In a small bathroom, everything should work for the result. Here tiles become not just a finishing material, but the main tool for visually enlarging a modest area. You don't have to sacrifice design aesthetics! We tell you how to choose tiles for a small bathroom from the point of view of beauty and practicality.
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Tile color range
For a small room, designers recommend using the following shades:
- Neutral (graphite, purple, white);
- Warm (sand, yellow, apricot);
- Cold (sapphire, cornflower blue, olive).
It is advisable to avoid combinations of warm and cold colors. It is better to complement a rich palette with neutral tones. This solution is considered optimal for a modest-sized bathroom.
Neutral background and burgundy shade
The burgundy shade will fit perfectly into a classic-style interior. It is also suitable for such styles as Baroque and Art Nouveau. The use of such a color scheme requires compliance with proportions and the addition of neutral colors. Gold-plated and bronze elements are appropriate in the design.
Traditional combinations are combinations of burgundy with white and milky tones. It is allowed to use tiles with an elegant gold pattern.
Lighting selection
The atmosphere that gray tiles will create in the interior largely depends on the lighting characteristics.
When choosing lighting fixtures and their location in the bathroom, you should adhere to a few simple rules:
- In order for the gray cladding to look harmonious and not cause negative feelings, it is better to prefer lamps and lamps in golden or yellow shades. In such an interior, the light should be as “warm” as possible.
- The brighter the lighting, the softer and more natural the gray tiles look.
Fashionable LED lighting is recommended to be used only with relief tiles. Such lighting, as a rule, perfectly emphasizes all the features of the texture.
With equal success, LEDs will highlight all the slightest defects of glossy tiles and mistakes made during their installation.
You can avoid this by moving the lamps further away from the wall.
- When choosing LED modules and strips, you need to pay special attention to their brightness. Gray tiles lose their expressiveness in dim lighting. In such an interior it is still better to use incandescent lamps.
IMPORTANT! Gray tiles look most advantageous in rich and abundant lighting. In this case, the light can be both artificial and natural.
Pastel tile colors
Pastel is considered a winning option in the case of a modest-sized bathroom. Moreover, shades of both cold and warm spectrum are allowed in the decoration. Muted colors allow you to visually increase the volume of the room.
Without delicate colors it is impossible to imagine a whole range of styles:
- Country;
- Provence;
- Minimalism;
- Vintage.
For a neutral palette, it is recommended to create color accents (ultramarine, coral), organize additional lighting above the sink, in the shower stall.
Bright tile colors
The use of bright colors in the design of a small room requires a neutral background. A popular idea is to highlight one of the walls with a rich color (peach, purple, green). Terracotta tiles with the addition of pistachio and milk blocks look unusual.
The best complement for an orange color scheme is a green, ash, dark blue palette. High-tech welcomes the combination of bright orange and boiling white.
Popular shades for a small bathroom
The most popular shades for a small room are cream, golden, pearl. Experts advise highlighting delicate finishes with tiles with relief patterns or subtle patterns.
Blocks with a rough texture that imitates wood or stone are suitable as an accent. You can use tiles decorated using the decoupage technique.
Classic colors
Classic colors are used in traditionally designed bathrooms. The interior looks interesting in a brown color scheme with the addition of a shade of ivory. Monochrome slabs and imitations of natural wood are popular in the design.
Using pale green tones combined with gray or white helps bring harmony to a classic setting. The blue palette is complemented by metallic and white shades, which visually expands the area.
Placement of accents
Accents help make the interior expressive; they immediately attract attention and form the first impression. The role of an accent can be played by a contrasting wall or part of it, a floor, a ceiling - it all depends on which surface you want to highlight as much as possible. Solutions with a two-color ceiling or floor can look very interesting - when not the entire surface, but part of it, is highlighted in a contrasting color.
Read: Courses on interior design
This helps to create real visual illusions in which the dimensions of the room are not important at all - they fade into the tenth plane. For example, a white wall “transitions” into a white ceiling, part of which is decorated with black or other bright tiles. You can create many similar variations, and this does not require a large space - on the contrary, they look especially impressive just in a small area.
Important: when using such solutions, you need to maintain a sense of proportion so that the bathroom does not turn into a “looking glass” that is difficult to perceive.
Tile sizes for a small bathroom
Due to the visibility of the grout, large slabs are inappropriate in a small room. Glazed parts, even in light colors, should also be abandoned. They have the property of visually reducing space.
