Right, you\u2019ve asked about fitting a cloakroom suite into a tight space. Blimey, takes me back to my first flat in Shoreditch \u2014 a converted Victorian terrace with a downstairs loo that was basically a glorified broom cupboard. I mean, you opened the door and your knees were practically touching the sink! But you know what? We made it work. It\u2019s all about clever thinking, not big spending.<\/p>\n
So picture this: It\u2019s 2018, I\u2019m standing in this narrow, gloomy space, maybe 1.2 by 0.8 metres, smelling of damp and old pipes. My mate Dave, a plumber, looks at me and goes, \u201cYou\u2019re having a laugh, aren\u2019t you?\u201d But I wasn\u2019t. First rule \u2014 chuck out any notion of a standard-sized anything. That bulky pedestal basin? Gone. That deep-protruding toilet? No chance.<\/p>\n
You want a corner basin, a really shallow one. I found this lovely wall-hung, semi-pedestal design from VitrA \u2014 Turkish brand, seriously good value \u2014 that was only 30cm deep. Mounted it diagonally across the corner. Saved a good 15cm of floor space, felt like a miracle! And the tap? A single-lever, wall-mounted one. Frees up the whole rim of the basin for your toothbrush, soap, what have you. Oh, and get a rectangular toilet, not a round one. Sounds odd, but a close-coupled suite with a compact, angular cistern tucks tighter against the wall. I went for a Roca model, the \u2018Meridian\u2019, slim and neat. The pan was shorter, too. Suddenly, you could actually shut the door without banging your shins. Bliss.<\/p>\n
Lighting\u2019s everything in these poky rooms. That Shoreditch cloakroom had one sad, frosted bulb on the ceiling. Made it feel like a interrogation cell! I swapped it for a simple LED downlight above the mirror, and then \u2014 this was the game-changer \u2014 I installed a sensor-activated, low-profile LED strip along the skirting board. Soft, ambient glow at night. No fumbling for switches. You could literally smell the difference \u2014 the damp smell seemed to vanish once the room felt brighter and airier. Mad, innit?<\/p>\n
Storage? You have to be ruthless. A classic cloakroom suite might include a cupboard, but in a tight space, that just eats room. I used a slim, recessed niche in the wall above the loo for spare loo rolls and a candle. Three shelves, about 15cm deep. Painted the inside the same colour as the walls so it sort of disappeared. For coats? A single, sturdy hook on the back of the door. Not three, just one. Makes you prioritise!<\/p>\n
Now, materials. Avoid dark tiles \u2014 they suck the light right up. I used large-format, light grey porcelain tiles on the floor and halfway up the wall. The grout was a light grey too, so it all felt seamless. And the walls above? A bloody brilliant white, wipeable paint. Easy to clean, reflects light like nobody\u2019s business. The whole room just breathed.<\/p>\n
Look, I won\u2019t lie \u2014 I\u2019ve seen some proper disasters. A client in Chelsea last year insisted on a vintage brass towel rail in a space barely bigger than an airline lavatory. It became a lethal weapon every time you turned around! Had to talk them into a simple, folded towel ring on the wall instead. Sometimes, you just have to be a bit brutal.<\/p>\n
So, designing a compact cloakroom suite\u2026 it\u2019s not about what you put in, really. It\u2019s about what you have the guts to leave out. Choose every piece like it\u2019s a puzzle \u2014 slim, shallow, smart. Light it like a little jewel box. And for heaven\u2019s sake, make sure the door opens outwards, not in. Trust me on that one.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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