Custom moodlight project, Solihull.
Never too many mood lights...
Small rooms are often treated as an afterthought.
This cloakroom refurbishment in Solihull was anything but.
The original room was ready for a complete transformation and, as part of a much wider programme of work throughout the customer's home, I had already been given a good amount of creative freedom. I wanted to turn what could easily have been a fairly ordinary cloakroom into something with a little more personality.
The entire room was refurbished to create a clean, contemporary space, incorporating a concealed cistern, wall-hung toilet, modern grey tiling, compact vanity and integrated lighting.
But there was one design idea I particularly wanted to try.
I've always enjoyed experimenting with mood lighting and, given the opportunity, I wanted to create a custom mood lighting feature that would become the main lighting centrepiece of the room.
The area above the concealed cistern gave me exactly the opportunity I needed.
A Complete Cloakroom Transformation
Looking back at the original room, the difference is quite dramatic.
The existing cloakroom had older sanitaryware and finishes that no longer reflected the style being introduced throughout the rest of the home. The refurbishment gave us the opportunity to reconsider the room completely and create something far more contemporary.
Because cloakrooms are generally small spaces, every element is highly visible. There isn't a large room or an impressive feature elsewhere to distract your eye from something that doesn't quite work.
That means the layout, tiling, sanitaryware, lighting and finishing details all need to work together.
The finished cloakroom is cleaner, brighter and considerably more contemporary, but I didn't want it to simply feel newly fitted.
I wanted to give the room a feature of its own.
Creating the Main Mood Lighting Centrepiece
There wasn't an off-the-shelf lighting feature that would create what I had in mind, so we built the feature around the lighting instead.
Above the concealed cistern, we effectively constructed an additional trough specifically to house two Philips Hue Play bars.
Rather than seeing the top of the concealed cistern as simply another tiled shelf, I wanted to turn the entire area into a bespoke illuminated feature.
The inside of the trough was painted white to help the light reflect around the space, and a frosted acrylic panel was positioned over the top.
The frosted acrylic diffuses the light, helping to soften the two individual light sources and create a more even glow across the shelf.
A tile trim was used to finish the front edge cleanly and the panel was designed to remain removable, allowing access to the lighting if required.
On paper, it sounds relatively simple.
As is often the case with bespoke ideas, one small detail decided to make life slightly more interesting.
Solving the Detail That Didn't Quite Work
The acrylic panel needed to sit on a supporting ledge.
The problem was that the transparent nature of the acrylic made the support around the edge visible.
It worked technically.
Visually, I didn't like it.
We trialled masking off the centre section of the acrylic and spraying the surrounding perimeter white. The idea was that the painted edge would conceal the support beneath while leaving the main frosted section free to diffuse the light.
It worked really well.
The unsightly supporting ledge disappeared, the illuminated centre remained completely effective and the finished panel looked far more intentional.
It's a relatively small detail, but these are often the parts of bespoke projects that take the most thought.
The finished feature looks simple, because the awkward part has already been dealt with.
Smart Lighting Designed as Part of the Room
The illuminated cistern shelf was designed as the main mood lighting centrepiece, with the lighting beneath the toilet and vanity supporting it and carrying the effect through the rest of the cloakroom.
Using Philips Hue also gives the homeowner control over colour and brightness.
The room can be bright and practical when needed, softly illuminated in the evening or transformed completely with colour.
And, being a cloakroom, there's always the option to choose something slightly more dramatic when visitors arrive.
The video below shows the complete refurbishment and the finished lighting in action.
Why Small Rooms Are Perfect for Bespoke Ideas
I think cloakrooms are often overlooked when people start planning a refurbishment.
They're usually one of the smallest rooms in the house, but that doesn't mean they have to be boring.
In fact, their size can make them a great place to experiment with stronger design ideas, unusual lighting or bespoke features that you might not necessarily introduce into a larger living space.
They're also rooms that visitors use.
A well-designed cloakroom can be surprisingly memorable, particularly when someone walks in expecting a fairly standard downstairs loo and finds something completely different.
Good design doesn't always need a huge room.
Sometimes you simply need to spot the right opportunity.
My Favourite Design Aspect of the Room
Of all the features incorporated into this cloakroom refurbishment, the illuminated cistern shelf was my favourite design aspect.
It wasn't the largest element of the project and it certainly wasn't something you could simply buy and install.
It started as an idea, needed a little experimentation and required us to solve a detail that didn't initially look quite right.
That's probably why I enjoyed it so much.
The finished lightbox complements the toilet and vanity lighting, changes the atmosphere of the entire room and gives a relatively small cloakroom a feature that's completely its own.
Never too many mood lights...
Planning a Cloakroom Refurbishment in Solihull?
If you're planning a cloakroom refurbishment in Solihull, Stourbridge or elsewhere across the West Midlands, I'd be happy to help you explore what's possible within the space.
From complete cloakroom refurbishments and concealed cistern installations to smart mood lighting, bespoke lighting features and creative solutions for small or awkward rooms, I enjoy finding ways to make practical spaces considerably more interesting.
You don't necessarily need to know exactly what you want before getting in touch.
Sometimes the best ideas start by looking at the room and asking what else it could become.
If you have a project you'd like to discuss, I'd love to hear about it.