A downstairs loo is one of the smallest spaces in the house, but should by no means be forgotten. Its compact size doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice impact. Amy Stoddart, of Amy Rebecca Interiors, reveals how you can successfully push the boundaries in a bid to make this a unique and exciting design opportunity. 

The best and simplest way to design your cloakroom is to think about what you love. Do you want
to design the space around a colour or a wallpaper?

Or maybe your focal point is a print, a piece of art or even an animal? I’m looking at you, leopard print lovers – I’m ready when you are.

A few years ago, clients came to me with only a single brief: their new cloakroom had to be pink. They were big entertainers and loved the idea of a fun and playful WC that guests would enjoy and that would become a discussion point at their dinner parties.

I immediately knew I wanted to design a cloakroom that incorporated a fun wallpaper. So that’s what I used as my starting point for the whole scheme. A few too many samples later, we settled on Cole & Sons’ Miami, which is a very busy design that features lots of intricate details to look at.

I paired this with a half-height wall of crackle-glazed subway tiles in cream. To finish, the homeowners and I opted to paint the ceiling and door in Farrow & Ball’s Cinder Pink and added a bright pink neon sign which reads ‘The Powder Room’.

For the flooring, we used a black and white hexagon mosaic to carefully create the owners’ door number – No. 7.

Ways to design a cloakroom

As you look for ways to design your cloakroom, don’t be afraid to be bold with every element you choose. It’s the ideal space to go for your big, stylish dreams. Maybe you could inject more fun with your choice of WC, lighting, or mirror? In addition, coloured suites are coming back around.

And don’t let someone talk you out of an avocado sink – I’m here for it.

One of my favourite ways to design a cloakroom and make it more personal is to take inspiration from your local surroundings and neighbourhood.

My own scheme is a great example.

We live in Walthamstow, which was also the home of William Morris. I loved the idea of taking inspiration from his beautiful work with patterns, and so I am using his Golden Lily wallpaper.

I spoke about my cloakroom in more detail when I was a guest on KBB’s podcast, How to Buy a Kitchen or Bathroom, for an episode about all the bathrooms of the house.

If you did catch it, you would have also heard about the garden WC. My clients’ love of their garden inspired this one – can you tell?”

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