The Cloakroom That Proves Small Spaces Can Be Extraordinary
The Cloakroom That Proves Small Spaces Can Be Extraordinary Why some of the smallest rooms in a home often leave the biggest impression When people
Why some of the smallest rooms in a home often leave the biggest impression
When people think about a bathroom renovation, the cloakroom rarely gets top billing. The focus tends to be on the main en-suite, the family bathroom or the guest bathroom. The cloakroom is often treated as a practical necessity rather than a design opportunity.
Yet some of the most memorable spaces we create at Kallums Bathrooms are also the smallest.
This cloakroom forms part of our Japandi-inspired Putney project, where every room was designed to feel calm, tactile and beautifully connected to the rest of the home. While the larger bathrooms each have their own character, this cloakroom proves that a compact footprint does not mean compromising on impact. In fact, it can be exactly the opposite.
One of the advantages of a cloakroom is that it gives you permission to do something unexpected.
A material that may feel overwhelming across a large bathroom can feel exciting and luxurious in a smaller space. Because the room is compact, you can fully commit to a design idea without it dominating the entire home. That was exactly the thinking here.
Rather than introducing multiple finishes and competing materials, the decision was made to let a single tile take centre stage. Sometimes the strongest bathroom designs come from doing less, not more.
The star of the room is the Nuvole Onyx Green polished stone tile.
Rich shades of green flow through the surface, punctuated by veins of amber, gold and deep teal. Depending on how the light falls across the polished finish, the tile shifts dramatically throughout the day, luminous and alive rather than flat or static.
Rather than limiting the tile to a feature wall, it wraps every wall surface in the room. The result feels cohesive and confident. Your eye is drawn to the movement and character within the tile itself. No visual noise. No competing patterns. Just one beautiful material allowed to do what it does best.
If you are exploring bathroom design trends, this is a strong example of how colour and richness can be introduced without relying on paint, wallpaper or decorative accessories.
One of the standout details is the basin.
Built from a Dukkaboard preformed structure and clad entirely in the same Nuvole Onyx Green tile by Modica Marble in London, it feels integrated into the architecture of the room rather than added afterwards. The stone flows from wall to basin without interruption, no ledge, no edge trim, no visual break.
A wall-mounted Graff tap in brushed nickel keeps the look uncluttered. A brushed nickel dome drain sits level with the basin surface, preserving the clean lines of the stone. On the WC wall, a brushed gold flush plate picks up the amber running through the veining, a warm accent that feels deliberate rather than decorative.
It is a relatively simple idea, but one that shows how carefully chosen details can completely change the feel of a space.
There is a misconception that smaller rooms require safer design decisions. In our experience, the opposite is often true.
A cloakroom is one of the few spaces in a home where you can fully embrace a statement material, an unusual colour palette or a bespoke design feature without committing to it on a larger scale.
Although this cloakroom makes a striking impression, it is only one part of a wider project. Beyond its walls sits a serene master ensuite, a beautifully crafted guest bathroom and a tea house shower room nestled within the garden. Together they demonstrate how different materials, colours and textures can create distinct spaces while remaining part of the same home.
For more inspiration, explore our recent bathroom projects or browse our bathroom design articles. If you would like to discuss ideas for your own home, visit our Putney or Guildford showroom, our team is always happy to help.
Explore more projects in our case study collection.
The Cloakroom That Proves Small Spaces Can Be Extraordinary Why some of the smallest rooms in a home often leave the biggest impression When people
Where East Meets West: Inside a Japandi-Inspired Home in Putney Four spaces. Two buildings. One design philosophy held with complete conviction. This project in Putney,
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