“Lavette.”

Sounds fancy, doesn’t it?

If you have had home improvements done to your home in the past or even just planned on a future home improvement (daydreaming while scrolling through pictures of others’ home improvement projects, etc.), there is a good chance that you have heard the term used in the past.

But what really is a “Lavette” and why is it called this??

A “Lavette” is essentially a Half-Bathroom or Powder Room.

“Lavette” is a derived word that basically means ‘small lavatory’.

If one was to do a bit of research on the internet about the term, they would find that it is said that the expression was popular in the 1930s and was often used to describe these smaller bathroom areas, often found under a stairway or in place of a large clothes closet.

Interesting to me, articles I have found have said that the term itself did not endure over the course of time.

I certainly would like to beg to differ on this one.

The term “Lavette” I have actually found to be quite commonplace.

For years I have consistently heard various Clients use this term to describe these handy restroom areas that obviously vary in amount of use from household to household.

Some families constantly are using their Lavettes, other families have Lavettes that hardly get any use.

Regardless of how much or how little a Lavette is used, it definitely is a handy room to have in one’s home, particularly if someone has a larger family or enjoys entertaining.

Lately we have worked with a number of Clients to modernize their Lavettes.

It is amazing how much of a difference it can make when upgrading these areas, similar to any room that one might delve into bringing up to a more contemporary feel.

Upgrading could mean simply changing out the vanity or upgrading the paint.

Anything to provide a little bit of a different feel.

For the more adventurous homeowner, there is also the idea of adding a Lavette into a space where one previously did not exist.

Clearly this is a MUCH more involved undertaking.

Where tiny upgrades to a Lavette would typically require minimal carpentry, electric, and/or plumbing work, adding a whole new Lavette requires a good amount of a number of trades to make the plan become a reality.

“Lavette” is a fun word to use in conversation with your friends when discussing features of a home.

When I used to hear the word used, I almost used to think whoever was using it was trying to prove that they knew what the word meant and on the same token, when I heard the word, I always used to pretend I knew what it meant and kept going with the conversation.

If you were previously similar to me in this capacity,

now you no longer need to pretend!