The separate toilet room — the tiny WC so many European flats have — is the most neglected room in the house. Ours was a sad beige box for years until I realised it is actually the easiest room to decorate: it is small, guests see it, and one afternoon of work transforms it completely. I redid ours for under 100 euros and guests comment on it more than the living room. These are the ten approaches I would consider, from dead simple to properly dramatic.
1. Minimalist Modern Toilet
Minimalist is the default for a reason: in a room this small, less genuinely is more. Our WC has a wall-hung toilet and a tiny wall-mounted sink like this photo, and the visible floor underneath makes the room feel twice its size. The grey walls are warm-toned, which matters — cold grey in a windowless WC feels like a cell. I painted ours in a warm greige and it changed everything. Keep one small plant on the cistern if there is light; if not, skip the plant. A dead plant in a minimalist room ruins the whole effect.
2. Classic White Elegance
White subway tile halfway up the wall with white paint above is timeless for a reason — it looks clean, it bounces light, and it suits every style of flat. I did this in our old place and the tiled half-wall meant I could wipe down the splash zone in seconds. The pedestal sink in this photo is the classic choice, but I would pick a small wall-hung basin if I did it again; pedestals waste the floor space underneath. One round mirror, one nice soap dispenser, done. This look never dates, which is worth a lot in a room you will not redecorate for a decade.
3. Black and Gold Luxury
Black walls in a tiny WC sound insane until you see it done — then it looks like a boutique hotel. The trick is commitment: paint every wall black, add gold fixtures and a marble-look surface, and the smallness becomes cosiness instead of crampedness. I helped a friend do this and the gold pendant lights in this photo are what make it work; without warm light, black walls go flat. Use eggshell or satin paint, not matte — matte black shows every splash. This is the boldest option on this list, and honestly the one guests remember most.
4. Nature-Inspired Oasis
Wood and plants turn a sterile WC into somewhere pleasant. I put two small wooden shelves above our toilet — 12 euros of pine boards and brackets — and filled them with a trailing pothos and rolled hand towels. The pothos has thrived for two years on the humidity alone. The stone vessel sink in this photo is lovely but needs a sturdy vanity; a wall-mounted wooden shelf as a counter works just as well and costs a fraction. Keep the palette warm: wood tones, green plants, cream walls. It is the cheapest way to make a WC feel designed rather than leftover.
5. Colorful Statement Walls
One bold wall is the highest-impact hour you can spend on a WC. I painted the wall behind our toilet deep teal — one litre of paint, one afternoon — and the room went from forgettable to favourite. The deep blue in this photo works because everything else stays white; the contrast is what makes it sing. Patterned floor tile like this is a bonus if you are retiling, but the paint alone does 80% of the job. My rule: pick a colour you love, not a colour you think is tasteful. A WC is so small that a brave colour feels fun rather than overwhelming.
6. Floating Shelves for Storage
The wall above the toilet is dead space in most WCs, and floating shelves fix that in an afternoon. Mine hold spare toilet paper, a small plant and a candle — the three things every guest WC needs. I used 60 cm oak-look shelves, two of them, spaced about 35 cm apart so tall bottles fit. Do not overload them; three to four items per shelf looks styled, ten looks like storage. The baskets and jars in this photo are doing the visual work of hiding clutter — decant the ugly packaging into a jar and suddenly it is decor. Total cost was under 30 euros.
7. Industrial Chic Look
Industrial suits a WC because the room is already small and utilitarian — lean into it. Exposed copper pipe, concrete-look walls, a black toilet: it looks intentional rather than unfinished when you commit. I left our supply pipes surface-mounted in copper during a repair and liked it so much it stayed. The round mirror in this photo softens the hardness, which is important; all-industrial with no soft element feels like a basement. Add one warm thing — wood shelf, Edison bulb, woven basket — and the look is complete. This style also hides a multitude of sins in old rental bathrooms.
8. Compact Toilet Room Hacks
When the WC is genuinely tiny — ours is 1.2 by 2 metres — every centimetre has to work. The tall narrow shelving unit in this photo is the single best idea: floor-to-ceiling storage in a 30 cm footprint, holding everything from cleaner to spare rolls. I built something similar from a cheap shelving unit cut to fit the alcove next to our toilet. Wall-hung toilet and sink free up the floor, which makes the room feel bigger and mopping easier. And a pocket door or a door that opens outward saves the 60 cm swing arc — in a micro-WC, that is the difference between comfortable and contortionist.
9. Vintage Charm
Vintage is the most fun WC style because the room is small enough to commit fully. The high-tank toilet with a pull chain in this photo is the dream, but even without it you can get the feeling: a wooden washstand, a gilt mirror, pastel walls in pink and mint. I found our mirror at a flea market for 10 euros and it is the centrepiece of the room. Mix the pastels carefully — pink and mint work, pink and lavender fight. This style suits old flats with high ceilings and weird nooks; in a modern new-build it can feel like a costume. Know your building.
10. Monochrome Magic
All-grey is the sophisticated neutral that is not white and not black. The large grey tiles in this photo run floor to ceiling with nearly invisible grout lines, which makes the tiny room feel seamless and calm. I would choose this if I wanted modern without the coldness of black-and-white contrast. The wall-hung fixtures keep the floor clear, and the single dark accent — the flush plate, the tap — gives it definition. Use two greys, not one: a slightly darker floor grounds the room, while lighter walls keep it airy. One grey everywhere can look flat; two greys look designed.
The WC is the room where you can take a design risk with almost no consequences — it is tiny, cheap to redo, and guests love a surprise. Pick the boldest idea on this list that made you smile, give it one Saturday, and enjoy the reactions. Nobody expects the smallest room in the house to be the most interesting, which is exactly why it should be.