If anyone out there is in the midst of redecorating, you’ll be all too familiar with the sea of possibilities when it comes to paint. From brand to colour, coverage to finish; the options are seemingly endless. With the Easter bank holiday fast approaching, there might be a few days dedicated to decorating on the cards. If you’re anything like me, your myriad of colour swatches have moved around the room more times than you can shake a stick at. It’s taken a while, but I can safely say I’ve found the perfect plum. So now its time to consider the finishing touches. Here we are, to help you with just that.

In the grand scheme of things, the downstairs bathroom (or cloakroom) is often an afterthought. Whether its under the stairs, beside a utility or next to the front door, they are small rooms with not a lot going on. But their small size is their superpower. It’s a great room to be creative and have lots of fun, without the same daring commitment through the rest of the house. Guests will nearly always use this room so why not make it a talking point, something to gush about when they return. And with it often hidden away, we believe there’s an unwritten rule to be as free as you like in there.

We’ve pulled together some ideas to really give this room some character.

When we told friends we were having a new kitchen this year, a predictable string of questions followed. ‘What colour will it be’, ‘where’s the wine cooler going’ and the big ‘gas or electric’ debate began. Ensuring we had answers to all of the above, they quickly moved on to the most important question of all; ‘but are you having an island!?’