I'd look for something like this for next to the toilet. Under the sink would require either a can with no lid or one with a lid that would need to be pulled out every time it was needed, then lid removed, then put back…

Next to toilet can be lidded with a foot pedal for easy use

That is so pretty! I would put a small waste basket near the toilet.

Oh my gosh! Got fixated on the trash can and forgot to say how beautiful the room is! I love subway tile, and the moulding at the top is gorgeous. Nice job!

Try to find a dark-colored metal one and place it under the open shelf of the vanity -- on the left-hand side so that it is NOT a focal point when the door is opened .....

Very nice. The trash should go near the toilet. The mirror location looks fine, but the towel ring by the sink looks low...remember the towel hangs down off the bottom of the ring.

It's very tastefully done with a definite vintage flavor, and love the contrast between dark and light. I would raise the mirror, especially if there are people a little taller than 5' in the house. ;)

As for a waste basket, either in a corner by the toilet, or under the vavity, as long as it's not too tall.

Very pretty!!

I would prefer a small waste basket under the vanity, since that's where I would be standing when needing to toss a tissue, etc.

Oh, and being tall, I agree with moving the mirror up :)

This is a bit delicate, but after passing menopause I removed the wastebasket from beside the toilet thinking...no need...only to have my visiting DD say to me, "who doesn't have a wastebasket where you need it most???"

And love your remodel...tile especially looks so great there!

This post was edited by sujafr on Thu, Jan 29, 15 at 13:49

Thank you all for the kind words! Interesting to hear both perspectives on trash can location. I am leaning towards next to the toilet now, but I definitely don't want it to be a focal point. Maybe a small white one with a lid/foot pedal would blend in with the tile.

Who knows, I might end up with two! The nice thing is that this is a cheap items and I can play around with what works best without a big investment.

I don't see any shelves next to the vanity.

I would put it next to the toilet for stuff that should not have to make a journey across the room, albeit a small room. You do not want 1) the temptation to flush, or 2) a toss and miss.

Such a pretty room! I vote trash can next to toilet.

Very pretty. Love the white tile with the dark wood floor.

Trash can next to toilet, and I think your towel ring and mirror locations look just fine. Get a tall person to stand at the sink and ask him/her how the mirror is! I'm 5'2" so I always ask my tall husband for his input on stuff like that.

Not sure this would fit next to the toilet but it would look great in that bathroom, I think. 11"x8"x8"

Here is a link that might be useful: waste basket

Beautiful room.

I vote for the lidded trash next to the toilet and would guess most pre-menopausal women would agree. We don't flush.... umm.... products at my house because of our septic, but plenty of women's products have plastic components/wrappers that shouldn't go down any toilet. If the trash is at the sink, the person needs to hold whatever items while flushing and putting clothes back on. Doable, but not ideal.

Beautiful! Love the floor especially. And the tile. OK, everything.

No opinion on waste basket, but I'd definitely get some kind of window treatment. I highly dislike using a guest bathroom at night if there is no window cover. (You can't see out... so you can't tell if anyone else can see in!) At 2 friends' homes I can think of, I always close the blinds on the powder room window before I use the facilities at night.

If this room is any indication, your whole house remodel will be stunning!

Put the wastebasket where you need it, wherever that may be. Or, get two, why not?! A small attractive open-top one for under the sink would be handy. Besides, if you use the one by the toilet, and someone else were to come in and need one for a tissue or something, I wouldn't want them opening it up.

what a beautiful room! I vote for next to the toilet, for all the reasons listed, but a step on can is not convenient to use when you are sitting down, which is why it's near the toilet! You can pry the lid up with your fingers, which I don't mind doing at home but I wouldn't like it at someone else's home so much. I'd look for a swing top...this is called a countertop can, and is very small, but something on the order of this:

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Here's a motion detection one - hopefully it wouldn't open every time someone sits down!

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Here is a link that might be useful: simple human cans

Beautiful room. I like the tile also. I do think the mirror should go up a little.

Rebecca, I would put it by the toilet.

Fantastic powder room! Love your choices - can you please give us the details?

I admire your taste.

My vote - next to toilet. Beautiful room - love the mirror, tile, wall colour, & floor. May I ask if the baseboards are regular baseboards or also tile?

Your powder room looks sharp! I agree with the trash beside the toilet, but a small one also at the vanity would be convenient. I apologize if it was covered and I missed it, but could you share the paint color? Even though it appears different in the various photos due to the angles and lighting, it looks nice in all of them.

By the toilet, no foot pedal operation. Maybe no lid at all, just empty it often and before the dog finds it.

Pretty room, good job!

ML (old, but young enough to remember sitting there with things to throw away in my hands.)

This post was edited by maddielee on Thu, Jan 29, 15 at 19:54

Off the top of my head, here are some of the details:

Vanity: Fairmount Toledo with marble top
Light: Custom made from Rejuvenation, Fords Mill style in oil rubbed bronze
Faucet, towel holder, toilet paper holder: Delta cassidy in chrome
Wall mounted soap dish: Kohler, chrome
Toilet: Toto
Mirror: Ren-Wil Emma frameless mirror
Tile: Dal-tile subway and chair rail, purchased from Home Depot
Baseboard: Wood, with wood base shoe molding
Floor: White oak with ebony custom stain
Wall color....Sorry, don't remember off the top of my head! My husband has a spreadsheet so I promise to update with that info.

