- case study
5 min
the room that wasn't there_
Fitting a powder room into a 1920s staircase alcove
LOCATION
East York, Toronto
Size
10 sq ft
SCOPE
Powder Room, Main Floor Renovation
Contractor
PROJECT
YEAR
2025
FIG. 01
A powder room on the main floor of a 1920s home is not something the original builders planned for.
Finding space for one a century later takes some creativity. That was the challenge in our Frankdale project a full main floor renovation of an Arts and Crafts century home in East York, Toronto, for a couple planning to start a family. The house had charm in abundance. What it did not have was a main floor bathroom. The answer: a powder room under the stairs.
FIG. 02 – 03
01
The wall move
A powder room under the stairs starts with the wall
The staircase alcove was the obvious candidate. There was already an empty pocket of space underneath it, the kind that in most older homes gets used for coat storage or simply ignored. The problem was depth. At 4 feet deep, the alcove was too shallow for a functional powder room.
We needed at least 6 feet. That meant pushing the wall back 2 feet, which required breaking it down entirely. It was not a small intervention, but it was the right one. Breaking that wall did not just give us the powder room. It opened up the hallway leading toward the kitchen and dining area, improving the flow of the entire main floor in the process. One decision, two problems solved.
On the opposite side of the entry, a small closet was removed as well. It had been built in front of a window, blocking what little natural light the entry had. Taking it out brought in a bit more light, nothing dramatic, but enough to notice. In its place we designed a floating bench with storage for jackets and shoes, more functional than the original closet, with far less visual weight in a space that needed to feel open.
FIG. 04
FIG. 05
02
Under the slope
Plumbing and headroom
Getting a powder room to fit is one thing. Getting the plumbing and head clearance to work under a staircase is another.
The sloped ceiling that comes with any under-stair space meant every fixture had to be positioned carefully. Too far back and you are crouching under the slope. Too far forward and the room does not function. We worked through the layout until everything landed in the right place: 5 feet 6 inches of headroom over the toilet and the full 8 feet 1 inch at the door, without wasting the footprint we had fought for.
The remaining section of the staircase with the lowest headroom was not left unused. Once we had worked through the powder room layout, the natural question was what else could fit under there. We explored what was behind the remaining wall and found it was hollow, which meant there was usable space sitting untouched. Our clients wanted storage wherever possible in this house, so that low pocket became hidden storage, accessed through push-open hardware so there are no handles or hinges interrupting the wall. In a century home where storage is in short supply, an extra pocket of it is a small win.
One decision, two problems solved.
FIG. 06
03
THE WALLPAPER
Making it feel intentional
A powder room this small risks feeling like an afterthought. Our clients wanted the opposite. They came in wanting something dramatic and unexpected, the kind of room that stops you for a second when you open the door.
We sourced Menagerie of Extinct Animals, a wallcovering from Moooi by Arte: a dense, dark botanical scene filled with extinct animals and tropical foliage. It wraps the entire room, including the sloped ceiling. Our clients had shared inspiration images pointing toward something bold, but when we presented this one, they loved it immediately. In a space this compact, committing fully to something this dramatic is what makes it work. A half measure in a small room always reads as a half measure.
The olive green on the door was a deliberate choice to bridge the wallpaper world inside and the rest of the house without giving it away entirely. You see the door first. The room reveals itself when you open it. The walnut floating vanity, brass fixtures, oval mirror, and dark herringbone floor tile complete the room without competing with the wallpaper for attention.
FIG. 07
04
OLD BONES,
NEW LIFE
Built for another century
Older homes were not built for modern life. The bones are beautiful. Their floor plans were drawn for a different way of living. Finding space for the things that matter most, a proper bathroom, better flow, and usable storage, means making interventions that feel significant in the moment.
The powder room at Frankdale required breaking down a wall, navigating tight plumbing logistics, and working within a sloped ceiling. None of it was straightforward. The result is a room that feels like it was always meant to be there. In a century home, that is the goal.
Moving a wall is a design decision before it is a construction one. Our 90-minute design consultation puts it on paper first.
…the plan was super easy for our contractor to work with." Alex C.
FIG. 08
05
THE TAKEAWAYS
Design takeaways
Measure the pocket nobody uses.
A 4-foot alcove became a 6-foot room with one wall move.Look for the move that solves two problems.
Pushing one wall back gave a bathroom and a more open hallway.Let the headroom place the fixtures.
Under a slope, height decides where the toilet and vanity sit.In a small room, go all the way.
A bold wallcovering on every wall, ceiling included, makes compact feel intentional.