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Every guest at a New Year's party visits the powder room at least once, and almost nobody decorates it. We play it as the dressing room before the curtain: a bar of bare globe bulbs over the mirror, the way they hang above every makeup station backstage, and two brass candlesticks on the vanity.
Then a few things that say the night is special. A strand of tiny lights and a loop of gold beads over one corner of the mirror, white ranunculus in a small crystal vase and a stack of linen guest towels. It is the one room in the house where a guest is alone with the decor, so every detail gets seen.
The Elevation
- 1Globe-bulb light bar. A six-bulb polished brass bar centered over the mirror. Use warm 2700K globe bulbs at low wattage; the effect is glow, not glare.
- 2Fairy lights over the mirror. One battery strand looped loosely over the top right corner of the mirror, battery pack tucked behind the frame.
- 3Gold bead strand. A loop of gold beads from the Christmas tree box, draped with the lights. Borrow it back on January 1.
- 4Brass candlesticks. Two of a set of three, in two heights, at the left end of the vanity. Keep the third for the bar cart.
- 5Flameless tapers. White tapers with a moving 3D wick. In a small room with towels and hair spray, flameless is the professional choice.
- 6Brass wall sconce. An aged brass sconce with a white shade on the side wall gives the room a second, softer source so the mirror light is not the only one.
The Details
The Pieces
For globe-bulb light bar · qty 1
For fairy lights over the mirror · qty 1
For brass candlesticks · qty 1
For flameless tapers · qty 1
For brass wall sconce · qty 1
Designer's Notes
Installation
The light bar and the sconce are hardwired: an electrician's half hour, or a confident weekend for a DIYer with the power off at the breaker. Everything else goes up in ten minutes and comes down on New Year's Day.
Light
Bulbs at 2700K and dimmed if you can. Overhead light off. The candlesticks are there for the reflection: two flames in the mirror read as four.
Budget
Tier I (Under $300): about $170 for everything on the list below at today's prices, plus globe bulbs.
