Powder Room

Written by Jaqui Lividini

This week is all about the new powder room. Originally, I was an advocate for a third bathroom—John, not so much.  It became a debate for several weeks, each of us listing the pros and cons.  I had my heart set on it and, eventually, through perseverance, I was victorious. The compromise—the third bathroom—became a powder room, a more efficient solution and a better fit for the house.  More importantly, a decision that made everyone involved (namely John and me) happy.

It's a very cozy powder room sitting between the office and the kitchen. Our challenge, because we were starting from scratch, was to make it feel authentic to the house—as if it had always been there.  The first step was to search high and low for a unique, turn-of-the-century corner sink.  Much to our delight, we found a peg-leg one, which is the nirvana of corner sinks! It’s so beautiful, so perfect and so organic and we found it only a few blocks from our NYC apartment. After so much searching, it ends up that it was right under our noses.  

Our next dilemma involved finding the faucets, handles, etc. to fit this 113- year-old sink.  Kohler to the rescue! They had it all, including the perfect toilet. It seems Kohler is my Branford bathroom fairy godmother!

Next issue—there's no window in this particular powder room, so how to make the space feel light and charming. The sink goes a long way, and I also rediscovered an antique shell encrusted mirror I had bought years ago. It is the perfect addition to this bathroom with its infinite charm and character.

Going shopping in one’s own storage is quite gratifying to both the soul and the pocketbook.  We are also in the midst of trying to decide between sea-chart wallpaper and swimming-fish wallpaper. We have yet to make our decision but I can say, by the time we are done, our little powder room will be a showstopper. Ironically, at this point, it's the only room that's fully designed!