When we bought our home, we knew we were taking on a project. Walls were coming down, rooms were changing, and for a while it felt as though every corner of the house was covered in dust sheets, tools and half-finished jobs.

Curiously, the very first room I designed wasn’t the kitchen or the family bathroom. It was the downstairs cloakroom. At the time, it felt like the obvious place to start. It was a self-contained room that wouldn’t be affected by the larger renovations happening elsewhere in the house. What I didn’t expect was how much I’d come to appreciate it.

While the rest of the house slowly evolved around us, that little room stayed finished. It became somewhere to wash the dust from my hands after another day of work, somewhere that felt calm when everything else was wonderfully chaotic. It reminded me that even the smallest rooms have an important role to play. That’s probably why I’ve never believed a cloakroom should be treated as an afterthought.

“It’s Only the Downstairs Toilet…”

We hear that quite a lot. And it’s easy to understand why. When you’re planning a renovation, most of your attention naturally goes towards the kitchen or the family bathroom. They’re larger spaces, bigger investments and often the rooms everyone talks about.

The cloakroom tends to become whatever’s left. But there’s another way to look at it. It’s usually the bathroom your guests will use. It’s often the room you visit most throughout the day. It’s one of the few spaces every member of the household uses, whether they’re coming in from the garden, rushing out to work or simply making another cup of tea. For such a small room, it works remarkably hard. So why shouldn’t it receive the same level of thought and attention as every other room in the house?

Small Rooms Ask Bigger Questions

Designing a cloakroom is often more challenging than designing a much larger bathroom. When space is limited, every decision matters. The basin can’t project too far into the room. The toilet needs to sit comfortably within the layout. The mirror has to feel balanced. The lighting needs to create a sense of space.

Even something as simple as the direction the door opens can completely change how the room feels to use. Small rooms don’t leave much room for compromise. They reward careful planning.

It Doesn’t Need to Shout to Be Beautiful

Some cloakrooms are the perfect place to be bold. Rich colours. Patterned wallpaper. Statement lighting. Because they’re tucked away, they can become one of the most memorable rooms in the house. Others feel their best when they’re calm and understated, quietly reflecting the rest of the home through carefully chosen materials, subtle textures and simple details.

Neither approach is better. The important thing is that the room feels like it belongs. The best homes tell one story from the moment you walk through the front door. The cloakroom is simply another chapter.

It’s Never “Just” a Cloakroom

Looking back, I’m glad it was the first room we finished. While the rest of the house slowly took shape, it gave us one small space that already felt complete. It reminded me that a well-designed room doesn’t have to be large to make a difference.

That’s something I still think about when working with clients today. Whether it’s somewhere guests use when they visit, somewhere you stop for a moment during a busy day, or simply the first room that’s finished during a renovation, a cloakroom often becomes more important than its size suggests.

Thoughtful design isn’t measured in square metres. It’s measured in how a room works and how it makes you feel.

A Thought Before You Decide

The next time someone says, “It’s only the downstairs toilet,” pause for a moment. If every room in your home reflects who you are, why should the smallest one be the exception? Perhaps it deserves just a little more thought than we usually give it.