Many two-story bungalows in Portland, Oregon were built with only one bathroom which was located on the upper floor in order to be convenient to the bedrooms. Finding a way to add a half bath on the main floor is a great way to add value to a home and to make it more comfortable for both day to day living and for entertaining. In the case of this home, the only logical place to add a powder bath was in a small closet under the stairs. Other places had to be found to store the coats from what was formerly the entry closet. Note the "shaker peg" coat hooks mounted on the basement door.
Since the closet was very narrow, an especially compact white porcelain pedestal lav had to be used. The toilet is opposite the sink. Since there wasn't enough room to swing a door into the bathroom, a pocket door (you can see the track opening at the top of the doorway) was used to also avoid swinging the door into the hallway. The same linoleum floor covering was used in the bath as in the kitchen.
Design Tip: Using the same flooring in the bath as in the kitchen and using the same color tones in the bath, the kitchen, and the hall helps harmonize all three spaces. Too many colors or materials could easily make these compact spaces look too busy and jarring.
Design Question: Should the lock hardware on the basement door be replaced/refinished?
