Vanity Affair

Your bathroom is your sanctuary in your home. You spend some of your most intimate moments in this space. So, we decided to focus on the most important and used part of any bathroom - the powder room. This section of the room is always in the spotlight, so why not make it a bit dramatic? A little play with the mirror and some changes around the washbasin and its fixtures can turn the entire aesthetics of your bathrooms.

Setting the centre stage

The vanity is the focal point of a bathroom, therefore a bold and dramatic design is just what you need to accentuate this part. “The vanity is the show-stopper of any powder room, so it is important to design it and place it in a way that is the first glimpse you get when you open the door of your bathrooms. The wall behind it is also very crucial. You can create a complementary feature wall with a statement mirror and bright lights. Petite and dramatic powder rooms are the flavour of the season. So while designing a dramatic vanity, you can use a high gloss finish or lacquered glass, an embossed pattern on the board with water-proof paint, or go for leather cladding,” suggests Aparna Kaushik, architect.

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Mirror, mirror on the wall

A powder room with a mirror? Well, that’s just impossible. Mirrors are the most important aspect of a powder room and they can be used in various styles, sizes and shapes to add a little drama and playfulness in the space.

“Mirrors are important for functional, as well as design purposes. With their reflective surfaces, mirrors add brightness, an airy feel and incorporates a sense of space in the bathroom. The frames of mirrors allow you to add shape, pattern, texture and finish to the space. If you use it strategically, and in various shapes and sizes, a mirror can add a lot of drama to the powder room – try cantilevered mirrors or those suspended from the ceiling for instance,” recommends Hardesh & Monica Chawla, Founder & Principal Designer, Essentia Environments.

Lighting things up

To add a flair of drama to your powder room, you can playfully incorporate lighting into it. Hidden lights and ceiling lights can add a character to your space. As advancements in lighting technology continues, the integration of lighting into architecture has become more effective and exciting. According to Hardesh & Monica Chawla, integrating mood lighting allows you to create an ambience that is soothing and sophisticated while highlighting the accessories and design elements. Adding lights behind the mirror and counter or vanity can also turn the powder room beautiful. One can also experiment with cove lighting on the sides of the mirror, chandeliers above the vanity or drop pendant lights on the sides.

The brass effect

Brass finishes add a touch of luxury and class to your bathroom. Brass fixtures like sophisticated basins are in vogue and they look perfect with marbled countertops. One can incorporate various metal fixtures with brass or gold finish, or brass accents in furniture, accessories, artworks, or brass inlays in flooring or wall claddings to add this style.

“Some times all you need is a brass-rimmed mirror, brass faucets or brass accessories to add that edge to your powder room,” feel Hardesh & Monica Chawla.

Aparna suggests, “Brass accessories or artefacts can be used to add an exclusive touch. If you have a pedestal basin, you could use a brass tray for your toiletries.”

Back in vogue

With its luxurious feel and rich texture, marble is a classic in when it comes to designing a bathroom. One can use unusual and unique materials such as Zebrino, Arabascato and Paonazzo to add a classy yet artistic look to your powder room. “Nowadays marbles are available in amazing polishes offering a rich and glossy surface that are ideal for powder rooms. Back-lit onyx, gorgeous Michaelangelo and even statuario are all great for designing this area of your bathroom. We could also mix and match different shades of marbles or use chequered patterns to add interest,” proposes Aparna.

Shape it up

Choosing the right tile can add a character to your powder room. One can now replace the regular, rectangular subway tiles with more funkier shaped tiles like hexagons and scallops, giving a dull bathroom a texture and sensual character. “The stunning patterns of hexagons and scallops are great for juxtaposing with monochrome stones to create stand-out flooring. A patch of these patterned tiles in the middle of a room or just on the borders is enough to make a definite statement. Patterned flooring is back in trend and will continue to be so in this new year,” supports Aparna.