Former '90s star Melissa Joan Hart's powder room features two of my favorite design and color trends – maximalism and pink

For those of us who grew up in the '90s, Melissa Joan Hart was a permanent fixture on our TV screens. Known for her quirky and colorful sense of style, the Clarissa Explains It All and Sabrina the Teenage Witch actress showed us that not much has changed style-wise in 30 years by sharing a sneak preview of her equally bold, maximalist powder room.

Designed by Nashville-based Branan White Designs, the modern powder room is a sight to behold. Cloakrooms, powder rooms and bathrooms can be clinical spaces, so it is important to work hard to make them the very opposite, says interior designer, Lucy Barlow.

'I always want them to feel homey and inviting, by injecting color with a considered choice of wallpaper and painted joinery. For example, a storage or vanity unit, painted in an unexpected color, can make a standout piece that instantly introduces warmth. Pair this with vibrant, striking bathroom wallpaper ideas, and you have a match made in heaven.'

The powder room is a hyper-functional space that’s becoming increasingly cherished as a place for outgoing design and decoration. It used to be seen as something secret and hidden, but it’s following the kitchen in becoming a place that you’re proud of, that you invest in, and that you want to have attitude.

For maximum payoff with minimum effort, printed wallpaper cannot be beaten. A space filled with color and pattern makes an impact, but wallpapered powder rooms have many other positive attributes. Papering a whole wall or several walls will cocoon a space and lend it an intimate feel. Wallpapering most rooms is a straightforward, if time-consuming process, but for bathrooms, hire a professional, suggest Paula Taylor, color and trend specialist for Graham & Brown.

In Joan Hart's space, the room comes to life with the Tiger Face Print Wallpaper by Gucci, which works beautifully with the bubblegum pink color scheme.

Taking on two interior design trends at once is no easy feat, but the maximalist decor and pink room ideas are here to stay many experts believe.

Too often, decorating with pink is limited to little girls' bedrooms. This, we think, is a waste of a wonderful color that needn't be solely thought of as feminine. Pink can be elegant, sultry, as an accent, as an enveloping shade, and even in a powder room. In fact, we think this is the perfect place to go bold.

The same goes for maximalism. This popular trend is all about embracing excess. Invest in lavish looks that wouldn’t look out of place in the grandest of palaces.

'I’ve always been a maximalist, a lover of ornamentation,' says renowned designer, Matthew Williamson. 'I want to create things that make others feel happy. I’ve never been able to get my head around minimalism or flat color. When I start a room design, I think about how I can make an empty space give joy.'

Our walls are not here to simply keep our homes standing; they are places to experiment with color, pattern and texture. The final result: a characterful space that will never fail to make you smile.

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