Small bathroom design input

[dr.girlfriend]

So, I spent all weekend obsessing about this powder room renovation.  Just to summarize, it's a tiny 50" x 50" bathroom:


And here's the room it's carved out of:

These are my ideas so far:



My plan is to do a brass faucet, mirror, and light fixture too.

The technical color of the wallpaper is "indigo," although some people say it "reads" grey and in other online projects where people have used it, it looks almost dark green to me.  The swatch on the top left is the one listed on Anthropologie's website, and I color-corrected the picture on the right to match, but here are some photos from a blogger who installed it:





Other photos of it online for order and/or installed really vary, including the background looking very cream or very white.  A few people commented on multiple rolls having color variation, so not sure how much of this is online photos/lighting versus actual printing issues:



It costs $80 more per roll from Anthropologie than from online places ($208 vs $137), but since I hopefully will only need one roll I'm thinking I'll probably just eat the markup to get it from a store where I can return in person if something goes awry.

So, two questions:

1.  Do you guys like the style/color of wallpaper given the room it's an "offshoot" of?  I do try to incorporate Indian elements in my design since that's my cultural background, even though my style is eclectic and I have a generally Cape Cod style house.  :-)  The couch is a color called "Total Ink" which "read" very grey in the store, but "reads" navy blue in my house, which I surprisingly ended up liking.

2.  Any thoughts on floor tile?  I had originally thought I'd go with a solid-color tile to match the wallpaper (e.g., like a slate blue/grey), but if the wallpaper looks like different colors in different lighting I'm wondering if that may be an issue.  Maybe I should order the whole wallpaper roll first and then pick the tile?  

[ssmjlm]

I love the wallpaper.

I would be inclined to do a basic gray tile that's pretty neutral. I personally am not one for busy tile floors. I also love the idea of brick floor tiles that are popular.

[aspentosh]

Oh, very pretty. I think a basic gray tile (maybe an oversized hex? though that may be too traditional) or a rich brown color could both be gorgeous.

[wildrice]

I like the wallpaper!

Will 1 roll just cover the area, or will you have a lot of leftover? I recently wallpapered a wall and read that you should estimate about 20% more than what you think you'll need. I think this is because it can be difficult to line up patterns exactly. I found that to be the case with mine, at least - I had to start almost halfway down the roll a couple of times because of the way it lined up. Yours doesn't have as much color variation as mine so you probably won't have quite the same problem, but I thought it is worth mentioning in case you'd change your plan if you had to buy 2 rolls!

Or you might be like me and make a million crinkles in an entire panel and have to rip it down and replace it...

[KellyEasterbrook]

I love the wall paper! What about a hex tile in a warm color — similar to the flooring shown here:
www.anthropologie.com/shop/handcarved-paje-powder-bathroom-vanity?category=bathroom&color=047&type=STANDARD&size=One%20Size&quantity=1

I think that would bring some warmth in there and connect it to your beautiful living area.

[munkii]

The wallpaper is beautiful, and doing bold patterns in small spaces can create a nice impact. WRT floor tiles, if you want to do something similar in color, order the paper first. I'd be inclined to go with a tile or vinyl that reads like concrete or terra cotta (orange is the complementary color to blue!).

[dr.girlfriend]

Apr 26, 2021 16:10:34 GMT -5 wildrice said:

I like the wallpaper!

Will 1 roll just cover the area, or will you have a lot of leftover? I recently wallpapered a wall and read that you should estimate about 20% more than what you think you'll need. I think this is because it can be difficult to line up patterns exactly. I found that to be the case with mine, at least - I had to start almost halfway down the roll a couple of times because of the way it lined up. Yours doesn't have as much color variation as mine so you probably won't have quite the same problem, but I thought it is worth mentioning in case you'd change your plan if you had to buy 2 rolls!

Or you might be like me and make a million crinkles in an entire panel and have to rip it down and replace it...

I'm *hoping* that one roll will work.  The actual square footage of all four walls would be 72 feet, but two of those walls have just a narrow edge that will actually be wallpapered around the window and door respectively.  The roll covers 74 square feet.

[dr.girlfriend]

aspentosh , ssmjlm ,

Funny, right after I posted I found a bathroom reno where someone had used that wallpaper and then a grey hex marble tile on the floor, and I think that works. I'd like to do something larger-scale probably, but I'm sure I'll have options:

[penguingrrl]

I love the paper! Super pretty!

I actually might do distressed wood-look tile in there. I’ve seen that done really nicely in bathrooms and it’s not super common. I always love it when I see it, and think of it as fitting a more eclectic space.

[ellipses84]

In general I love interesting wall coverings in tiny powder rooms and I LOVE what you picked out. It complements the adjacent room well, but is unique and fun, and will brighten up the space. I’d order the wall paper and get a few options of tile to take I the space and decide what you like best. It’s such a small space so splurge on what you love. It’s best to order more wallpaper than you think you will need, all at the same time unless you want to risk a color mismatch.

Are you planning to replace the wall tile?

I don’t love a gray hex marble floor tile for this. Something with some color variation from gray to tan may be better. It is a good scale though. I really like the idea of penny round tile better, even if you went with a slightly larger, flatter, circular tile. There are so many options - dark matte, dark glass/ glossy, blue color variations, or natural tones:

[Deleted]

Well, obviously I am partial to using a beadboard in a small bathroom. We used laminate on our floor because we were putting in new floors on the entire main floor of our house. If we weren't doing that, I probably would've used a penny tile because I love penny tile. I think a darker color to anchor the space, the bright white beadboard or wainscoting, and a fun wallpaper would look awesome in your space. You have some amazing taste, I'm sure whatever you end up with will be fabulous.

