Cloakroom Tips: How to Design in the Tiniest of Spaces

In terms of designing for the smallest of spaces, cloakrooms really are the most miniscule rooms in the home. These bathrooms require the most intelligent design tactics; strangely enough they are one of the most common rooms people choose to remodel. Many home owners even decide to turn a small storage area into a cloakroom, giving new meaning to the term water closet.

While there may not be much space to work with in a cloakroom, there are very simple ways to make them more inviting to any user.

Keep your Cloakroom Bright

One of the biggest dangers with a cloakroom is ending up with a dark, dank, tiny space that everyone dreads having to use. Avoid the issue by using light, bright colours on the floors, walls and ceiling. A monochrome colour palette is recommended by design experts for making spaces look larger- you can go with one colour entirely or use varying hues of one bright colour.

By Diana under CC BY 2.0

If you are one of those people who wish to make your cloakroom quirky and fun, do it with cheerful hues instead of making this the room where you experiment with a black wall; it will only serve to make the space look more closed in.

Wall Hung Toilets

Wall hung features were practically invented for cloakrooms – there is simply no better way to save precious floor space. Choose a small wall hung toilet, preferable with a dual flush option to save water as well. Having the cistern concealed in the wall will allow you to maintain as much space as possible. You can also opt for a back to wall toilet, as these still take up minimal floor space.

Basin Options

In terms of basins, the smallest, least space-invading option will of course be a wall-hung basin. But, cloakrooms also need at least a tiny bit of storage for things like extra toilet roll, bars of soap and a few towels. This makes a cloakroom basin with vanity unit an excellent idea, as there will be no need for additional shelving or cupboards to hold those few vital items.

In small spaces, having as few things lying about as possible is really the key to keeping the space as open as possible.

Reflect Light

You may be remodelling your cloakroom on a budget, but one of the best things to splash out on is the largest mirror the space will allow. It may be just an illusion, but a large mirror is your best tool for making the space look larger than it really is.

Place your mirror across from a light source, or across from the mirror above the basin.

Vertical Space

In small bathrooms it’s always a good idea to draw the eye upwards when you can. If you’ve got a high ceiling, add an eye-catching light fixture to really accent it. Even if you have lower ceilings, you can still use good lighting to achieve the same result.

Cloakrooms are so small that they can be fun and easy to design, as long as you keep these considerations in mind.