This is an example of a small traditional powder room in New York with a two-piece toilet, ceramic floors, a pedestal sink and red walls.

Colonial Revival Restoration + Addition

Brad Cox, Architect, Inc.

A collection of vintage hand mirrors is displayed against custom red and white wallpaper in this powder room. The pedestal sink echoes the shapes of the mirrors and makes the room feel more spacious.

Gulf Breeze Cottage

Kevin Russell Builders Inc.

Photo of a traditional powder room in Miami with a pedestal sink and red walls.

Lake House, Knoxville Custom Home

WilliamAndrewsArchitects

Small traditional powder room in Other with a two-piece toilet, blue tile, green tile, orange tile, red tile, beige tile, multi-coloured tile, mosaic tile, red walls, dark hardwood floors, a vessel sink and tile benchtops.

Carretta Bathrooms

Kitchens of Diablo

Red Powder Room WIth Iron Sink Base
Design ideas for a small traditional powder room in San Francisco with a pedestal sink, a one-piece toilet, red walls and medium hardwood floors.

Traditional Great Room Remodel in Hershey

RM Kitchens Inc.

A traditional living room remodel complete with bright floral patterns and muted green walls.
Photo of a small traditional powder room in Other with medium hardwood floors, a drop-in sink, furniture-like cabinets, dark wood cabinets, granite benchtops and red walls.

Jewel Box Powder Room

Richard Bailey Interiors LLC

Inspiration for a small traditional powder room in New York with shaker cabinets, dark wood cabinets, red walls, an undermount sink and soapstone benchtops.

Arlington Heights Tudor Addition

Patrick A. Finn, Ltd

Design ideas for a mid-sized traditional powder room in Chicago with furniture-like cabinets, dark wood cabinets, a two-piece toilet, red walls, medium hardwood floors, an undermount sink and marble benchtops.

Fox Chapel Private Residence

Astorino

Design ideas for a small traditional powder room in Other with a drop-in sink, furniture-like cabinets, medium wood cabinets, granite benchtops, red walls and marble floors.

Historic Remodel

EDAD studio

Photo of a traditional powder room in Tampa with recessed-panel cabinets, black cabinets, red walls, medium hardwood floors, an undermount sink, brown floor and grey benchtops.

Northwest ABQ Home Staging 8305 Camino Del Venado NW

MAP Consultants, LLC

Listed by Vicky Horton, Coldwell Banker Legacy Realtors. List Price; $210k. Staging by MAP Consultants, llc. Furniture Provided by CORT Furniture Rental ABQ. Photos by Mike Vhistadt, Coldwell Banker Legacy Realtors

Astor Street Residence

Jessica Lagrange Interiors

Astor Street Residence, Jessica Lagrange Interiors LLC, Photo by Tony Soluri
Photo of a small traditional powder room in Chicago with a pedestal sink and red walls.

Interiors

Karen's Company

This is an example of a small traditional powder room in Denver with raised-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, red walls, travertine floors and solid surface benchtops.

Lakeside

Holloway Quinn Interior Design

Design ideas for a traditional powder room in Chicago with furniture-like cabinets, black cabinets, a two-piece toilet, red walls, an undermount sink, multi-coloured floor and black benchtops.

Mountain Lake Retreat

Butler Gay Interior Design ASID

Custom hand painted cabinet with shell sink. Custom iron wall sconces. Photo by Gail Owens photography.
Design ideas for a small traditional powder room in Los Angeles with recessed-panel cabinets, medium wood cabinets, a one-piece toilet, red walls, medium hardwood floors, an undermount sink and marble benchtops.

Douglasville Plantation Home

Greg Love Homes

Saunder's Real Estate Photography
Design ideas for a large traditional powder room in Atlanta with a pedestal sink, a two-piece toilet, red walls, medium hardwood floors and brown floor.

Traditional Powder Room

Small traditional powder room in Other with a pedestal sink, a two-piece toilet, red walls and porcelain floors.

Antique Chinoiserie Dresser Vanity

Solid Tops

Photography by Jake Melrose
This is an example of a mid-sized traditional powder room in Baltimore with furniture-like cabinets, black cabinets, red walls, porcelain floors, a vessel sink, marble benchtops, white floor and white benchtops.

Bedminster 2022 Powder Room Renovation

Wolfpack Home Improvement

Photo of a small traditional powder room in New York with white cabinets, red walls, porcelain floors, an undermount sink, white floor, white benchtops, a freestanding vanity and wallpaper.

Traditional Home

Affinity Construction Group

Mid-sized traditional powder room in Miami with raised-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, red walls, an undermount sink and granite benchtops.

Traditional Powder Room Design Ideas with Red Walls

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!