[aprilsails]

We did white beadboard and teal paint above at the last house (I swear I didn’t copy you because we did it 10 years ago and I wasn’t so active here at the time... I think). So yes to beadboard. I like it in small washrooms because I am less worried about wiping up splashes on the walls.

I love the wallpaper. I might copy you for real this time. I still haven’t hung up any of the Polish wooden plates we have for the powder room. I should really do that.

[aprilsails]

A big component of the colour of that wallpaper is going to be the tone of the lighting. If you use 3500k bulbs it is going to read more cream and likely green, if you use 4000k you will get the brighter look. It’s crazy how much lighting can effect walls.

[sandandsea]

I think the distressed wood look tile would be cool with it. It would bring an earthy homey warmer feeling than other tile and I think it would flow with your other room nicely.

[ellipses84]

While I think wood look tile would look good in the bathroom, I don’t like it right next to a real wood floor.

[dr.girlfriend]

ellipses84 , sandandsea ,

What do you guys think of something like this? Never occurred to me but it's growing on me. Not sure of the scale though:

[TR]

Apr 27, 2021 15:55:48 GMT -5 dr.girlfriend said:

ellipses84 , sandandsea ,

What do you guys think of something like this? Never occurred to me but it's growing on me. Not sure of the scale though:

I love that. But if you did that, I’d do dark walls, not wallpaper, and then an awesome marble vanity or something.

[ellipses84]

Apr 27, 2021 15:55:48 GMT -5 dr.girlfriend said:

ellipses84 , sandandsea ,

What do you guys think of something like this? Never occurred to me but it's growing on me. Not sure of the scale though:

I like it alone or with your adjacent room but worry it will be too busy with the wallpaper.

[ellipses84]

What’s your plan for the walls and are you replacing the sink with a vanity? If so, what type of counter?

[Deleted]

I agree with TR and ellipses84. I like the floor, but in such a small face, I think that I would compete too much with a bold wallpaper, I think that you need to do one or the other, not both.

[aspentosh]

I don't really love that floor tile. It's like it's trying to be traditional but edgy and missing the mark. But even more than that, I would not want that tile with the wallpaper and that wallpaper is GORGEOUS and I think fits with your home style better.

[sandandsea]

What about a wooden look marble tile? I think this would be different enough from the hardwood but also not compete with the wallpaper. You can probably find it in a different shape too if you prefer. We used a wooden white marble tile for our shower floor and there were lots of patterns available.

[dr.girlfriend]

Apr 27, 2021 7:59:30 GMT -5 aprilsails said:

A big component of the colour of that wallpaper is going to be the tone of the lighting. If you use 3500k bulbs it is going to read more cream and likely green, if you use 4000k you will get the brighter look. It’s crazy how much lighting can effect walls.

A very basic question, I'm sure, but how do you know when purchasing?  I feel like most of the fixtures these days call for Edison bulbs, but I feel like ones labeled "daylight" are sometimes blindingly harsh.  If you buy online will it list the k value?

[ellipses84]

Apr 29, 2021 12:51:13 GMT -5 dr.girlfriend said:

Apr 27, 2021 7:59:30 GMT -5 aprilsails said:

A big component of the colour of that wallpaper is going to be the tone of the lighting. If you use 3500k bulbs it is going to read more cream and likely green, if you use 4000k you will get the brighter look. It’s crazy how much lighting can effect walls.

A very basic question, I'm sure, but how do you know when purchasing?  I feel like most of the fixtures these days call for Edison bulbs, but I feel like ones labeled "daylight" are sometimes blindingly harsh.  If you buy online will it list the k value?

It should list it on the light bulb and the light fixture. Some light fixtures need a certain color temperature or temp range for their bulbs and can’t accommodate either far end of the spectrum. As a general rule: Soft White - 2700K – 3000K, Bright White/Cool White - 3500K – 4100K, and Daylight -5000K – 6500K. 3500k -4000k is common and doesn’t read yellow. The Edison bulbs you see now are LED, not incandescent which tends to be brighter/ cooler than the old style. You don’t necessarily want “daylight”. That is pretty bright, like how you’d imagine a medical lab to be. Look at wattage brightness/ compatibility as well.

[dr.girlfriend]

Apr 29, 2021 13:50:06 GMT -5 ellipses84 said:

Apr 29, 2021 12:51:13 GMT -5 dr.girlfriend said:

A very basic question, I'm sure, but how do you know when purchasing?  I feel like most of the fixtures these days call for Edison bulbs, but I feel like ones labeled "daylight" are sometimes blindingly harsh.  If you buy online will it list the k value?

It should list it on the light bulb and the light fixture. Some light fixtures need a certain color temperature or temp range for their bulbs and can’t accommodate either far end of the spectrum. As a general rule: Soft White - 2700K – 3000K, Bright White/Cool White - 3500K – 4100K, and Daylight -5000K – 6500K. 3500k -4000k is common and doesn’t read yellow. The Edison bulbs you see now are LED, not incandescent which tends to be brighter/ cooler than the old style. You don’t necessarily want “daylight”. That is pretty bright, like how you’d imagine a medical lab to be. Look at wattage brightness/ compatibility as well.

Yeah, we put a "daylight" bulb in my son's room and it was blinding!  Thanks for the info!

[hbomdiggity]

With such a small space I think penny tile gets my vote. Gives interest without taking away from wallpaper.

[pierogigirl]

I like penny tile, but not a really busy one.