Wall hung vanity in Walnut with Tech Light pendants. Stone wall in ledgestone marble.

John G Wilbanks Photography

Shimmering powder room with marble floor and counter top, zebra wood cabinets, oval mirror and glass vessel sink. lighting by Jonathan Browning. Vessel sink and wall mounted faucet. Glass tile wall. Gold glass bead wall paper. Project designed by Susie Hersker’s Scottsdale interior design firm Design Directives. Design Directives is active in Phoenix, Paradise Valley, Cave Creek, Carefree, Sedona, and beyond. For more about Design Directives, click here: https://susanherskerasid.com/

The Design Firm

When an international client moved from Brazil to Stamford, Connecticut, they reached out to Decor Aid, and asked for our help in modernizing a recently purchased suburban home. The client felt that the house was too “cookie-cutter,” and wanted to transform their space into a highly individualized home for their energetic family of four. In addition to giving the house a more updated and modern feel, the client wanted to use the interior design as an opportunity to segment and demarcate each area of the home. They requested that the downstairs area be transformed into a media room, where the whole family could hang out together. Both of the parents work from home, and so their office spaces had to be sequestered from the rest of the house, but conceived without any disruptive design elements. And as the husband is a photographer, he wanted to put his own artwork on display. So the furniture that we sourced had to balance the more traditional elements of the house, while also feeling cohesive with the husband’s bold, graphic, contemporary style of photography. The first step in transforming this house was repainting the interior and exterior, which were originally done in outdated beige and taupe colors. To set the tone for a classically modern design scheme, we painted the exterior a charcoal grey, with a white trim, and repainted the door a crimson red. The home offices were placed in a quiet corner of the house, and outfitted with a similar color palette: grey walls, a white trim, and red accents, for a seamless transition between work space and home life. The house is situated on the edge of a Connecticut forest, with clusters of maple, birch, and hemlock trees lining the property. So we installed white window treatments, to accentuate the natural surroundings, and to highlight the angular architecture of the home. In the entryway, a bold, graphic print, and a thick-pile sheepskin rug set the tone for this modern, yet comfortable home. While the formal room was conceived with a high-contrast neutral palette and angular, contemporary furniture, the downstairs media area includes a spiral staircase, comfortable furniture, and patterned accent pillows, which creates a more relaxed atmosphere. Equipped with a television, a fully-stocked bar, and a variety of table games, the downstairs media area has something for everyone in this energetic young family.

This client has a number of lovely Asian pieces collected while living abroad in China. We selected an Asian scene wallpaper with colors to tie in all the existing finishes for this compact Powder Room. . Please leave a comment for information on any items seen in our photographs.

One of three powder baths in this exceptional home. This guest bath is elegant yet simple. Freestanding vanity, tile wainscot and eye catching laser cut marble tile accent wall.

Ken Vaughan - Vaughan Creative Media

sam gray photography, MDK Design Associates

A unique corner powder room near the media room has a gorgeous stone feature wall.

Photos by Dan Piassick

Dramatic Monochromatic Powder Room with Carrara and Nero Marquina Marble Custom-Made Vanity with an Over-sized Built-In Sink and Floating Counter and Shelves. Featuring a Black Marquina Oversized Tiled Back Wall, Custom Over-sized Pendant Lights, Unique Modern Plumbing, and an Over-sized Round Mirror.

Interior view of powder room, featuring floating mahogany vanity, ceramic vessel sink, Rainforest Marble countertop, onyx tile vanity wall, Venetian plaster walls, and Broughton Moor stone tile floor.

This traditional powder room design brings a touch of glamor to the home. The distressed finish vanity cabinet is topped with a Carrara countertop, and accented with polished brass hardware and faucets. This is complemented by the wallpaper color scheme and the classic marble tile floor design. These elements come together to create a one-of-a-kind space for guests to freshen up.

Key decor elements include: Sumi "Tempest" wallpaper from Calico, Hinoki ridged soap dish from Jinen, Opalescent bud vase from Canoe

Photography: Ben Gebo