Downstairs toilets can be a clutter nightmare – these design tips will provide stylish storage you'll actually love

Cloakrooms, or downstairs toilets, come into their own at this time of the year. With children back at school and work routines getting back into full swing after holidays, the cloakroom absorbs so much of our daily coming-and-going.

However, as they're small, poky spaces, getting the storage and layout right can be super tricky - particularly if your small bathroom is your main place to store shoes or coats.

As guests might often use this room, getting the balance right between storage and style is key. Here's some inspiration for achieving both.

'The best cloakroom storage starts with how you actually use the space, rather than with the cabinetry itself. Before you design anything, think about what tends to accumulate by the front door on an ordinary day,' explains Gail Bignell, head of design at Sharps.

I was first inspired by design-led storage ideas in cloakrooms after seeing Ideal Home's Editor-in-Chief, Heather Young's downstairs toilet. As shown above, she has utilised the entire back wall for shelf storage that blends in perfectly with the rest of the space. I'm a huge fan of cupboard curtains, and they're a budget-friendly way to hide things away without calling in a carpenter.

But first comes the planning. 'It is rarely just coats and shoes; there are school bags, handbags, dog leads, umbrellas, hats, scarves, sports kit and all the little things you want to be able to grab quickly on the way out. If you can give each of those things a proper home, the whole entrance to the house immediately feels calmer,' Gail adds.

'Not everything in a cloakroom needs to be hidden away. The practical pieces you use every day, such as coat hooks, can actually become part of the design if they are planned into the room properly rather than added as an afterthought,' says Gareth Hull, design lead at Hendel & Hendel.

Hooks are an incredibly handy addition to a cloakroom, but they can add significant clutter when full of coats. A few small tricks can help to avoid this.

'In a family cloakroom, varying the height can work really well too. It makes the storage easier for children to use themselves and can stop the wall feeling overly rigid,' Gareth adds.

Rather than focusing solely on functional storage, it's important to assess how design remains a consideration.

'The backdrop makes a big difference. Mounting hooks onto painted panelling, timber or a section of joinery immediately makes them feel more intentional and gives the practical storage area its own identity,' Gareth recommends.

Storage should feel integrated, rather than dominant. Opting for built-in storage where the cupboard colour can be matched to the bathroom colour scheme will make the space feel clutter-free and design-conscious.

'I would also think carefully about the sightline from the rest of the house. A cloakroom or hallway is often one of the first spaces you see when you come home, so you do not necessarily want to be looking straight at a wall of coats,' Gail adds. 'If possible, position the messier open storage slightly away from the main view and let the cleaner lines of the closed cabinetry be what you see first.'

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