downstairs bathroom - what’s missing?

User

last year

Is it tiles? A feature wall? Any ideas?

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Carolina

last year

Tiles or wallpaper. Or panelling? It lacks texture/pattern/interest. An easy way to 'funky' it up a bit is to draw a horizontal line all along the walls and paint the top part a different colour than the bottom part. You could add a trim piece on the border between the colours, but you could leave it just a painted line too. I think the first example has tiles on the bottom part, but if you don't look too closely it looks like it's paint.

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Comments (36)

peggysue67
last year
It looks perfectly smart and pleasant but just lacks any real interest. Personally I don’t think the mirror or the pictures go. It may be worth considering a round mirror above the basin perhaps one of those that hang from a leather strap to add interest? Matalan does a cheap one. To get more WoW factor I would also paint all the walls are darker. I don’t think you would need pictures then. Last thing is I would get a nice hand towel but hang it from the bars in the middle of the radiator rather than the top so it looks neater!
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To an extent it depends on the style of the property. We find the part tiled look works well particularly in smaller spaces and, as has been pointed out, you can change the look in the future without taking the room apart. Here's a picture of a boxed in cistern we did for a downstairs loo in a farmhouse with a shelf arrangement similar to what I think you're suggesting. We painted the box panel but framed the loo against a large format V&B tile. I personally wouldn't suggest boxing up to the window sill. This box is around 800mm high with a 20mm oak shelf. The paint shade is Fired Earth Cobble. For your tiling question, here's a picture of a tiny shower room we did in a cottage in Abergavenny. We used satin white wall tiles with a bronze metallic border which we continued into the shower. We also brought the floor tile up to form a skirting. In a small space you don't want to feel as though you're in a box or that everything is happening in the bottom half of the room. Breaking up the vertical plane helps to keep a sense of space and proportion. The paint shade is Fired Earth Granite which worked well with the lighting. The photos don't do the colours justice unfortunately.
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peggysue67
last year
Oh and take off one or two of your spare toilet rolls as they are a bit overpowering in such a high tower!
E D
last year
A bath?

😄
User
Original Author
last year
Thank you for the comments. Would you advise painting all the walls a darker colour or just one? The slanted roof is an awkward shape. I never noticed the toilet rolls look like a tower 😂
1sandyh
last year
It’s missing colour
Sonia
last year
You haven’t got a splashback behind the sink, so this could be the opportunity to add some colour. You could tile just up to the mirror behind the sink, or make more of a statement with tiling up that wall to the top. If tiling is over your budget, you could do the same thing with a colour in washable paint, that is paint the sink wall from top to bottom. I must say I do like Carolina’s idea and looks very achievable. Here’s some ideas, one a little OTT but why not! 😊😊
1986
last year
Sonia - do you know the make/name of wallpaper on the last photo you posted? Love it! (& sorry to interuppt the thread)
Sonia
last year
Sorry no 1986, just a picture I downloaded from Pinterest!
1986
last year
ok thank you anyway!
peggysue67
last year
I would paint all the walls darker as I’m not keen on one feature wall and a big contrast with other walls. You could even paint the sloping ceiling the same. The colour would depend on the rest of your house and your personal style. If you have any extra budget I would change the tap to something more modern.
Carolina
last year
Just came across this image, reminded me of your cloakroom:

Watford Family Home · More Info
David Crossman
last year
Maybe paint the ceiling in a darker colour. Why do ceilings have to be white or pastel shades?

This would "bring" the ceiling down and make the room seem bigger.
jenson111
last year
Wallpaper all walls
lindacbdb
last year
A small point, buy matching accessories for the soap and hand cream etc.
Marie Green
last year
I have a very similar problem in my small cloakroom.
I was thinking round mirror on chain, dark grey behind the loo and a tiled splashback ... possibly Metro with grey grout but may go for something funkier now I’ve seen these ideas 😀 Love the last post with the metallic hexagons.
Not sure how much of the splash back to tile 1,2 or 3 walls?
Natalie I
last year
As a quick fix for now, how about a brightly coloured hand towel until you decide which of the great ideas posted you implement??
jennyd_freaney
last year
i think some colour will make a big difference. Something bold and on the dark side on all walls.
Louise Newbold
last year
We have a small clock room that was a bland magnolia before so brightened it with some colour (awaiting an ochre coloured hand towel to finish it off). Colour makes all the difference & not too expensive a solution! Good luck 😀
Victoria Lalley
last year
Sorry to interrupt, 1986 I believe the wallpaper is Nina Campbell’s Perroquet wallpaper.

