A Refreshing Bathroom Makeover with Ingrid Fetell Lee of The Aesthetics of Joy

We're chatting bathroom design with Ingrid Fetell Lee, founder of The Aesthetics of Joy, and our fabulous wallpaper collaborator. Before making a final decision on which wallpaper to use for her guest bathroom, Ingrid pulled together a few options, each with a unique look and feel, yet they all make us want to jump with joy. Let's get into it!

Parasol (Marigold) Wallpaper

"When you design for the moment instead of perfection, you create spaces that enrich your life."

H&W: When you approach designing rooms in your own home, where do you start?

IFL: I always start with how I want the room to feel. Not color palettes, not styles. Just the feeling. I’ll spend time in the space, think about when I’ll be using it and for what, and then I’ll choose three words or a phrase that capture the emotional quality I want to create. If I start with style, I might end up with a space that looks good but doesn’t feel like me. But when I start with feeling, the choices fall into place more naturally and I avoid getting stuck between options that all look great but don’t necessarily add up to the experience I want.

Heirloom (White) Wallpaper

H&W: What considerations went into choosing the wallpaper and paint color for your home?

IFL: After going through the process I just described, I decided that I wanted our home to feel like "summer vacation all the time." We live in a seasonal community where the summers are verdant and lively, (sometimes a little too lively), but the winters can be a little bleak. The heavy, unpainted wood everywhere in the house just made the energy so heavy. It was all so brown! I chose a floral wallpaper that felt like summer, and then pulled colors from it — a leafy green for the kitchen and a deep sky blue for the living room. Interestingly, the night before we had to order the wallpaper, I had a change of heart. The pattern was pretty, but too soft. I went back to the swatches and my husband and I chose the boldest one in the bunch. I'm so glad we did because it's just perfect in the space. I also intentionally went a little brighter with the color than I was comfortable with. It was a nail-biter while the colors were going on the walls, but it is dreamy in real life!

Lanai (Sun) Wallpaper

H&W: We're looking at three different design directions for your bathroom. Why did you want to update this space? Walk us through your mood boards.

IFL: This bathroom is our main bathroom for guests visiting our home. It was designed in the 90s, and I'd eventually love to do a renovation to fix the shower, but most of the time, it's really just being used as a half-bath. It has great woodwork and the fixtures are mostly fine, so my goal is to make it feel more lively and consistent with our very vibrant downstairs.

Option 1: Fearless tomatoes

For this one, I wanted to evoke the feeling of a secret rooftop garden — a hidden refuge of lushness set against the bustle and elegance of the city. With dark green trim and a black vanity, Heirloom in Blush feels grounding yet just the right amount of wild. Then come the small surprises: glossy red sconces, striped towel edges. Seeing it all together, I can already imagine slipping away here to reset throughout the day.

Option 2: Ocean breezes

This concept is all about sunshine — that feeling of warmth on your face and shoulders when the sun peeks out from behind the clouds, that easy contentment of a day at the beach or in the park when nothing more is needed for it to be perfect. To bring that feeling to life, I’d pair Lanai in Sun with golden yellow trim and artwork with pops of blue, then keep the rest of the palette natural: rattan and woven textures, with touches of warm brown to ground it all.

Option 3: Boundless joy

This one is pure fun. Though the stripes are bold, they make a perfect backdrop for mixing shapes and patterns. I think when you create a space that’s a little “extra,” it’s not just energizing — it also gives you courage. It reminds you that you’re no shrinking violet, that you can make the implausible work time and again. I love Picnic in Parchment paired with strong, patterned accents: a marbled lampshade, tiger-print towels, an octagonal vintage mirror, and pops of red, green, and brass.

Heirloom (Mist) Wallpaper

H&W: Why are bathrooms such great rooms for adding wallpaper or making bold design choices?

IFL: Bathrooms are the perfect place to be bold because they’re small, so a little bit of pattern or color packs a big punch. They’re also spaces we don’t linger in the way we do a living room or bedroom, which makes them feel lower risk. You can really play, try something adventurous, and if it doesn’t work, it’s not the end of the world — it’s a quick fix compared to redoing a whole living room. And because they’re small, even small investments make a big difference.

"Joy isn’t just a fleeting feeling—it’s something we can cultivate through the spaces and things we surround ourselves with."

Picnic (Blush) Wallpaper

H&W: What small or simple changes can you make to a space that have the biggest impact?

IFL: I like to think about surface area. The bigger the surface, the bigger the impact. In a bathroom, for example, changing the wallpaper, the paint, or even the shower curtain will transform the whole space much more dramatically than swapping out cabinet knobs or a light fixture. Those details matter, of course, but if you’re trying to shift the mood of a room quickly, focusing on the biggest surfaces gives you the most return on your effort.

Parasol (Marine) Wallpaper

H&W: What is your best piece of advice for creating joyful spaces?

IFL: Think in terms of moments, not things. Ask yourself: what kinds of experiences do I want this space to hold? Is it a place for unwinding at the end of the day? For welcoming friends? For feeling cared for? Once you know that, you can design for the feeling of those moments. The funny thing is, the exact materials or finishes don’t matter nearly as much as we think. Soft textures will give you that feeling of care whether your tiles are perfect or not. A pendant lamp centered over a dining table will be a beacon, even if it's not a unique vintage find. When you design for the moment instead of perfection, you create spaces that enrich your life.