Our downstairs toilet makeover
Let’s face it- what your downstairs loo looks like is probably way down on your ‘things to do’ household agenda- which is why it’s taken us 2 and a half years to pretty ours up. When we moved in and carried out extensive renovation work, we decided to add the downstairs toilet under the stairs, as there wasn’t one before. I’m so glad we did now, as toilet-training two toddlers would have proved tricky without it, what with legging it up and down the stairs every few minutes (believe me, this potty training malarkey is fresh in my mind having just ‘done’ child number 2!). It’s also handy if you never want to spend a penny in peace ever again, and have a small child hanging off your leg whilst simultaneously wiping your bum. As we weren’t sure what sort of look/colour scheme we would end up having throughout the house, we kept this toilet and the rest of the hallway plain white, and therefore a blank canvas. However, I have been sick of our boring hallway and loo for a while now, and having tackled most of the other rooms, it’s time to put a stamp on these areas!
^^^This is how it looked before. It’s only now, seeing these pictures, that I realised how boring this little space was! We had a great little glass shelf, a heated towel rail salvaged from the old kitchen, and my nan’s really, really old vintage mirror that I inherited from her, but apart from that it’s dull, dull, dull.
Enter: Orla Kiely! We chose her wallpaper ‘Linear Stem’ in yellow to perk up our toilet. At £52 a roll, it’s not cheap, but for such a small space we only needed the one, so I feel it was worth splashing out. I was worried that the bold pattern might prove to be too much for our little, lowly loo, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised at the positive change it’s made and how it really suits the room. We now just have to be careful when choosing hallway decor, so that one space doesn’t detract from, nor overpower the other. It was so hard to choose from her wallpapers, but I do love a bit of yellow, and I think it injects a bit of extra something into our house of predominantly white and grey! The little owl is from a house clearance place down the road, which I bought for £1. He has no beak, but I love him all the same!
What do you think? Honest opinions please! Do you have a quirky bathroom, or other small space that surprises people?!
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I love it Becky!! I’m such a fan of a statement wallpaper. Our downstairs loo has one too, and the decorator looked at me like i’d two heads when i showed it to him! But i love it, and if you can’t have personality in the smallest room of your house, where can you?! Just gorgeous! Xxx
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Exactly, Em! Glad you like it lovely x
It looks fabulous! When we redid our downstairs loo we painted it autumn red as a contrast to all the nice creams, yellow, blue and grey in the rest of the house! And when we got tired of that it only took the three coats of white to cover it before we could repaint!!
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Thanks Carie! Red is HARD to paint over! x
Love, love, love it! Yellow is my colour of the moment, and I am a huge fan of Orla Kiely. Great choice! #SharewithMe
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Thanks Mel!
This is a bit sexy, isn’t it!! Love it! We’re doing up our new house (every single room needed a really big makeover) so I love getting inspiration.
x
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Thank you! 🙂 x
Loving the new loo and the adorable Orla Kiely paper.
Our downstairs loo is one of the most glam rooms in the house for some bizarre reason…
it has B&W pictures of our daughters, a bronze statue and gorgeous travertine flooring. I only wish the rest of the house was that inspired!
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Thanks Izzy! Your loo sounds lush! Not sure we’d have room for all your lovely things in ours though, it’s so tiny!
I’m an Orla fan too. Our downstairs loo is sadly neglected too but it is the most colourful room in the house (red and orange) thanks to the previous owners. I’m very much a pale and boring decorator but I read somewhere that the smallest room was the best place to use bright colours.
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Aah see I never knew that, that’s prob why it does work better than I thought it would- thanks for the tip! 🙂
Becky I love it. It looks so much brighter and inviting. I love the wallpaper. Have a friend that I saw this in her house and just wanted it myself. Still am thinking where I could put it in my own house. Love the yellow. Its’ my favorite color! lol Way to go you! Hope you are enjoying it. Thanks for linking up to Share With Me. I hope to see you again soon. #sharewithme
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Thanks Jenny! I was debating it for our hallway, I think it would have looked good there too. I find it so hard to make decisions about interiors, takes me months to um and ah over whether to go for something or not! x
I am the very same. I take forever then get it all done and think well I think I should have done this or that differently and then regret. hahaha
WOW!!! I love this. Once our kitchen is done, my next project is the downstairs loo. The OH wants magnolia. I don’t. Guess whose gonna win????? This wallpaper is awesome and I love your accessories 🙂 #sharewithme
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Thanks so much! Def put your foot down 😉
I love it! It is bright but not overpowering. Now all I need is a downstairs loo… #share withme
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Thanks Louisa!
Love it Becky! We have the same wallpaper in our living room and it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but we LOVE IT! You did such a good job. x
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Thanks Katie, I am in love with this wallpaper too! I love several others of hers as well, although I think our house would be migraine-inducing if we used anymore. Still wondering about the bedroom though… x
Hello, just found this post today and love the transformation. The retro paper really lifts the space and the vintage mirror looks perfect.
I LOVE it! Its so bright and pretty without being girly if that makes sense! Your little owl is super cute <3 #HomeEtc
It’s absolutely gorgeous! I have a sugar bowl in that pattern, so lovely to see it as a wallpaper – it’s perfect for that small space. It’s encouraging to others too who might not think to look at more expensive wallpaper, but when you know it’s only going to take one roll then it’s definitely worth is as it totally transforms the space. Well done you for going for it!
Becky I LOVE it!!! The wallpaper is just perfect and what a difference it’s made! We currently have an understairs cupboard that eventually one day I’d love to turn into a loo. Well done, you must be delighted! Xx
Wow that has certainly jazzed up your downstairs loo! I think it’s great, you can get away with bold patterns in small space, and I love the colour 🙂
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Love the paper!!!! It looks bright and funky and so stylish 🙂 Great job and what an interesting space now! Love the colours xx Thanks for linking up – much appreciated. Jess xx
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It’s GORGEOUS!!! I love the Orla wallpaper — often I think that a big print in a small space works beautifully. I’d blooming LOVE a downstairs loo! Sadly we’re lacking for one in our cottage — no room to put one in either! Thanks so much for linking up with us 🙂 #HomeEtc
It looks great! I’m looking at fitting a downstairs loo but I’m not sure i have the space. Could I ask the dimensions please? Particularly the length of the room, the depth (front of pan to back wall) of the toilet and the width of the door. Thanks
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Hi Michael, Thanks so much for your comment, we loved our downstairs loo makeover! Unfortunately we have since moved house so I can’t measure the space I’m afraid, sorry 🙁 It was very small though, but just enough for the toilet and small sink.