Every decorative artist has a favorite place to play with paint and plaster. For me, it's powder rooms. There's absolutely no limit to the possibilities. They are self-contained little worlds that can relate to the rest of the home or they can shine with their own personality.

Here's one of my recent favorites. Love the boldness of the red walls. Here it is blocked out in a solid color.

 

Now, take a look with a metal gold on the center ornament plus dynamic shadows and highlights. 

CLICK HERE to see another acanthus inspired panel. 

Plaster with infused mica is another route.  Don't you love the way the light dances on this single color application? 

Another choice is to use the plaster as an allover embossed damask stencil. A lighter shade of the plaster dazzles as the background.

CLICK HERE to see the same finish with the bonus of a painted window with a view from the neighborhood beach. 

CLICK HERE to see a true jewel box. The ceiling was painted with metallic gold, as were the doors and woodwork with an added coat of subtle dark brown glaze. The stencil on the band that acts as a chair rail is embossed with the same plaster. The mirror was perfect needing only some added layers of sparkle.

Powder rooms can be fun. Here's a mighty colorful array of fish for this powder room situated adjacent to the door leading to the pool. 

Or they can tell a story of a favorite place. This powder room delivers us right back to the calm beach this family loves. 

CLICK HERE for the birds making their own way along the lapping waves. 

 

Next, this possibly the most outrageous design I had to construct for all four walls of this bathroom that acts principally as a powder room. There is a shower behind the false door painted with Chico and his plentitude of curls. He and his companion Molly live on this property. 

The vanity was delivered unfinished so it could be incorporated into the mural.

Below you can see more of the property as it winds around the toilet. 

Simple elegance can be seen in these last two examples. I repainted the vanity with a wood-grain in a simple approach. The walls were given an embossed fern stencil in various sizes then a layer of tissue was added for texture. Finally, glaze was applied to bring out all the details. 

This last example takes a powder room with very little architectural detail and elevates it with trompe l'oeil frames filled with tapestry like vignettes. 

Which was your favorite? Love to know.

Do you have a powder room needing a little personality? I've got more than a few ideas.