Photo by Emily Minton Redfield.Designer Katie Schroder of Atelier Interior Design says she used to never choose wallcoverings with white backgrounds, but this print from Anna French changed her mind. “Powder rooms are the jewelry of the house,” Schroder says, and although the clients preferred more subdued colors overall in this Observatory Park remodel, she adds, “We just wanted to step it up, and they were willing to get a little crazy.” Schroder paired the blue tones with gold and burnished brass accents because, she says, “It elevates everything. It gives it a classiness that I don’t think silver would do. It just makes it look a little more swanky.”
The botanical elements of the wallpaper, Anna French’s Cleo Vine in the blue and white colorway, not only changed the designer’s entire perspective on wallcoverings with white backgrounds, it set the direction for the rest of the small room. Schroder describes her typical client as being “a little more color-forward,” but she adds that, although the bold color pushed these clients’ envelope a little, the linear lines of the floating cabinet, from James Martin Vanities in a shade called Victory Blue, was the perfect fit.
The lighting in the space was another challenge. The wiring was high, but Schroder didn’t want to anchor lamps too far up as downlighting isn’t flattering for anyone. The solution was long sconces: The Nodes double sconces in burnished brass from the Kelly Wearstler collection for Generation Lighting hung perfectly, and then Schroder selected an elongated mirror, the Abel from CB2 with a handmade, rough-hewn frame in a gold tone, to complement the look. Finishing details came in the form of Delta fixtures in champagne bronze.
Schroder acknowledges that it veers toward cliché to say that blue goes with everything, but she says, “It really does. It looks great with pinks and purples. It looks amazing with reds. If you choose the right shades or something that’s a little dirty or a little off, then you can pull it off. Blue and green look amazing. Blue really is a fantastic neutral.”
