sink atop a wooden slab?

If you’re itching for a small project, the powder room is a great place to experiment. Here are 12 inspiring spaces chock-full of good ideas that are easily transferable to many homes.

With its gleaming black walls enhanced with silver picture-frame wainscoting, this elegant room is the epitome of glamour. A vessel sink sits atop a waterfall slab of marble, flanked by two large square towel holders. Holly Hunt designed the traditional sconces, complete with luxurious tassels.

The narrow floor-to-ceiling mirror behind the console sink makes this space look bigger — and also hides the sink plumbing. The soothing color combination works, too: Benjamin Moore’s yummy Seacliff Heights wall paint is teamed up with a dark gray textural tile backsplash (Wenge Mosaico by Fibra).

In a nod to the architecture of this Spanish colonial house in Phoenix, the powder room’s custom moldings and sink are made from Cantera, a quarried volcanic rock mined exclusively in Mexico and South America. The muted walls (painted Deep Ocean by Dunn-Edwards) set off an eclectic collection of vintage art, carved wood mirrors and hanging pendant lamps.

More Dream Spaces: 12 Ultraglam Powder Rooms

Dream Spaces: 12 Ultraglam Powder Rooms