All the power

THERE ARE MORE than 350,000 posts on Instagram with the hashtag #powderroom and they all have one thing in common: they ping with personality. In Aotearoa, we seem to have embraced this trend.

So named in the 1700s, powder rooms came into being as a private space for the upper class to re-powder their wigs. Also called a half bathroom or cloakroom, they are minimal in fittings (normally a loo and a handbasin) but maximal in impact. Without the need to incorporate a bath or shower, there’s more wall space to work with, which means more opportunity for fabulous expression. Here interior designer Kirsten Ford of KFD Interiors shares her secrets to bringing power to the powder room.

How do you tackle the planning of a powder room? As smaller spaces, powder rooms need to be well planned, considering practicalities first. Every powder room needs a basin, toilet and mirror but the best powder rooms also have a sense of luxury to them - it’s all in the details. The basin should be the centrepiece, and with so many shapes and sizes available, take time to assess the best options for your space. We love a freestanding pedestal basin! A mirror can be fun and decorative - we often consider how to add a sense of light or space in a powder room with oversized mirrors. Feature pendants or wall lights provide a flattering, ambient light, and we also think about storage - a niche or shelf or, where space allows, a vanity unit. Remember that wall-hung basins and wall-mounted tapware are space saving and make the room feel larger.

When it comes to the decorative aspects, what’s the best approach? Powder rooms are transient zones that people pass through but seldom linger in, and they are unconnected to other rooms so there are no competing furnishings or finishes. That’s why you can be bold but it’s also important to link to the rest of your home’s interior - think of it as an amplified version of your other choices, so that it feels unexpected yet still flows. Use bolder, deeper tones or patterned or coloured tiles. Add eclectic artworks and fun accessories.

Why use wallpaper in a powder room? A smaller space can handle bolder patterns and colours that may overwhelm larger rooms. We almost always wallpaper every wall in a powder room for the greatest impactand even the ceiling. Wallpaper is ideal as there is no steam or moisture from a shower, so you don’t need to use only water-resistant materials. Just consider the splashback space between the mirror and basin. You can either seal the wallpaper, use a specific paint finish to protect it from splashes, create a tiled feature or, our favourite, extend the mirror from the top of the basin all the way to the ceiling as a stylish, cost-effective solution.

Which type of paint finish is suitable? Even though a powder room doesn’t have the same moisture considerations as main bathrooms, select sheen levels which have anti-bacterial qualities and tough, wipeable finishes. Lower-sheen finishes are more forgiving on imperfections in walls and surfaces.

Inspired? Here are some examples that our clever David Reid Homes team and clients have put together: F

Go for gold

Once you’ve committed to a decorative statement, there are no half measures: push the boat out. To dial up the drama, choose dark tones but make sure they have some warmth. You could try a shade of black such as Dulux Blackwood Bay or Dulux Khandallah, or an intense blue like Dulux Moonlight Creek, but if you feel the fear, step back from the abyss by keying into the trend for nature’s neutral: green − something deep and swampy perhaps such as Dulux Motutapu Island. Teaming paint and paper in this David Reid Homes’ show home in Canterbury gives this wedge-shaped space opulent appeal. Resplendent with cranes (symbols of immortality and wisdom in Chinese culture), the Masoala wallpaper, from online store The Inside, sets the colour palette. We love the gilded negative-detail drawer pull on the vanity.

TOP TIP: Because this is a room where people aren’t showering, you can use wallpaper without a worry.

Play with pattern

Missing your exotic holiday this year? Just pay a visit to this Queenstown cloakroom and you’ll be immersed in an exquisitely wild experience. Think of the powder room as a capsule for experimenting with colour and pattern. It’ll be a delightful surprise for visitors. Here the jazzy wallpaper in vivid orange is the (monkey) business and the wild-is-wonderful theme is picked up in the accessories such as a leopard-print handtowel and trinket box. Fitted louvre blinds also channel the colonial Out of Africa style: the window can be opened for fresh air while the timber slats can be angled to maintain privacy.

TOP TIP: Since a powder room is generally used by guests rather than family, there’s never going to be a rush on the loo roll. There’s probably no need for a vanity unit: store extra toilet paper and hand soap within easy reach.

Miniature but mighty

Never waste an opportunity to plug a powder room into your programme – these small spaces are big on amenity, and punch above their size in terms of form and function. You’d be surprised at how little floorspace you need: just 1200-1500mm x 750-900mm should do it. In the planning stages, look out for leftover or ‘wasted’ space, perhaps a narrow sliver next to the entrance, or that awkward area under the stairs. Ask the experts for help as they will know exactly how much room you need for comfort, around the toilet for example. In this Pukekohe show home, a secret door, clad in the same stained vertical timber as the entrance hall, disguises a powder room. This space, lined in marble, is sleek and contemporary and as luxurious a loo as any you’d find in the foyer of a five-star hotel.

TOP TIP: A cavity slider is a designer’s BFF when every square centimetre counts.

Custom-made for creativity

Fittings such as basins and vanity units are now made in slimmer, smaller sizes so they can slide into the diminutive scale of the powder room and look the part. The vessel basin – once confined to white, grey or black - has made magnificent strides forward and there is freedom to be found in many colours, from palest pink, to plum, to spicy shades of nutmeg and turmeric. In the Wairarapa home above, the owners opted for a curvaceous handmade concrete vessel basin in forest green which has tactile warmth when paired with a trestle-table-style vanity stand. The custom-coloured Kakapo wallpaper, from Paper Hands, is an homage to this beloved flightless parrot and brings a unique Kiwi flavour to the design.

TOP TIP: Lighting can lean into the aesthetic aspects rather than the utilitarian – it’s an extra chance to dial up the ambience. P