Powder room wallpapers for a non-traditionalist

After a last summer hurrah out in Sonoma, California, where my husband and I visited wineries, hung out on foggy beaches, and ate amazing seafood, we’re back in Brooklyn and buckling down for marathon training (see you on November 1, NYC!). The sticky August air always makes me pine for jacket weather, but I’m trying to channel this Ibiza home we recently toured, stop wishing time away, and be present in the heat.—Samantha Weiss-Hills, managing editor

I’ve been collecting spiral staircase alternatives—future renovation inspiration!—on Pinterest lately. Sure, they can be charming and a great solve for small spaces. But personally, I find the style awkward, difficult for the young, old, and pets to navigate, and hard to design a room around. The ideas ahead keep things compact, minus the pain points.

I spotted this beautiful take (above) in an Amsterdam canal house; the central grab rail, color, and built-in quality beat rickety metal any day.

Drawers are cleverly fitted into the stairs that lead up to this Ammor Architecture-designed lofted bedroom. What wouldn’t I give to have this much sweater storage.

I like narrow treads that hug the corner, like in this project (above) from A New Day Interior Design Studio and Fraher Architects. It’s definitely cozy, but the positioning also allows for a little closet underneath and the steadying presence of a wall.

This boxy version in North London, designed by architect Marcus Lee, takes the floating idea and encloses it in wood slats. A few solid sections allow you to hang art on the outside.

In Erin Starkweather’s Craig Ellwood-designed L.A. rental, a few floating stairs are all that’s needed to make the room feel airy (above).

Powder rooms are where I see people get the most experimental, whether that’s with color, fixtures, or even toilets and sinks. Most commonly, though, it’s with wallpaper in patterns that toe the line between playful and sophisticated. I’m not much of a traditionalist, but I’m warming up to the idea.

Here are nine I’m keeping in mind for when it’s time to do my own.

1. Designer Sarah Lederman’s textile brand Three Fates is inspired by antiquity; the Celestia pattern is in homage to the cosmos.

2. Shadé’s Akanbi’s Nigerian-American upbringing and international travel heavily influenced her collection for Chasing Paper. Petit Twigs combines stripes and florals in an earthy palette.

3. Perhaps it’s the nostalgia, but this classic House of Hackney motif referencing Alice in Wonderland is a forever favorite.

4. I have a deep and abiding love for Florence, Italy, just like Beata Heuman. Her Florentine Flowers design would be an apt choice.

5. I bought a kerchief in this exact pattern at Block Shop’s Los Angeles store—now I’m imagining a tiny room swathed in it. Sunny!

6. The red colorway of Svenskt Tenn’s Eldblomman style is bright, bold, and maximalist. I could see it pairing with Farrow & Ball’s Bamboozle.

7. This sweet kerchief motif from Nickey Kehoe is just the right scale for a small space.

8. Backdrop and Xavier Donnelly’s Luminaries is the lift a windowless room needs.

9. Wallshoppe’s latest collaboration with Clare V. is inspired by her 1800s French home. The Lattice Jardin style comes in eight different colors, but Navy Pine is my #1.

Ours is a bookish household. The latest novels, old tomes, trusty coffee table books—my husband and I are always flipping through the pages of something. Photography books are of particular interest; it’s the visual medium we both gravitate toward the most, as a hobby and we’re looking for an exhibition to explore. Here are five strong introductions that have come out (or are about to) this year.

• Joel Meyerowitz’s Cape Light, reissued by Aperture, is an extraordinary exploration of color and landscape in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

• British-Iranian artist Aria Shahrokhshahi has been living and volunteering in Ukraine since 2019—Wet Ground is his exploration of youth and subculture while living through war.

• I’ve had an interest in artists from Burkina Faso since French class in high school, so I’m highly anticipating Burkinabé photographer Sanlé Story’s first-ever release.

• This part memoir, part career survey of Tina Barney’s work is coming in October, exploring the role of fashion in her oeuvre.

• Lee Friedlander has been shooting photography since 1948, and this new book brings together his work from across 60 years, with words by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Hua Hsu.