It’s a lovely little room, I do love the panelled look too. Just for some texture ❤️❤️
Alyson Jones
last year
I think small toilets are the perfect space to express yourself and go bold. This is what we did with our small under stairs toilet and it’s very cozy
PDM
last year
Agree with the others, you need a darker colour on the walls and I think the picture above your loo is too small. I think many people think small rooms should only have small accessories but I think a bigger print will balance it out better. Also I personally don’t like toilet paper displayed like that. Having a basket next to the loo with your spares and a roll on the wall for me is more appealing.
ali270
last year
Lots of super suggestions that I can’t add too but feel I need to say that toilet rolls are never a display feature .
PRO
Identity Papers
last year
last modified: last year
I'm often asked by clients to design wallpaper for their loo. It's a place where many feel they can be more adventurous with their choices. Here's one that I designed with many family photos repeated to fill all the walls, but often it is a feature wall that is required. I believe this client went on to install a glass splash-back above the basin to keep the wallpaper visible but protected.

Bespoke Photographic Cloakroom Wallpaper · More Info

See more from Identity Papers
bambibear
last year
last modified: last year
I went with the fresh seaside look. I painted the biggest wall (opposite the door) with a textured blue suede paint, it's basically sand in paint. The rest is magnolia. I really thought it through though as I'm conscious if I ever wanted it smooth I'd either have to plaster or sand back thoroughly. I got some really cheap accessories from the range and matched the hand towels with a dark blue. It's been over 8 years and friends all still love it. My ensuite is painted in a neutral mocha shade but I stirred in a sachet of silver glitter, it's not enough to alter the texture so can be just painted over when I'm bored with it, but it adds a lovely dimension when the light shines on it.

If you decide to keep your mirror, I personally think it looks really "glam" so would work around it. A dark blue on that wall only would make it look more intense and like you'd put some effort in, but the pic doesn't work with it as you have a "glam" mirror and a "homely, seasidy" picture. 2 completely different styles. I'd pick one and feature around it.

Agree that toilet rolls should never be on display, mine are in a basket with lid on. I would also buy some mosaic sheet tiles as a splashback as they're so easy to cut to size and fix in place and not only add an instant impact, but protect whatever you do to the wall above the sink. Plain white textured would never date as they'd match the ceramic toilet and sink so wouldn't matter how many times you changed wall colours.
Heidi Lumb
last year
Go for a really bold wallpaper....its the best way to liven up any room! We had a horrid little cloakroom and recently paneled half way up and added a cheap but stunning embossed Rasch parrot wallpaper - it always results in a 'wow' every time we open the door!
denise7125
last year
I went for a seaside look in my small cloakroom. Before, it was just bland magnolia walls and the standard pedestal toilet and mini sink...I think it’s an improvement 😀
Richard L
last year
Whats missing - the bath?
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JAMEITE Hand-painted Silk Wallpaper Co., LTD
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Silver foil background and fish design，
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Eulinea Ltd
last year
Your wash hand basin could be replaced with one that is floating, it doesn't look very appealing right now, and I would go full height, full width mirror above the wash basin to make the space look bigger - two wooden shelves above the WC and wall behind WC painted grey. Then you could see if you need to wallper the wall with the towel rail.
SHEILA
last year
A very simple and cheap fix would be to replace the towel with one in a more interesting colour/pattern. Also I agree that a circular mirror would look better than rectangular, and remove the small picture from above the cistern.
Poppy Wild
last year
Go for colour. Mine has been painted wine red, then teal and now navy. we have pin boards with dozens of postcards from our travels. We have a large mirror that also acts as a splashback. We also have a sparkly loo seat and a small chandelier.

Be bold, it is the one room you can do that with.
PRO
Absolute Project Management
last year
Another example for inspiration - pretty half height tiling and a lovely hexagonal mirror:
Damien & Ana, Hackney - Absolute Project Management · More Info
stoneh49
last year
I think it looks very clean and fresh and to keep this look, a very simple update would be an artificial green plant and paint the ceiling and possibly the toilet wall a dark colour and then add the same dark colour handtowel.

Change the mirror for a mirrored cabinet if there is room so you can ditch all those loo rolls.

Alternatively, as someone else has suggested, a basket for loo rolls would be so much better.

Do you have to have a waste bin in such a small space? Good luck
midwalesparky
last year
In the smallest room in the house you can go wild/quirky... big time. A ready-made wallpaper or invent your own. Pages torn from old books, music scores, old newspapers or you can print stuff (old OS maps for instance...) off the internet. Stick them up overlapping in a sort of "crazy-paving" way. Or go for shocking pink and luminescent yellow/green paints - anything bright, quirky, different and daring.
mmmicecreammm
last year
Definitely go bold and have fun! we papered one wall and it wasn't too overwhelming that way.

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downstairs bathroom - what’s missing?

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