Tile for the bathroom: design ideas
A bathroom is an intimate room, as a result of which it must have certain characteristics: simplicity, originality and, most importantly, convenience. The most important components of these qualities is the finish of the floor and walls. There are many options here, however, the most recommended is the option of tiling.
Tile characteristics
Having decided on the choice of finishing the bathroom, when buying a tile, you should consider the characteristics:
- technical standards (here we have in mind the wear resistance class from 1 to 5, moreover, for bathrooms, you should stay no lower than 3rd class);
- the purpose of the tile;
- coating parameters.
Types of tiles by purpose
In a broad sense, tiles are for walls or floors, but in some cases there is the task of choosing tiles for steps and ceilings. Nevertheless, according to its characteristics, only two types are distinguished - for walls and floor. Wall tiles are less resistant to chemicals and abrasion of the surface layer, it also has a fairly high level of moisture absorption - up to 20%. The coating of this type of tile can be in the form of glaze, matte, with embossing and imitation of other materials.
First floor tile is stronger than wall tile; secondly, it has a low level of moisture absorption - up to 5-6%; thirdly, the surface of the tile is always made in a matte anti-slip version.
Materials
Depending on the materials used for the production of tiles, 4 types of tiles can be distinguished:
- ceramic tile. The cheapest, but this does not mean that its appearance has any flaws. Just in terms of its technical characteristics, it can be inferior to other types of materials;
- porcelain tile. A material similar to natural stone, but less prone to breaking and cracking. Its composition is close to porcelain. It is characterized by moisture resistance close to zero, it is not afraid of frosts and sudden changes in temperature. Most often used for finishing floors;
- a natural stone. With the development of processing technologies for building materials, this type of tile has become more popular due to lower prices. Pure natural material, however, inferior in terms of wear resistance to porcelain stoneware. Also more susceptible to the development of various bacteria on the surface;
- glass tile. The most expensive pleasure from the presented series, able to realize the craziest fantasies in the interior of the bathroom. This type of tile can be used not only for walls and floors, but also for decoration.
Color palette
When choosing tile colors for a bathroom, you basically need to consider one important point - lighting the room. The darker the room, the more light tile you need to pick up. Designers highlight several of the most successful color palettes for the bathroom:
White and black tones
This choice is for connoisseurs of style. Such colors are always fashionable - this is a classic. When combining pure white and black with any accent, you can produce a pleasant feeling of sophistication in design. However, keep in mind that white can cause a feeling of cold and lack of comfort, which is why special attention should be paid to accent walls. In addition, a monophonic tile should be removed quite often (washed, wiped) since even the smallest dirt, soap stains or drips are visible on it.
Blue and green tones.
These colors are leaders in the design of bathrooms. Blue is the color of water and, like no other, is suitable for a bathroom. Green - does not irritate, soothes and harmonizes the internal state. However, one should not forget about the accent: various fish, shells or boats in blue design or bright frogs in green will add taste to the overall design of the room.
Successful alternative color palettes
Floral tones will look pretty pretty aesthetically. Violet or peach palette, pink palette for young girls, red tones for adult confident women and men. If you are constantly freezing, then yellow is your best bet. It is the color of heat, summer and sun. In such a room you will not freeze even on a frosty winter day.
Tile size and shape
Despite the huge variety of color style options and materials for the tile, the choice of tile size and its shape is not the last place in the decoration. According to the classification of sizes, standard tiles, large, small and mosaics can be distinguished.
The size of the standard tile is 20 by 30 cm. Therefore, one that is larger than this refers to large, and which is smaller - to small. A mosaic is also highlighted, comprising in the size of a square with a face of 2-3 cm.
Finishing Nuances
For decorating the bathroom, the choice of medium-sized tiles will be most optimal - it will not seem too bulky, and on the other hand there will not be a large number of joints distracting attention.
The bathroom should be comfortable, warm and cozy, so more attention when choosing colors should be given to light, warm colors. To visually enlarge a small room, it is recommended to use tiles with a reflective glazed surface or mirror tiles.
An important point when laying tiles is its orientation: to visually increase the height of the room, you need to stay on the vertical option for laying. Flooring is more profitable to increase the space to lay diagonally.
Zoning
To give the original cladding of the room, you can apply some zoning or covering certain parts of the room with tiles. Depending on the area covered, three options can be distinguished:
- tiling the entire room;
- facing to a certain point. In order to save money, some apartment owners tiled a room at half height;
- finishing contact areas. For example, the area above the sink or bath.
It should be noted that in the conditions of small, compact rooms, only the first two options are suitable for decoration, since when using the third option, individual fragments may merge visually and the “heap effect” will develop. For spacious rooms, any of three options is suitable.
Classic style bathroom
The choice of the classic style shows the aristocracy of the landlord. To give the style of classicism in the interior of the bathroom, just tiling the walls is not enough - a combination with marble and onyx is necessary here. An important point will be the presence of antique furniture combined with tiles. Particular attention should be paid to the little things, applying the same tiles on the curb with small details or decor in the form of bronze elements. You need to understand that this style is suitable exclusively for spacious high rooms.
Minimalism style
The very name of the style suggests that everything in this room should be used to a minimum. In the decoration of walls, ceilings and floors you need to use no more than 2-3 colors, and in one tonality. There should be a minimum of furniture, so the walls should be finished perfectly, simply and at the same time original. As a result of applying this style, additional territory will be freed up in the room, the room will become more spacious and comfortable.
Country style
Recently, an increasing number of homeowners prefer country-style décor. This style combines the use of natural materials (or imitating), and natural colors. Tiles can be matched to wood or stone. It is better to dwell on brown, coffee, beige and green shades. Particular attention should be paid to accessories that should be combined with the design of walls and ceilings.
Room decor for a small bathroom
The main factor in the design of a small room is the visual increase in space. For this, there are certain techniques developed by designers and their experience:
- colors in the design should be light tones;
- for a rectangular room, the tile size is best selected no more than 20x30 cm., for square rooms - 20x20 cm .;
- for a visual increase in height, the tile must be laid vertically, for an increase in width - horizontally;
- it is not recommended to use embossed tiles - it visually reduces the space;
- the surface of the tile must be glossy, glazed or glass, but in no case matte. Gloss - visually increase the room, matte surface - reduce.
Tile in a spacious bathroom
If you are the owner of a large bathroom, then the restrictions applied to the design of small rooms are automatically discarded and you are free to make decisions and design delights. Here the play of colors, shapes, materials and accent elements is limited only by your imagination. However, in this case, you can overdo it and the room will become too colorful, and the decoration itself will “crush”, as a result, the room will become uncomfortable, and one of the determining factors in the successful design of the bathroom is convenience, coziness and comfort.
As a result of applying the above tips and recommendations for designing a bathroom, you can create a cozy comfortable atmosphere in your room, which will be distinguished by the original design and functional convenience of each element, which are the most important components in the process of interior decoration.