Does anyone have any ideas for decorating a very small downstairs toilet?

[shandyleer]

It's your archetypal "cupboard under the stairs" size, so very small, and at the moment, very old-fashioned. Beyond wanting a modern (and obviously small) toilet and sink in there, I can't think of any good ideas. Any ideas anyone? TIA.

We have one of these. Basically it's white painted walls, with a big picture of a beach behind the toilet itself (from Ikea I think). Not saying this is style personified, at all, but it works for me to have it white to make the most of the space with one thing to draw the eye.

We did ours a bit differently, wallpapered it in Marvel comics. Looked really good and was so busy it just worked. Like this.

Flying ducks!

I also like Blanche's suggestion! I know someone who papered a (very) small room with the pages from her favourite book. It works surprisingly well.

That's a fab idea.

I was going to say don't do anything tasteful. It's a tiny room and you don't spend long in there so do whatever you like. Ours is bright contrasting colours with a chandelier. The rest of the house is neutral and tasteful.

Ours is painted duck egg blue and has a nice water colour hanging on the wall (nothing too exciting).

Ours has the ceiling painted white and all the walls tiled white with just a narrow black band of mosaic tiles as a border. We have a white art deco style loo and sink. Looks functional but good.

Large mirror with ornate frame on wall opposite toilet. Chandelier, and maybe some of that huge flock floral wallpaper that is all the rage these days on one wall.

We went for very bright tiles on

Patterned wallpaper with large old fashioned mirror, with wall hung loo and simple wall mounted sink.
This is is lovely, though not small
www.independent.co.uk/life-style/house-and-home/interiors/soak-up-the-style-how-to-make-the-most-of-your-bathroom-2231712.html

The only problem we have with the comics is that people spend ages in there. In fact, we put new ones up right next to the toilet for something new to read!

We have light green walls and white paintwork if you want something more boring traditional. Small mirror, tiny tiles above the sink and nowhere else. I really like it.

It's used as a general store rather than a toilet most of the time though. It currently houses a cello case, 3 clothes dryers, shopping bags and a child's chair.

I was going to start a thread about this! I like the flying duck idea! Thanks GollyHo I might go stupidly ugly-retro!

Sorry but bleugh to that wallpaper Panacotta it looks like the loos in a Chinese restaurant!

Ooh thanks for all replies, wasn't expecting so many or so fast.

I'm all bathroomed out at the moment, having just had the upstairs one re-done. Just can't make up my mind what to do with this one. Like the chandelier idea but not enough headroom, also like the idea of flying ducks!

Oh yes, like the Marvel comic idea too.

Oh, like that wallpaper in Pannacotta's link too. This is always where I fall down, ie when it comes to choice. I'm so bad at it. I'm guessing half the walls papered in comics, half in bold wallpaper, a trio of ducks plus a chandelier will not be a good look?

assuming you are changing the toilet (as a guess) if you have a smaller under stairs cupbiard behind the toilet then you can get a back to wall toilet and put the cistern in teh cupboard behind. Works fine, looks nice and streamlined and gives you a valuable 4-6 inches more space.

I have a hilarious image now of a tiny understairs-cupboard type bathroom with a massive chandelier filling the whole thing...

In my bathroom I have these mats and a bin which I can't find anywhere online but I got from Robert Dyas and has multicoloured stripes on it.

Ah yes Kew we do have that sort of arrangement, very good thinking on your part ...

And Bertie, am very into stripes at the moment. Now how can I fit those into the comic/wallpaper/duck/chandelier/combo?

I think downstairs toilets are a greatnplace to be a bit braver than you normally would be elsewhere. Avoid tiles, go for dark colour on walls or a wall paper that you love but wouldn't have in a larger room or can't afford. Instead of tiled splasback you can get a glazier to cut a piece of glass. Love the comic idea. Have seen similar with pages of the ft, music manuscripts and Chinese newspapers. They make me smile! Downstairs toilets don't have to be functional in the way that bathrooms are, just cleanable.

My pal did her loo with a mosiac of vintage tiles on the floor. All different. It looks fabulous. Rest of the room is white and I think she has a chandelier.
Something like this
<a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=1.bp.blogspot.com/_vb7sXG5qQGE/SvxsHd3ZfAI/AAAAAAAAAcw/sRQgLUQL9mo/s400/tiles.jpg&imgrefurl=sobinique.blogspot.com/2009/11/tiles.html&h=267&w=400&sz=37&tbnid=Itxh29aWatX-RM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=135&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dvintage%2Btiles%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=vintage+tiles&docid=hMmzuqcmBLWV4M&sa=X&ei=1ys-TvjXOcWohAeXi9msAg&ved=0CK4BEPUBMBA&dur=1053" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=1.bp.blogspot.com/_vb7sXG5qQGE/SvxsHd3ZfAI/AAAAAAAAAcw/sRQgLUQL9mo/s400/tiles.jpg&imgrefurl=sobinique.blogspot.com/2009/11/tiles.html&h=267&w=400&sz=37&tbnid=Itxh29aWatX-RM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=135&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dvintage%2Btiles%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=vintage+tiles&docid=hMmzuqcmBLWV4M&sa=X&ei=1ys-TvjXOcWohAeXi9msAg&ved=0CK4BEPUBMBA&dur=1053

Ooh, I love that stringcheese!

One wall covered in picture frames perhaps, different frames, with photos of all the family, or newspaper clippings, or photos from different holiday destinations etc.