All the Best Powder Room Designs Have This One Thing in Common – It Adds Personality and Unexpected Grandeur to the Smallest Room in Your Home

What do you notice about all of the striking powder room designs that catch your eye? I can guarantee they all have one thing in common: wallpaper.

These small spaces have become the jewel box of our homes, the one place where we all feel confident enough to experiment with a bolder design. And a powder room drenched in wallpaper is one of the simplest yet most impactful approaches.

Unlike in a primary bathroom, you don't have to contend with damp conditions in a powder room, nor do you have to consider the same practical uses, which makes it the perfect place to introduce that statement design you've been eyeing up.

And experts agree. Here's why designers always recommend papering your powder room, and why you should never play it safe.

We often look at a small room and instantly try to conjure up ways to make it feel larger and brighter. But a powder room is a space where you should embrace the smaller footprint and lean into the darker, more compact proportions.

'I think the biggest mistake people make in a powder room is thinking they need to keep it light, bright, and simple because it's a small space and anything on the walls will make it feel smaller. News flash, a small space is a small space, and a dark space is a dark space; you might as well embrace it,' says interior designer Allison Lind.

And while you might be considering a color-drenched powder bathroom, which does work beautifully, wallpaper takes it to the next level, adding a new layer of interest and personality.

'Wallpaper can instantly wrap a room in a new mood in a way that paint cannot. Even color-drenching a small space can't compete with wallpaper. Layering in pattern and color is so much more dynamic and interesting than a single solid color. Wallpaper can be the cherry on top of a full powder bath redo, or it can be an instant lift to an existing space,' says Tabi Mund, founder and principal designer at Swoon House Studio.

'An interesting wallpaper can turn the room from a sterile bathroom stall to an experience. Depending on the paper, it can take the room from bland to cozy. From unimaginative to intriguing. At a bare minimum, it's a perfect chance to have more fun and show off more personality than most people feel safe to do in their larger living spaces,' Allison explains.

It's the personality wallpaper brings makes the look so intriguing. Whether you like a moody floral, a classically botanical look, or something more playful, the design you choose completely changes the feel of the small space.

'In a powder bath, I love when the design feels a little cheeky. It should reflect personality and spark joy. Large-scale prints and drenched colors make the space feel bigger,' says Emily Lambert of Bird's Eye Design.

'I often like to carry the wallpaper or paint up onto the ceiling for this, too. Murals and graphic wallpapers can transport your guests. Dogs drinking cocktails from Brand McKenzie? Delightful. Cole & Son’s animal march? Straight to the jungle you go.'

7 Wallpapered Powder Rooms That Nail the Look

'Wallpaper is the perfect way to transform a compact space like a powder room, making it truly memorable. As they are self-contained spaces, it's the perfect opportunity to indulge in color and print – take the wallpaper across all walls and drench the space in joy,' says Caroline Aston of House of Hackney.

'A powder room is often a room that can be utilitarian and contain hard, shiny surfaces, so print is the perfect way to soften and add texture and character. It's a space where guests have a moment to themselves and as such is a wonderful opportunity to express personality and take a risk,' she adds.

If wallpaper sounds like a feature your powder room has been missing, take inspiration from these seven schemes to create a stylish space that will wow your guests.

1. A Tonal Green Powder Room with Floral Wallpaper

If you want to emulate the jewel box look designers always talk about when designing a powder room, a wallpaper paired with a tonal paint color is a beautiful way to create that all-encompassing look, which has been executed beautifully in this design, which features a botanical wallpaper reminiscent of Morris & Co's Pure Marigold Wallpaper.

'Wallpaper in a powder room is a small-scale opportunity to be a bit more experimental without an overwhelming commitment. Creating a jewel box in a small space is something I love to design for clients as well as myself,' says interior designer Amy Studebaker.

'Regardless of whether you select a small or larger scale pattern, just make sure to fully commit! I love to drench a small space to maximize the wow factor. Don’t be afraid to paint the trim or even cover the ceiling to really draw the eye in and up,' she adds, an approach she took in the green powder room for a chic, tonal scheme.

2. A Sophisticated Powder Room with a Mural Wallpaper

While many striking powder bathrooms feature wallpaper with a pattern repeat, you can create something more artistic and statement with a mural, like in this design, which features a classic botanical scene similar to House of Hackney's NEMOR Wallpaper. How can you know which will work best? It's all about scale.

'As a general rule (and I hate rules because there's often a good reason to break them), but as a general guide, you've got to be careful with the scale of the pattern,' explains Tabi, who designed the powder room pictured above.

