Photography by Laura Hull.
Large traditional powder room in San Francisco with open cabinets, a one-piece toilet, blue walls, dark hardwood floors, a console sink, marble benchtops, brown floor and white benchtops.

Greenville, Rhode Island: Complete Home Remodel

Hebert Design Build

Daniel Gagnon Photography
This is an example of a mid-sized traditional powder room in Providence with a one-piece toilet, gray tile, blue walls, ceramic floors, multi-coloured floor and a pedestal sink.

Traditional Home

Laurie McRae Interiors

Mid-sized traditional powder room in Atlanta with furniture-like cabinets, medium wood cabinets, a one-piece toilet, multi-coloured walls, dark hardwood floors, a drop-in sink, wood benchtops and brown benchtops.

Lake Sammamish - Powder Room

Schoener

Habersham warm silver vanity
Photo of a mid-sized traditional powder room in Seattle with furniture-like cabinets, grey cabinets, a one-piece toilet, gray tile, mosaic tile, beige walls, light hardwood floors, an undermount sink and engineered quartz benchtops.

Traditional Update

Kitchen & Bath Gallery

This elegant traditional powder room features the Queen Anne vanity by Mouser Custom Cabinetry, with the Winchester Inset door style and Cherry Mesquite finish, topped with Calacatta Gold marble top. The vessel sink is Kohler's Artist Edition in the Caravan Persia collection. The wall-mounted faucet is Finial by Kohler in the French Gold finish. The sconces are by Hudson Valley, Meade style and Aged Brass finish. The toilet is Kohler's Portrait 1-piece with concealed trapway. All of the tile is Calacatta Gold by Artistic Tile and includes 6x12 Polished on the wall, 1.25 Hexagon on the floor, and Claridges Waterjet cut mosaic with Thassos White Marble and Mother of Pearl shell. Photography by Carly Gillis

Greenwich Ave Residence

Donna Dotan Photography

Donna Dotan Photography
Inspiration for a traditional powder room in New York with a console sink, a one-piece toilet, black walls and mosaic tile floors.

Traditional Renovation on Aspen

Stalburg Design

This is an example of a mid-sized traditional powder room in Detroit with beaded inset cabinets, brown cabinets, a one-piece toilet, grey walls, medium hardwood floors, an undermount sink, marble benchtops, brown floor, white benchtops and a freestanding vanity.

University Park Renovation

Nicole Arnold Interiors

We transformed a Georgian brick two-story built in 1998 into an elegant, yet comfortable home for an active family that includes children and dogs. Although this Dallas home’s traditional bones were intact, the interior dark stained molding, paint, and distressed cabinetry, along with dated bathrooms and kitchen were in desperate need of an overhaul. We honored the client’s European background by using time-tested marble mosaics, slabs and countertops, and vintage style plumbing fixtures throughout the kitchen and bathrooms. We balanced these traditional elements with metallic and unique patterned wallpapers, transitional light fixtures and clean-lined furniture frames to give the home excitement while maintaining a graceful and inviting presence. We used nickel lighting and plumbing finishes throughout the home to give regal punctuation to each room. The intentional, detailed styling in this home is evident in that each room boasts its own character while remaining cohesive overall.

Moorsfort

Juliet Murphy Photography

Photo of a small traditional powder room in London with a one-piece toilet, multi-coloured walls, ceramic floors, a pedestal sink, multi-coloured floor and wallpaper.

All in the Details

Kirk Riley Design

All new space created during a kitchen remodel. Custom vanity with Stain Finish with door for concealed storage. Wall covering to add interest to new walls in an old home. Wainscoting panels to allow for contrast with a paint color. Mix of brass finishes of fixtures and use new reproduction push-button switches to match existing throughout.

Surrey Powder Room

Claire Elizabeth Lifestyle

This cloakroom had an awkward vaulted ceiling and there was not a lot of room. I knew I wanted to give my client a wow factor but retaining the traditional look she desired. I designed the wall cladding to come higher as I dearly wanted to wallpaper the ceiling to give the vaulted ceiling structure. The taupe grey tones sit well with the warm brass tones and the rock basin added a subtle wow factor

Copper Bay

Glas Associates

A beige powder room with beautiful multi light pendant and floating vanity Photo by Ashley Avila Photography
Mid-sized traditional powder room in Grand Rapids with furniture-like cabinets, beige cabinets, a one-piece toilet, marble floors, a vessel sink, engineered quartz benchtops, grey floor, white benchtops, a floating vanity and vaulted.

