The cloakroom at school might have been about pegs for gym kit and somewhere to stow away your lunchbox, but at Casa Ca’ Pietra the bijou cloakroom is where you get to go big with colour and pattern. Why? Because unlike the kitchen, the sitting room, the bedroom and family bathroom, it’s probably the only room that doesn’t get used for hours on end every day. That means you can get away with all sorts, decor-wise. Be brave, be bold and be 100% inspired with our head of creative Grazzie’s pick of her top five cloakrooms right now, that might inspire a pre-Christmas cloakroom update before guests arrive.

1. The Tip-to-Toe Playful One

Let’s start from the bottom up where our Long Island Wicker Mosaic marble floor tiles set the scene, stylishly so; they bring in visual texture that is exactly how the room means to go on. Wainscoting is next on the order, painted white to help the loo blend into the background and with grid lines that speak to Long Islands’ subtle geometry. That’s where a lot of people might have said, that’ll do, but not in this home. Palm fronds come in on top and then a gold lustre ceiling to top it all off. Proof there’s no such thing as too much pattern? We certainly think so.

2. The New Modern Country One

I really love this cloakroom loo, because it’s such a refreshing take on country style. The colour palette is warm and earthy with sage and rust getting on like a house on fire while the confident use of patterned wallpaper covering every wall makes the space feel cosy and cocooned. I think in a small space to really run with the notion of it being a nook is such a wise decor decision, because you’re embracing its petite nature and celebrating it wholeheartedly. The floor tiles are a confident choice too because while they’re a plain terracotta tile, their shape and grouting means it’s ultimately another pattern, and an unexpected one too – picket tiles are ones to add to your tile wishlist, stat.

3. The Quietly Contrasting One

On first glance, this cloakroom could look very simple indeed. I think because you just see the combination of neutrals – warm grey, gloss white and a steady brown – you could think there’s nothing too ‘out there’ going on. But look closer, because this room’s a clever one. The large format Cotswold floor provides an understated foundation (plus, they work beautifully with underfloor heating and so imagine this less-is-more space with a stone-like texture and gentle warmth underfoot – heaven) and allow for plenty of pattern upwards. More wainscoting but instead of timber panelling, here we have our Silk Screen Ceramic Willow patterned tiles in a chocolate brown foliage pattern that blends beautifully with the antique washstand. A very fine pencil border acts as a comma between the final tile flourish in the room – the stacked metro tiles from our Victorian Style collection. Just when you thought a simple white metro tile couldn’t be playful, the alternating vertical and horizontal stacking brings in a whole lot more character into the space that deserves applause. Handsome, heritage and noteworthy I say.

4. The Green Room

More seemingly simple tiles proving they’ve got plenty to say, because in this cloakroom, white and green look like the total dream. Chequerboard tiling is a trend that just keeps evolving and here it’s doubly statement-making because of the colour combo and the fact it’s a chequerboard wall. In this space our new Victorian Style collection really gets to work.  Our dado marks the end of the chessboard and the beginning of a vision in white – a wall of square white tiles accented with a very cool picture frame effect created using our beading for its border and herringbone white metro tiles in the middle. Hats off to this one – it’s as fresh as a daisy, both colour and creatively speaking.

5. The Perfect His and Hers One

Back to those luxe weave-effect marble tiles, this time with Zen Marble Grand Basket Weave Mosaic, here they've been laid with a brick border that almost makes the mosaic feel like a rug. This time, they find themselves in another colourful home but with a period colour palette and pretty floral detailing rather than the modern space in which we started. Umber red wall panelling (try our Asher’s Cranberry paint for something similar) mixed in with the almost peachy backdrop of the floral wallpaper gives rise to a space that feels comforting and nurturing. It’s yet another case of a small space being able to more than handle a combination of colour, texture and pattern – it’s positively thriving because of it. 

Happy decorating!