The WC, strong paint and committed decoration

The WC is the smallest room in the home (1 to 2 m² on average), where you spend little time, and which is visually isolated from the rest. This specificity makes it the room where you can dare anything, without risk of a lasting mistake.

A very saturated colour that would be overwhelming in a living room (deep red, forest green, teal, mustard yellow) works very well in a WC. The exposure time is short, the effect is punctual and joyful.

The pro rule, in the WC, step outside the usual neutral palettes. Strong colour, extravagant wallpaper, eccentric gallery wall, committed art. It is the opportunity to express a more marked personality than elsewhere.

Choosing the colour or wallpaper.

Saturated colours that work.

Deep forest green (Studio Green from Farrow & Ball, type 93). Elegant, timeless.

Teal or petrol blue (Hague Blue from Farrow & Ball, type 30). Sophisticated, timeless.

Saturated terracotta. Warm and sunny effect.

Mustard yellow. Joyful, bold.

Deep black. Cocoon, dramatic effect. Works very well if the room has a window (otherwise it becomes stifling).

Wallpapers.

The WC is the ideal room for an extravagant wallpaper you would not dare elsewhere. Animal motifs, tropical landscapes, panoramics, coloured geometries. Brands such as Cole & Son, Au Fil des Couleurs, Pierre Frey.

Composition of the elements.

White basin and toilet. Strong contrast with the coloured wall. No need for a coloured basin too, it overloads.

Matt black or brass taps. Contemporary effect, visual signature.

A framed artwork or a small gallery wall. See rule 07.5. Three or five small framed artworks in composition. Black and white photos, drawings, vintage posters.

A pendant. A small decorative pendant on the ceiling, rather than a basic ceiling light.

A plant (optional). A small house plant (fern, hanging Pothos), for the organic touch.

Lighting.

Even more important in a room dark by essence (often without a window). Warm light (2700-3000 K), CRI 90+ to preserve colours.

The case of the toilet in the bathroom.

If your WC is not separate, the rule does not apply fully. The bathroom calls for more neutrality (light palette, see rule 08.7 on the mirror). Unless you dare an entire bathroom in a strong colour, which is possible but committing.

In a small interior. The WC is the perfect opportunity to express a personality. Even in a studio, these 1.5 m² can be a coloured manifesto.

British interior designers traditionally treat the WC as a "powder room" where you can have fun. Very saturated colours, heavily patterned wallpapers, are the norm.

Jean-Louis Deniot sometimes works WCs entirely lined with panoramics (mural wallpaper depicting a landscape). Immersive and theatrical effect.

A sophisticated trick, the ceiling painted too. Everything in colour, floor, walls, ceiling. Total cocoon effect that works very well in such a small room.