'A too-large pattern could be difficult to read in a small space, just as a too-small pattern may not have enough impact. I tend to like a small to medium scale pattern for powder baths. For a bigger look, murals are great and often easy to customize.'

3. A Wallpapered Powder Room with Vintage Decor

A pretty wallpaper alone will not transform your small powder room – the features and accessories you pair it with are just as important to the overall look and feel. In this powder room, which has been decorated with Thibault Designs' Jardin Bloom Mural, vintage accessories have been introduced to add a more characterful finish.

'I tell my clients to let the wallpaper speak for itself with minimal accoutrements. Add something vintage (like the mirror), something soft (a skirt or shade), and something seasonal (a candle or hand towel), and you’ve decorated the most gorgeous room in the house,' says Emily.

4. A Paneled Powder Room with Ceiling Wallpaper

Your powder room walls aren't the only place you can introduce wallpaper. In fact, covering the fifth wall with a striking pattern can instantly transform this small space into something unexpected.

'Carrying wallpaper onto the ceiling can completely transform the feel of the space. In a small room, every surface has impact, so by wrapping a pattern across both the walls and ceiling, you create a sense of continuity and intimacy that feels immersive rather than enclosed,' says Keeley Sutcliffe, design manager at BC Designs.

'In this design, the striped wallpaper (Five Over Stripe Wallpaper from Farrow & Ball) draws the eye upward, subtly elongating the room and adding architectural interest above the paneling. It brings rhythm and movement, balancing beautifully with the painted joinery and dark countertop. This approach works particularly well in powder rooms, where you can afford to be more playful and theatrical,' she explains.

'Whether you choose stripes, florals, or something abstract, extending wallpaper overhead blurs the traditional boundaries of a room and gives it a bespoke, tailored feel that guests remember.'

5. A Wallpaper-Drenched Powder Room with Terracotta Floor Tiles

Wallpaper is the perfect way to pattern-drench a powder room, and this space, featuring The Pattern Collective's Lucky Leaf wallpaper, proves how impactful a pretty print covering all the walls and ceiling can be. And the floor tiles are just as important as the rest of the design – in this case, terracotta.

'A powder room benefits from wallpaper because it softens the space and adds depth to what can often be a boxy or narrow layout. Pattern helps disguise corners and edges, while tone and texture create atmosphere,' says Grazzie Wilson, head of creative at Ca’ Pietra.

'When it comes to flooring, think about harmony rather than competition,' she explains, noting that only one component should be busy or decorative, and the other more simple and pared-back.

'The key is connection – picking up a shared tone or finish so the space feels cohesive. In this design, the terracotta floor warms the green tones of the wallpaper, creating a space that feels characterful, balanced, and beautifully composed.'

6. A Half Tiled, Half Wallpapered Powder Bathroom

In the same way that wallpaper can be paired with paneling in a powder room, it can also be paired with tiles, which adds that functional layer of protection that might be required if you have young children in the house.

It's a duo that's been introduced to this playful design, where the lower half of the walls is covered in a simple white tile, and the upper portion is a bolder, more colorful wallpaper. It creates a balance of bold and subdued, decorative and functional.

If you are going to take this approach, the wallpaper needs to pack enough impact that the design doesn't feel too safe. 'There’s no single formula – it depends on the mood you want to create,' says Stuart Pumpelly of Four Brothers Design + Build, who designed this space.

'Some homeowners lean into dark, dramatic tones for a moody, intimate feel, while others choose bright, playful patterns to surprise guests. We’ve seen everything from whimsical pink flamingos to sophisticated charcoal and black designs – both can be stunning when paired with the right lighting and finishes.'

7. A Dramatic Powder Room Decorated With Textured Black Wallpaper

Our love for decorating with moody colors is here to stay, and it's a palette that works beautifully in a powder room, creating a dramatic scheme filled with beautiful design details. And if you're going for black wallpaper, texture is key.

'Personally, I'll always vote for a dark textured paper to fully "embrace the darkness" of the space,' says Allison, who designed this bold powder room above. It embraces the small, windowless proportions of the room and transforms them into something more impactful.

'In general: The selection shouldn't feel too out of place with the rest of the style of the home, but it should push the bounds a bit, meaning: Don't play it safe.' For a timeless look and subtle contrast, she has paired a brass mirror and a stone sink with the wallpaper (if you want to recreate the look, Graham & Brown's Crocodile Black Wallpaper is a close match), offering a beautiful mix of textures for visual interest.

Whether you want to make your powder bathroom look expensive, infuse more personality, or simply add texture to your small bathroom, wallpaper fulfills the brief every time. Choose the right color palette to suit your design style, and be considerate about the pattern scale and your application. Get it right, and your powder room will be the talking point of your home.