Spruce up the powder room without investing in a remodel

I need some ideas for sprucing up the look of my powder room. It's a rented house so I'm not looking to invest in a huge redesign.

Apart from our living and dining rooms, guests are most likely to use the powder room.We've all endured the embarrassment of barging into the wrong room while trying to find the bathroom at a friend's house. Spare your guests this fate. The Singways store at Mall of Emirates in Dubai stocks some wonderfully quirky toilet signs that will make a great addition to your toilet doors.

A small space like the powder room is the perfect place to experiment with colour. Have a look at Pantone's 2012 colour of the year: Tangerine Tango (turn to page 4/5 for more on this). The National's trendspotting expert recommends using it to paint a feature wall, and then reintroducing it in accessories. The vibrant orange hue will lift the look of the room. If your walls are tiled, think about painting the ceiling and complementing that with splashes of orange around the room, such as a rug or a bath mat.

Tiled walls tend to give the bathroom an institutional feel, so why not use this surface to advertise your accomplishments? Create a gallery of high school triumphs and holiday pictures on one wall. Or choose some landscape photos from your travels. Think about getting them printed on canvas rather than the usual photo paper and glass frame. Virtually every mall in the UAE has a stall that can do this.

Most residential toilets come with a fluorescent light, and while they're economical, they're not particularly flattering. Replace them with a warm white light source. Sparsam low energy bulbs from Ikea produce a warm tone. For a dramatic statement, suspend a pendant light or small, crystal chandelier from the ceiling.

Cultivate the eclectic look by doing away with the standard square mirror and introducing a classic Venetian mirror above the basin (available at Irony Home, Dubai Mall). This piece will give the room real character and it's easy to transport into a new bathroom when you move.

Finally, think about the experience of using the powder room, not just the look. Use luxury soap dispensers and hand creams. Accessorise your countertop with fresh flowers, candles and perfumed oil diffuser sticks. They look great and keep the space smelling good.

And invest in some plush, matching towels. Trust me, guests will notice.

Pallavi Dean is an award-winning independent design consultant who practises in the UAE. If you have a question for her, email homes@thenational.ae

The specs

Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 640hp
Torque: 760nm
On sale: 2026
Price: Not announced yet

The schedule

December 5 - 23: Shooting competition, Al Dhafra Shooting Club

December 9 - 24: Handicrafts competition, from 4pm until 10pm, Heritage Souq

December 11 - 20: Dates competition, from 4pm

December 12 - 20: Sour milk competition

December 13: Falcon beauty competition

December 14 and 20: Saluki races

December 15: Arabian horse races, from 4pm

December 16 - 19: Falconry competition

December 18: Camel milk competition, from 7.30 - 9.30 am

December 20 and 21: Sheep beauty competition, from 10am

December 22: The best herd of 30 camels

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Liz%20Truss

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McIlroy's struggles in 2016/17

European Tour: 6 events, 16 rounds, 5 cuts, 0 wins, 3 top-10s, 4 top-25s, 72,5567 points, ranked 16th

PGA Tour: 8 events, 26 rounds, 6 cuts, 0 wins, 4 top-10s, 5 top-25s, 526 points, ranked 71st

Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026

1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years

If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.

2. E-invoicing in the UAE

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.

3. More tax audits

Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.

4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime

Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.

5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit

There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

6. Further transfer pricing enforcement

Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.

7. Limited time periods for audits

Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.

8. Pillar 2 implementation

Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.

9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services

Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.

10. Substance and CbC reporting focus

Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.

Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer