Corrugated iron-look wallpaper provides backdrop for powder room

A great ambience can be achieved just as effectively in a quietly considered space, as one thrown brashly into the limelight, as these powder rooms demonstrate.

The initial thing to greet the eye in this first powder room, created by designer Natalie Du Bois, is the Italian freestanding Mimi basin by Gessi. Looking more like a fluid sculpture than a utility, its curved sides rise to a moulded square basin with softened edges and a sculpted interior.

The pedestal basin is matched with a wall-mounted Mimi basin mixer also by Gessi a mini sculptural event in its own right. The tap's sleek make-up of squares and curves echoes the form of the basin.

"The owner wanted a subdued rather than a bright feel for this room," says Du Bois. "To help achieve this, I introduced a floor-to-ceiling smoked mirror behind the basin. This has the function of a normal mirror and adds to the sense of space, but without bouncing too much light around."

Another feature of the powder room is the corrugated iron-look wallpaper which has an almost tactile, 3D quality.

Du Bois says that despite it depicting a cool metal, the wallcovering achieves a surprising sense of warmth. The wallpaper also has reflective highlights, picked up by the room's understated lighting.

The metallic look of the wallpaper is balanced by warm solid oak floors, wainscoting and shelving.

"While the room has a relatively simple palette, its aesthetic is enhanced through subtle details for example, the patterned window glass affords privacy and also creates interest," Du Bois says.

Story by: Charles Moxham

Photography by: Kallan Macleod