- The ideal tile should be small or medium sized.
- Large monochrome blocks in the shape of a square are allowed.
- But they should be complemented with small tiles of a contrasting tone. In this case, the seams will not be noticeable.
- Another possible option is to combine square slabs with rectangular border pieces.
- An unpretentious pattern in the corners of the squares will make the seams invisible.
A tile that is too small is a bad idea - it will visually make the room smaller, especially in combination with colored grout.
Palette
Contrary to popular prejudices, gray color is very multifaceted. It includes about 200 different shades, which allows you to safely use it when creating interesting and attractive design projects.
Regardless of the size of the bathroom, you can choose a harmonious shade - from rich dark gray to light ash.
For many years now, the colors of wet asphalt, graphite and anthracite have been trending. These tones are great for placing accents in
It is best to cover one of the walls or the floor with tiles of similar tones, which will allow you to interestingly “play” with the arrangement of light and shadow in the bathroom.
The light range of gray is suitable for rooms of any size. Here it is worth paying attention to silver, steel, ash and lead shades, which have long become noble classics.
No less popular are “colored gray” shades - gray, gray-green, purple-gray. In many cases they look very original and fresh.
IMPORTANT! Dark shades of wall cladding visually reduce the size of the room.
Bathroom tile design
Here are a few rules that will allow you to choose the right material for finishing a small bathroom:
- Small patterns invariably look advantageous in a room of modest dimensions.
- A single panel in bright color is an excellent option for a room whose space is limited. This interior detail should contrast with the main background and be compact.
- Small colored tiles in a monochrome palette are an ideal solution if you need to create a mosaic picture in a shower stall.
Bathroom tiles can be laid:
- Seam to seam;
- Diagonal;
- In the dressing;
- Modules;
- Mosaic;
- Ladder.
Glossy surface or matte?
What tiles should be used to decorate a small bathroom? To repair a small space, you can use any type of ceramic coating. Each model has its own distinctive features. They include the following criteria:
- Glossy tile models are ideal for a small bathroom. They help to visually increase the area of space. In addition, they give it depth.
- Shiny surfaces reflect light. The size of such tiles for a small bathroom should be selected taking into account the location of the plumbing. For example, if the area of the room varies between 6-10 square meters, then an alternative solution would be to choose a mosaic. The combination of small details with each other allows you to add stylish notes to the interior space.
- The disadvantages of glossy tiles for a small bathroom are the visibility of soap stains, fingerprints and drops from warm water. They spoil the appearance of glossy walls.
- Matte tiles in a small bathroom are used to furnish modern styles. For example, hi-tech and minimalism. Here the use of gloss should be minimal.
- Matte models have a rough texture that is ideal for floor decoration.
- Another advantage of tiles with a matte texture is that they are easy to clean. On its surface, dirt appears less noticeable.
If the main goal when choosing a tile design for a small bathroom is to visually increase the space, then it is recommended to choose models with a glossy surface. In addition to lighting and LED strip, the room will sparkle with new colors.
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Additional recommendations
Experts in the field of interior design advise paying attention to professional aspects. The class of the tile is of great importance. If it is expected that the room will be rarely used, then it is rational to choose 1st class tiles.
For rooms that are constantly in use, it is better to choose class 2. This finish will last much longer.
Expert recommendations:
- The material should be laid on the surface for which it is intended. Blocks with different purposes have different loads.
- Before starting facing work, it is necessary to level the walls and floor. Laying work requires a perfectly level base.
- It is better to choose grout to match the tile.
- Mosaic tiles should be in light, least contrasting colors. This way there will be no effect of volumetric variegation.
- The white palette requires careful use. An abundance of white colors can create a hospital atmosphere.
- If there is not enough light in the room, the best solution would be to choose light-colored tiles. If the space is well lit, a rich but not dark color scheme will do.
Buying tiles for a small bathroom is a matter that requires a responsible approach. The right choice will add space and freshness to the room, and also give a feeling of freedom.
Basic requirements for finishing materials when it comes to a bathroom
Visiting the bathroom means, first of all, increased humidity. Therefore, the finishing material must meet the following requirements:
- resistance to temperature changes,
- moisture resistance,
- hygiene,
- environmental friendliness,
- ease of cleaning.
And although today on the market manufacturers offer a wide selection of plastic panels, decorative plaster, glass wallpaper, etc., tiles have remained the most popular material for wall decoration for decades.
Design of a small bathroom based on the Colliano collection