Beautiful! Love it all...the tiles, flooring,wall color & vanity:)
On the wastebasket... By the toilet:)
I think the swing-top a good option as well.

Very nice Rebecca! Really like your vanity, mirror and countertop.

I love your powder. What I have by my toilets, and what I think would look good in this bathroom, is and vintage enamel pail with a lid. Graniteware would look particularly nice with the blue and white.

Nice job on the room!

(PS to Olychick, you just saved me. I did not know the term "countertop trash can" but I was trying to find just that, for a tiny space that only needs to contain dental floss and the occasional tissue. I kept thinking I was going to have to repurpose some other sort of container, but had never thought of these. Thanks so much!)

Very nice!!!

Thank you for posting the details (your husband has a spreadsheet? - WOW).

Thank you for the details, Rebecca!

Did you use white grout for the subway?

Would love to know the wall color......so pretty!

I love all your choices! The tile is great. Really looks fantastic all together. I'd put a small can by the toilet.

I have been staying in a hotel for the last couple of weeks where they kept putting the trash bin under the vanity. I had to keep moving it next to the toilet. I didn't care about the aesthetics of the hotel room. But functionally, it needed to be by the toilet.

#1, under the vanity made it hard to find. And given that this is where guests are going to be using, you don't want it hard to find.

#2, under the vanity required me to bend over and reach in to drop something in the trash. Inevitably, I'd miss and have to get on my knees to pick up what I dropped.

#3, there are things you need to throw out when you're on the toilet, and having to get to the vanity from there while your pants are down can be difficult. It's not a problem to take 1 or 2 steps from the vanity to the toilet.

I agree with all the above posters about putting the trash near the toilet where it's needed the most.

I'd rather see a few pretty wicker baskets or other decorative containers under the vanity, one filled with rolled fluffy towels and one with toilet paper. I can't tell you how many rolls of toilet paper I've changed at other people's houses while visiting. I always feel badly going through their cupboards looking for a fresh roll and would love to have it so conveniently located (although having some rolls on top of the toilet might be even more convenient than waddling to the sink with your clothes around your ankles!) Also think about having a discreet basket of feminine "necessities" if you have visitors that might need them. Not necessary, but could be a thoughtful touch.

A beautiful bathroom, for sure! : )

I just bought a small lidded trashcan with a foot pedal from ikea. It's semi matte and very nice white with a bit of cream...vintage looking. Only 9.99 too--- worth looking into. We have it in the guest bath next to the toilet.

Beautiful room!

Not sure about the waste basket, but I adore your bathroom. It is absolutely perfect in every way. That sink and stand are to die for!

Rebecca, did you find the name of your paint? Love it!

Normally I would say put it next to the toilet, but in your case since it's the first thing you see when your either enter the room or walk past it, it's not very attractive. I dont recall having a need for a wastebasket out in full view when I use someone's powder room. In fact, the one in my powder room never gets used by guests and I have it near the toilet because I have no other place to put it. If it were a full bath being used by house guests staying for a visit, I'd see more of a need for it out in the open.

PAINT COLOR - Update......had my husband look at his spreadsheet and the powder room was missing!!! So, that couldn't stand. He went over to the new house and found the paint can labeled powder room. The color is Van Courtland Blue by Benjamin Moore.

Thanks for the kind words! This whole project was so stressful, it is nice to hear some positive feedback.

I absolutely love your room. The color is beautiful and one I would choose.
I would definitely put the trash can next to the toilet. But remember it doesn't have to be just another ugly trash can, think outside the box, I had to do that for some tight spaces. I used a beautiful tall metal French flower bucket for one, they come in all colors and even artistically painted. And an antique crockery jug in another tight space, and they add a decorative touch with interest since they are seen from the door. But other options are planters, they come in all shapes, sizes, and colors and materials. That powder room is too beautiful for some random regular trash can lol!

This one would look nice against the white, linked below.

This link is an antique crock very similar to mine. http://prockscrocksantiquestoneware.com/one-gallon-red-wing-stoneware-crock-circle-stamp-144/

Here is a link that might be useful: White French florist buckets

Don't think I'd want to be sitting on the toilet next to a trash can filled with tampons or sanitary napkins. I'm guessing most of you are recommending the can be next to the toilet to make it easier to dispose of those items. I don't know of any other reason you'd have to have the can so close to the toilet.

Well goodness I would think no one here would leave the trash can full of anything especially those items. It would be emptied frequently at least at my house it would. But I would want anyone visiting to have a close easy place to dispose of any kind of trash. Especially for people who are on a septic system as we are, you definitely don't want anything other than toilet tissue going down the drain. Not even kleenex which are not septic friendly and are very difficult to decompose.