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Downstairs toilets are a fantastic place to express your individuality and add playful design elements to your home.
Due to their small size, downstairs toilets are sometimes overlooked. But with the right décor and styling, they have the potential to make a real impact, whatever size you’re working with.
And the beauty of it is, that your toilet is a space in its own right and doesn’t need to match the rest of your home’s style. It can be as quirky and colorful as you like. From maximalist wallpaper to sleek tiles, it’s a space worth investing your time in.
Ready to transform your toilet? Take a look at our list of fabulous small downstairs toilet ideas to help inspire your very own design project.
1. Install a Statement Sink
Go high-end design and incorporate a statement sink in your downstairs toilet. For many years, simple white sinks have been a trusty yet a predictable staple of bathroom design – but times are changing.
A statement sink in a contrasting color has the power to transform a room and has the unique ability to bring modern and vintage vibes in one fell swoop.
Choose a concrete sink in a pastel shade for a versatile addition to your contemporary cloakroom. Create contrast by painting your walls a deeper hue, or add a half-wall of simple white tiles to really make your statement sink pop.
2. Utilise Under-Stair Space
Maximise your space by turning your underused stair cupboard into a practical and quirky downstairs toilet.
It’s a convenient place to add a cloakroom for you and your guests without losing any additional floor space in your home. And it’s an ideal modern solution for period houses that don’t typically come with a second toilet.
Decorate your under-stair cloakroom with colorful botanical wallpaper to wow your guests when they open the door. Make a statement and immerse yourself in print by applying the wallpaper on the sloped ceiling too.
3. Add Height With Contemporary Vertical Panelling
Add height to a small cloakroom with vertical wooden slat panelling. This contemporary panelling looks fantastic in any property and instantly creates a sense of space.
Use the panelling on one wall – behind your toilet or in a strip behind your sink is a great choice. The beauty of this simple panelling is that it goes with any color scheme.
Choose bright neutral paint and tiles to make your space feel even larger. Or for an opulent look, pair it with deep blue hues, metallic paper, and brass fixtures.
4. Make a Focal Point of Your Flooring
Bold patterns aren’t exclusively for walls. Install colorful tiles to make your flooring the centre of attention – and give your guests something pretty to look at while spending a penny.
Choose a colorful geometric design to create a contemporary yet quirky vibe in your downstairs toilet and complement this with simple metro wall tiles or painted walls. Opting for white sanitaryware will ensure your tiles are the centre of attention.
5. Create Traditional Style With Panelling
Panelling is an excellent alternative to tiles in your downstairs toilet. Not only does it help to protect your walls from dents and scuffs, but you can easily repaint it anytime you fancy a change.
Create a traditional style by panelling up to dado-rail height. Simple vertical panels can help add height and draw the eye upwards. Wallpaper above your panelling with a beautiful botanical print to really bring the period home vibes to life.
6. Reflect Light With Mirrors
Every downstairs toilet should have a gorgeous mirror. Not least for your guests’ convenience, but to help reflect light and enhance small spaces.
Choose a large mirror hung above your sink to make an immediate impact in your space. Embrace the same materials throughout for a stylish scheme that flows – think a brass-framed mirror, brass taps, and lighting.
Be brave and try black or charcoal walls for a truly decadent look. It will be sure to impress during your next dinner party.
7. Color Clash Your Cloakroom
Take your color game to the next level with a bold color clash to create a striking impact in a small downstairs toilet.
Pair pink walls with green or aqua tiles to bring on-trend retro vibes to your home. Enhance the scheme with brass fixtures, ferns and reeded glass light shades. Your guests will think they’ve wandered into an elegant 1950s powder room.
8. Get Clever With Storage
Maximise your tiny downstairs toilet with clever storage options. Open wall-hung shelves are handy for storage, but they add a decorative element where you can house houseplants, candles, and statement prints too.
Plus, they help open up small rooms rather than closing them in like fitted cabinets might.
Opt for a wall-hung storage basket for your soap and hand creams if you're short on space around your sink area. Choose a multifunctional mirror with a built-in shelf to offer another place to store trinkets and accessories too.
How to Decorate Your Downstairs Toilet
There is always a temptation to play it safe in small spaces and opt for light, white decor and fixtures. Although this can look lovely, as we’ve seen, even tiny spaces can hugely benefit from an injection of style, pattern and color too.
Small downstairs toilets aren’t a place where you or your guests will spend a lot of time, so this makes it even more important to make an impact with your decor. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different colors than you would normally.
Who knows, you may end up loving it so much that you decide to go bold with your other rooms too. Our top tip is to order plenty of paint and wallpaper samples.
Having a Pinterest board and browsing downstairs toilet ideas on Instagram is great for inspiration, but you need to see how the colors look in your own space with the natural light you have. And best of all, you can have fun deciding!
Where to Put a Downstairs Toilet
You can put a downstairs toilet anywhere you can access the plumbing. Near a kitchen or at the end of a utility room is usually the most practical in many homes.
If you have under-used space under your stairs, this can make a wonderful place for a downstairs toilet – and you won’t lose out on floorspace elsewhere in your home.
There is a fantastic range of smaller-sized toilets and sinks on the market today, so with the right plumbing and decor, anything really is possible. Take some time to research tiny downstairs toilet ideas to plan your design.
If you’re worried you don’t have enough room to comfortably open a door, including a sliding door instead can be a real space-saver.
How Much Does It Cost to Build a Downstairs Toilet?
The average cost of adding a downstairs toilet to a home ranges from $5,000 - $15,000. Of course, it comes down to the fixtures and finishes you choose and how much work will be required to add plumbing and sewerage to your chosen space.
There is a fantastic range of affordable wallpapers available, so you don't necessarily need to spend the earth to make an impact when it comes to the finishing touches. Plus, you can always save some money by doing some of the work yourself if you can.
How Much Value Does a Downstairs Toilet Add?
A downstairs toilet can add as much as 5% on the value of your home. That could be as much as $20,000 on the current average US house price.
And, of course, you can’t put a price on the value a downstairs toilet brings to your everyday life. It adds versatility to your home and a much-needed facility for busy family life.
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