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The powder room, or half-bath, is becoming a more and more popular feature of modern homes. These stylish compartments exude hospitality, providing house guests with a convenient, well-appointed washroom close to the main entertaining area.

If you are thinking of adding a powder room to your home, then you will need to know the basics of powder room design. Although there is always room for embellishments that reflect your personal style, below are the standard features of a powder room.

1)      Commode

‘Commode’ is simply another name for the toilet fixture. Powder rooms always have a toilet so that guests can relieve themselves in a room separate from the family bathroom. This allows homeowners to keep the family bathroom private. Because powder rooms are typically small, a low profile toilet or round, small tank toilet can make more sense in a powder room rather than a larger, oval toilet bowl.

2)      Vanity

The term ‘vanity’ refers to a bathroom unit consisting of a sink or washbasin set into a countertop which rests on a stand or cabinet beneath. In the later case, the term ‘vanity cabinet’ may be used. Sometimes the term ‘vanity base cabinet’ is used to distinguish a vanity cabinet that houses a sink basin from ‘vanity wall cabinet’, a bathroom storage unit not meant to house a sink. Vanity cabinets are useful because they provide space in an otherwise small room to store things like tissues, toilet paper, towels etc. Vanities can also serve the function of concealing plumbing pipes.

With powder room vanities, sink type can vary widely, from raised vessel sinks to oblong or oval undermount sinks. While the vanity is a feature found in most powder rooms, because space is often limited in a powder room, the vanity may be omitted altogether in favor of something more compact like a pedestal sink or a wall mounted sink.

3)      Mirror

A wall mirror is an essential part of any smart powder room design. A mirror placed flush against the wall (powder rooms typically do not have medicine cabinets) over the sink will go a long way when guests want to tidy up. Mirrors also make a room seem bigger which is particularly appropriate in small-sized powder rooms.