Birds and Blue Beneath the Stairs

Tucked beneath the staircase as part of the home's original design, this powder room measures just twenty-one square feet. Rather than fight its size, the goal was to draw the eye up. Sky blue wraps the walls, white puffy clouds drift overhead, and canary yellow birds dot the space. The birds are visible from the hallway, so guests get a little wink long before they reach the door. This was always meant to be a room that makes people smile.

A few practical decisions shaped the space. The toilet moved to a more accessible position, so no one has to shuffle around it. I had hoped to keep the original sink, but gaskets in the right size simply weren't available, so it was replaced. When the old wallpaper came down, it took part of the walls with it, damage that turned out to be unique to this room. Wood paneling now covers the lower two-thirds of the walls, and the wallpaper lives on the upper third, out of harm's way.

The wall texture still shows faintly through the paper, giving the room an almost hand-painted quality. Bright, saturated color does the rest, keeping a very small room feeling light, cheerful, and full of life.