If you want to step out of your decorating comfort zone, the cloakroom/powder room is the place to start. You don’t spend much time there, so it won’t constantly chide you the way a bedroom or kitchen that’s not to your taste might. And because it’s small, if you absolutely loathe it, redoing it won’t cost you substantial time or money.
Not that anyone could hate this cloakroom by Cherie Lee Interiors. Really, I defy you to dislike it. It’s spectacular enough to convert even the most militant minimalist to the glories of Art Deco excess.
The juxtaposition of the geometric gold-and-white tiles with the finely detailed dark wallpaper (I believe it’s Deco Martini in Midnight Gold from Divine Savages) shouldn’t work. But oh, it does. Some of that is due to how the mirror links the disparate motifs: The golden finish references the tiles, while the stepped arches of the silhouette echo the wallpaper’s medallions. And while it might have been tempting to opt for an equally extraverted light fixture, the choice of the understated ribbed-glass sconce ensures that attention doesn’t stray from the other elements.
The master en-suite from the same home, also by Cherie Lee Interiors. Swoon…
Regardless of your aesthetic, please consider your cloakroom as a laboratory for design experimentation. Paint it your favourite colour, even if that is chartreuse or black or harvest gold. Experiment with wallpaper, splash out on a loudly patterned rug, swap out the standard mirror for that odd boot-sale find gathering dust in your garage. And if the rest of your home is already alive with extravagant design, why not take your cloakroom in the opposite direction and make it a quiet, neutral space? If nothing else, it will make you appreciate the vibrancy of the rest of your abode!