One of the best features of the Newport is its tower, but that makes for an awkward space on the inside. I thought the nook created by the tower walls had potential as a powder room.
I used one of the small dividers from the original kit that was meant to divide the kitchen and dining areas. I liked the open concept of the kitchen, so these were leftover pieces to begin with. I cut down the short divider wall with one doorway to serve as the removable wall to the powder room. I wouldn’t be using this wall either since I had other plans for the second floor. I needed the wall to be removable since I wouldn’t be able to access this room once the second floor was put in place.
Below, the image on the left shows only the small divider wall, and the image on the right shows the removable front wall in place. The autumn scene in the background is a clipart image printed on 11″ x 17″ paper.
The walls are covered with two colors of scrapbook paper: Grenadine by Bazzill Basics on the top and Blonde Columns by ANW Crestwood on the bottom. The bottom paper has a vertical line texture that mimics wainscoting. The chair rail is made from skinny sticks. For the floor, I used a sheet of the same black hexagon tile I had used for the garage flooring treatment. The wallpaper is glued in place, but the trims are being held with Mini-Hold at the moment. I still need to cut the baseboards and touch up the trim pieces before gluing them in permanently. The rug is a scrap of silk wallpaper.
The commode and pedestal sink are from HBS; I used silver paint on the brass faucets and to add a handle on the commode. The ceramic mirror is by Town Square Miniatures; the wastebasket and soap dish with soap are from a Chrysnbon kit.
The towel bar and toilet paper holder were also brass originally. The toilet paper roll is a wood bead that came with the set. I took a bit of actual toilet paper and glued a few rounds onto the wood bead.
The tissue container is a 3/8″ wood block that I painted white on top and then covered around the sides using a self-stick fabric border by Martha Stewart with a bit of real tissue glued on top.
I used another self-stick border from the same pack to embellish the towel, which I made from a scrap of stretch satin (the shiny side turned inside). I used the factory selvage to serve as the fringe that shows in the front. It is folded, pressed and glued into shape but is removable from the towel bar.
The two prints are made from artwork by Mary Lawrence: Passion Flower and Tulip. I printed the size I wanted, mounted them on balsa, cut mats from cardstock and made frames in the same manner as the bird prints.
The roses and the bowl are made from quilling paper. My grandma taught me this art, and I made these over 25 years ago.
Since the powder room window is right off the front porch, adding some privacy was necessary. To mimic the look of etched glass, I used Vellum Swirls paper by Hot off the Press to line the lower half of the window.
After getting everything in place, I decided I rather liked leaving the removable wall out so I could see the room with all its details. I decorated it with matching paper just in case, but for now I plan to leave it out. I’ll likely use strip wood to finish the edges of the room and cover the wallpaper seams between the powder room and living room when I get that far.
When I renovated my childhood dollhouse for my young cousin, I removed all but one of the original Lundby light fixtures and kept my favorite: a small red and white polka dot wall sconce. It shows its age, but I still think it’s great.
With some electrification experience under my belt, I bought a package of mini light bulbs and rewired the lamp since the bulb had burned out long ago.
I think it’s the perfect complement to the red powder room, its slightly worn condition adding some vintage charm. :D