Country Estate

Janet McCann Design

This is an example of a traditional powder room in Milwaukee with a one-piece toilet, beige walls, a pedestal sink and brown floor.

Powder Room in Creamy Blues, Whites, and Beige

Orren Pickell Building Group

Powder room features a pedestal sink, oval window above the toilet, gold mirror, and travertine flooring. Photo by Mike Kaskel
Inspiration for a small traditional powder room in Milwaukee with a one-piece toilet, blue walls, limestone floors, a pedestal sink and brown floor.

Sheridan Road Residence

Laurel Feldman Interiors, IIDA

Featured in Sheridan Road Magazine 2011
Inspiration for a traditional powder room in Chicago with furniture-like cabinets, dark wood cabinets, white benchtops, a one-piece toilet, multi-coloured walls and a console sink.

Streathbourne Road, London, SW17

Marsh & Parsons

Photo of a mid-sized traditional powder room in London with a one-piece toilet, red tile, subway tile, grey walls, mosaic tile floors, a console sink and multi-coloured floor.

Custom Home

Alexandra Naranjo Designs Inc

David Khazam Photography
Photo of a large traditional powder room in Toronto with black cabinets, a one-piece toilet, mosaic tile, marble floors, a vessel sink, marble benchtops, multi-coloured walls, white tile and recessed-panel cabinets.

Neoclassical Home

Knight Architects LLC

Powder room tucked under stair with wood recessed paneling and honed marble tile floor. Pete Weigley
Inspiration for a traditional powder room in New York with a one-piece toilet, blue walls, marble floors, a wall-mount sink, marble benchtops and grey floor.

Bathroom with Stone Sink

Improva

Photo of a mid-sized traditional powder room in Sydney with raised-panel cabinets, white cabinets, a one-piece toilet, beige walls, marble floors, a drop-in sink, engineered quartz benchtops, black floor, white benchtops, a floating vanity and wallpaper.

Three Bathroom Makeover in Suburban Boston

Kohler Signature Store by Supply New England

The powder room has a transitional-coastal feel with blues, whites and warm wood tones. The vanity is from Mouser Cabinetry in the Winchester door style with a charcoal stain. The toilet is the one-piece Kathryn model from Kohler. The plumbing fixtures are from the Kohler Artifacts collection in brushed bronze. The countertop is quartz from Cambria in the Fairbourne collection. Kyle J Caldwell Photography

Traditional Powder Room Design Ideas with a One-piece Toilet

Think of your powder room as a small bathroom that’s always on display. Likely to be frequented by guests or used as a second bathroom by family members, it should always look its best. Consisting of little more than a vanity, toilet and sink, you could be mistaken that traditional powder room designs are easy to execute, but the tight space can be tricky to get right. As you plan your bathroom renovation, consider the following.

What’s the best way to collate small bathroom ideas?

Browse the photos on Houzz for small bathroom designs, and get acquainted with the specialist behind your favourite picks. You can bookmark and share your favourite photos with everyone involved in your renovation, and click through to Related Photos to broaden your scope. For even more traditional powder room and small bathroom ideas, check out the Stories section on Houzz.

How do I plan the layout of my powder room?

If you're building from scratch, an architect may be the best person to ask. There are three main objects to consider when planning the layout of your traditional powder room: the door, toilet and sink. Pocket, sliding or folding doors will give you more options for toilet and sink placement, while wall-mounted toilets will help save you a few inches of floor space, and make the room feel more spacious. To ensure ease of use, make sure the toilet has at least 38 centimetres of unobstructed space on either side, and 61 centimetres at the front. Powder rooms are primarily a place to use the toilet and quickly wash your hands, so unless you have the square meterage, you don’t need a full-blown vanity. Look for compact options, like a pedestal or wall-mounted sink instead.

What materials should I use in my powder room?

There’s not much space to work with when designing a traditional powder room, so keep your design fairly simple. Otherwise, too many different patterns and textures will quickly overwhelm the space. To avoid a disjointed design, opt for one statement piece or element, such as a fun splashback, benchtop or vanity, and choose subtle materials like stone, marble or granite for everything else. If you fear you haven’t created enough visual interest, fill the void with bathroom accessories such as hand towels and soap dispensers. High-quality bathroom fixtures – including everything from your toilet roll holder to faucet – with matching lines and style, will make a big difference in a such a small space, so if you have the budget, splurge a little!