Small toilet rooms at home are one of my favourite spaces to decorate, offering multiple opportunities to experiment with more exciting and striking decor schemes. From bolder colours to vivid patterns, these compact areas allow you to be braver than you may be in spaces where you spend long periods of time relaxing or working. Free from the constraints of existing furniture that needs to be included or key features that need to be considered, a small toilet room allows for a fresh decor scheme that can be started from scratch. It also enables you to push the boat out when it comes to choosing decorating materials (it’s more acceptable to buy that high-end wallpaper when you only need two rolls rather than eight!)

As well as the decor, when designing a small toilet room, it is important to consider how to make the most of the dense space in terms of functionality. Before you start planning the design scheme, think about how much storage space you’ll need and take into consideration the depth and width of your fixture and fittings (you’ll want to make the most of the space you have while still being able to move around comfortably). With these factors in mind, here are six stylish and clever small toilet room decor ideas to give you some inspiration:

Use a bold and striking wallpaper combined with rich colours

Many people want to be braver in their decor choices and use stronger colour palettes and bolder patterns. However, there is a real fear that the end result will be hard to live with and taking the plunge could be an expensive mistake. If this sounds like you, a great place to start with more adventurous decor is the small toilet room! The condensed space means that any pattern repeats won’t feel overbearing, while strong colours over smaller areas create a big impact without dominating.

If you decide to hang wallpaper in a small toilet room, make sure that you give it a top coat with Decorators Varnish: this clear liquid will seal your wallpaper and protect it from any water splashes. If you are painting, use a hard-wearing, wipeable eggshell paint so water will not penetrate the walls.

Use vertical tiles to elongate the walls

If you would prefer to use tiles over wallpaper, look at installing long and skinny wall tiles laid in a vertical pattern to draw the eye upwards and create the illusion of a larger, taller space. Tiles applied vertically look particularly good in jewelled tones, while those with reflective surfaces over matt bounce light around the room and make it feel bigger.

Use all of the wall space for storage

The key to your small toilet room not feeling cluttered is to keep the floor free as much as possible. Look to make the most of all the available wall space that you have by installing slimline shelving placed high up or in dead areas. Open shelves provide extra storage and offer the opportunity to add more decorative elements (such as hanging plants or photo frames). If you need to store toilet rolls on your open shelves, there are now more aesthetic loo roll designs such as ecoHiny's toilet paper which is sustainable and comes stylishly wrapped.

Wall-hung fixtures free up valuable floor space

Wall-hung fixtures and fittings also free up valuable floor space, creating the illusion of a larger area while making the bijou bathroom easier to clean. If your small toilet room is particularly modest, look to purchase a compact and slimline ‘cloakroom’ sink that does not extend outwards into the room, making it difficult to navigate around it.

Consider a Combination unit

Combination units integrate the toilet and a wash basin with storage, saving you a considerable amount of space over separate fittings if you have the right floor plan.

Add interest with texture

Texture in the bathroom is going to be huge for 2024, so bring it into your small toilet decor with 3D fluted wall panels, raised tile surfaces, detailing on vanity units or textured plasterwork.