22 Powder Room Ideas That Pack Style into a Small Space

Add storage and style to your powder room with these top decorating and design ideas.

Stacy Goldberg

Half baths are primarily used by guests, so it’s nice to leave a lasting impression. However, powder rooms still need to serve as storage space for basic necessities. No matter how tiny it is, your half bath can boast both style and function, packing high efficiency into a small space without skimping on design. Here's how to transform your powder room with these clever storage and decorating ideas.

Werner Segarra

Open up the square footage of a powder room by installing a wall-mounted sink. This will still give you the counter space you need for essentials while making the room feel more open and airy. Plus, you’ll have a spot for a trash can or basket of rolled towels below the sink.

Stacey Brandford

Add character and visual interest in a powder room with a unique ceiling treatment. Try a moisture-resistant shiplap style, then wallpaper the rest of the room in a beautiful pattern, such as this metallic leaf print. A ceiling design will force eyes up, making the powder room appear taller and larger than it is.

Tracey Amadio

Create an elegant powder room by installing wainscoting. There’s so much versatility to this design detail, with options for simple to decorative molding and endless color options. If you keep the wainscoting in a neutral color, opt for bold, jewel-toned paint for the upper half of the room. Stick to simple bathroom fixtures and refined decor to pull the space together.

There’s nothing more timeless than a black-and-white color scheme. A black vanity and medicine cabinet stand out against white subway tiles and provide ample storage in a small powder room. Continue the color palette with accessories such as a black sconce and black-and-white striped towels.

Christina Schmidhofer

If powder room space is at a premium, consider swapping out a traditional door for a sliding barn door. This will eliminate the need for considerable room for the door to swing in and out each time someone uses the bathroom. Instead, a sliding door takes up a fraction of the square footage. It’s an exceptionally smart idea for small powder rooms placed along a high-traffic hallway.

James Schroder

Enhance the charm of a powder room by putting some antique finds on display. Hang an ornate, distressed mirror above the vanity. Design a gallery wall with thrifted artwork or photos. Place cotton swabs in vintage jars and a bar of soap on a small secondhand tray.

Jared Kuzia

Use vertical stripes to make a room seem taller or horizontal ones to increase its width. In the powder room, you’re more likely to want it to seem wider, so choose horizontal stripes in the way of wallpaper or paint. Take them from floor to ceiling and on each of the four walls to really make an impact. To take it a step further, stick to muted colors and choose a marble countertop with veining that mimics stripes in similar shades.

Werner Straube

If you’re not ready to commit to a floating vanity, try mounting just the faucet to the wall. This will save significant space on a small countertop, so in addition to soap and a bouquet for your guests, you can also supply a sink-side bottle of hand cream. While wall-mounted faucets are generally more expensive, they are much easier to clean over time as water doesn’t pool around the base. They also look sleek and modern, even in a more traditional powder room.

Stacy Goldberg

For a powder room without built-in storage, create your own. Hang a floating shelf above the sink across the length of the entire wall. On the shelf, showcase a mirror, a floral arrangement, and your favorite framed art. This will give you just enough space to add personality to the powder room while still keeping it simple and functional.

If you have a large powder room, play with the layout and add a divider between the toilet and sink areas. For adequate storage, opt for a vanity with deep drawers to store toiletries and extra rolls of toilet paper. Hang floating shelves to hold folded towels and accessories.

James R. Salomon

Dark wood, crisp whites, and garden-inspired wallpaper harmonize to create warmth and texture in this powder room design. Classic-style candlestick lamps brighten the vanity and make a big decorative impact. A wide furniture-style vanity emphasizes the mirror's horizontal shape and brings vintage appeal to the traditional powder room. Budget-friendly crown molding and white subway tile are easy to install and leave the space feeling fresh and bright.

A powder room’s petite size makes it easy to curate. Create personality with staying power by layering details in a small bath. Juxtaposed with a modern vanity, a classic rounded mirror, and shiny brass faucet form a stunning focal point. The warm floating vanity and brown wall tile create a high contrast with the marble countertop.

John Bessler

Don't let the small scale of a powder room dissuade you from being creative; give this petite space the play it deserves with its own polished look. Since the powder room is often the only bathroom seen by guests, try to decorate it with luxurious towels and pretty accessories. Old materials, such as a weathered wooden vanity table and thrift shop mirror, blend seamlessly with the vessel sink and modern fixtures in this tiny bath.

High-gloss finishes, such as lacquer, metallic, glass, or natural stone, reflect natural and artificial light, allowing a small powder room to look bright at any time of day. Draw eyes upward using a mirror with a distinctive shape or finish. A vanity with fluted wood panels gives this small bath a sophisticated style and storage.

Rich color, bold patterns, and mixed materials achieve the unexpected in a small room without it feeling too moody or cramped. A high-contrast palette of pastels and blacks brings fresh appeal to this modern powder room. Classic gold fixtures add a bright contrast that adds shine. A porcelain sink, large oval mirror, and slim sconces look clean and contemporary.

Werner Straube

With such a tiny footprint, a little bit of extravagance goes far in a powder room. An accent wall wrapped in tile adds texture and interest to this contemporary bath. Cool blues and soft grays provide a soothing backdrop for a desk-like sink and circular sconces. Incorporate a natural element, such as a towel-filled basket beneath an open sink, to warm sleek, modern materials.

Emily Followill

Freestanding furniture makes a bathroom feel more like a decorated room, and it's easy to find inexpensive items at tag sales, or better yet, to enlist underused furniture you already own. An ultraslim console table mimics the open vanity's visual lightness and introduces an extra sliver of counter space for bath storage. A hint of greenery or fresh flowers makes the room warm and inviting for guests.

Repeating colors and shapes will make your powder room design look polished and cohesive. Square shapes and straight lines reign in this small bath. A tile backsplash unifies its neutral color scheme while safeguarding against stains and water splashes.

Without a shower in place to run the risk of extra moisture, hardwood floors are a welcome addition to a powder room design. Since the area is so compact, it's the perfect place to try higher-end flooring material, such as tile or premium wood, without breaking the bank. Here, the warm wood flooring contrasts rich black zellige tile and modern fixtures.

Tria Giovan

Make the most of every square inch in a small powder room by focusing on space-saving details. Pocket doors conserve space while complementing the bathroom's vintage cottage style. Folded and stacked linens share space with decorative accents under the sink basin. A wire shelf above the toilet keeps soaps and lotions within reach of the wash area.

Werner Straube

Accentuate coziness and make a statement in a powder room with a bold pattern. With less surface area to cover, powder room wall treatments are less costly than in a larger bathroom. Plus, because the space is small and confined, you won't have to coordinate its decor with existing themes in your home.

Werner Straube

For a look that's punchier than a solid color, but less permanent than wallpaper, personalize walls with a painted pattern. Cheery strokes of pink and green wake up this plain powder room design. Minimal window treatments take advantage of natural light and visually merge indoor and outdoor spaces. Paint the ceiling a light color to give walls the illusion of appearing taller than they are.

A powder room should be big enough to accommodate a toilet, a sink, and a vanity if desired. Beyond these basics, you can incorporate other features such as additional storage if you’ve got space. As a general rule, your half-bath should be 3 to 5 feet wide and 5 to 8 feet long.

Powder rooms are often found on the ground floor of multistory homes. However, it’s also common to have half-bathrooms near the pool area, a guest house, and even in basements, if you have one, or in any spare corner of your one-story home plan.