Stile e Design

How to choose tiles for a small bathroom?

Come scegliere le piastrelle per un bagno piccolo

Are you designing or remodeling your bathroom?
A small room can express beauty and coziness if you keep two key aspects in mind:

  • Make the most of the space
  • Make it seem larger

The right choice of tiles can help you achieve the result you want.

In this guide we will give you practical and immediate suggestions that will guide you in the choice of tiles to get your perfect small bathroom!

Whether it is a second bathroom, a guest bathroom or a service bathroom, there is always the possibility to opt for solutions that will enhance it and make it beautiful and functional.

Choosing the right tiles for the environment is the first step to take when we plan to design or renovate the bathroom. There are endless varieties of tiles, in terms of size, color and yield, but when we have rather small rooms available, there are a few general rules to respect the tiles so that they give a wide breath to the environment and make it visually larger.

INDEX
  • What size tiles should I choose for a small bathroom?
  • Tiles in a small bathroom: what color to choose?
  • What floors to choose for a small bathroom?
  • How to lay tiles in a small bathroom?
  • Decorating ideas for a small bathroom. 

What size tile should I choose for a small bathroom?

There are many schools of thought regarding the choice of tiles for a small bathroom.
Large format tiles are perfect for this purpose: they help to visually enlarge the spaces and give the impression of larger volumes, especially if they are laid with 2-3 mm joints.

However, tiles should not be too large compared to the proportions of the bathroom, otherwise there is a risk of unsightly cuts. The formats that we recommend are 60×60, 15×60 and 30×60. Choosing to use very small tiles would risk making the surface of the bathroom look like a grid full of joints and grout.

Another solution is to use tiles of different sizes. For example, we can use large sizes for the shower area, as opposed to smaller tiles or mosaic inserts on the surfaces.

If you opt for three-dimensional tiles, such as tiles from the OPUS or ANTIGA collection use them for a limited portion mixing them with smooth tiles.

 

Tiles in a small bathroom: what color to choose?

Light colors are known to reflect light and give the impression that the rooms are large and airy. The colors to be preferred for small bathrooms are light colors from white (both optical and warm) to sand, beige.

However, if you are looking for a dramatic effect you can focus on dark colors and light furnishings in contrast. To avoid falling into banal solutions and give personality to your bathroom, you can choose to use tone on tone decorations that enrich and embellish the environment.

If, instead of colors, you love urban-inspired concrete effects, you can opt for the light-colored variants of the FIOR DI SALE collection, especially if chosen in the WHITE variant, it is perfect for recreating modern and trendy settings, whether used on floors or surfaces.

FIOR DI SALE COLLECTION

 

What floors to choose for a small bathroom?

Porcelain tiles are the most practical and versatile choice for bathroom floors. They are very resistant and long-lasting, moreover they do not absorb liquids and do not have problems related to humidity in the environment. Preferring porcelain stoneware is a practical choice, easy to sanitize and long-lasting, it is among the easiest surfaces to clean and keep as beautiful as just installed.

Porcelain stoneware is an extremely compact and non-porous surface, which makes it an inhospitable environment for mold, germs and bacteria, plus its high resistance to stains makes it perfect for an environment like the bathroom, which must always be a safe and sanitized environment. Stoneware is very versatile, capable of reproducing any type of finish, the most appreciated, even in smaller environments, are those that reproduce the wood effect and natural stone.

Wood-effect porcelain stoneware (such as that in the RESORT collection), thanks to the size of its slat-effect tiles, rectangular and elongated, gives depth to the room and is ideal in small bathrooms. You could arrange the tiles in a staggered fashion to make the room look longer and combine them with light, neutral wall tiles or contrasting colors.

The more neutral, nature-inspired stone effect also offers a modern and trendy solution for your bathroom. You can opt for the URBAN stone-inspired collection, which faithfully reproduces the characteristic veining and shades of natural stone, combining it with strong, bold colors for a 70’s-inspired bathroom.

 

URBAN COLLECTION

How to lay tiles in a small bathroom?

Among the optical tricks to make a small bathroom visually larger the tile laying pattern is a valuable ally.

Whether you choose porcelain stoneware planks or square tiles, the diagonal laying of tiles, is the preferred solution. The bathroom will benefit from the perceptive enlargement of the space and you can mask out-of-square, niches and any obstacles. The use of diagonal planks is very versatile because it is suitable in both modern and classic contexts.

Decorating ideas for a small bathroom.

Here are 7 practical tips for furnishing a bathroom with small dimensions:

  1. Use generously sized mirrors, even full-wall; they give a sense of depth and optically enlarge the surfaces;
  2. Use the right lighting. Take advantage of natural light, do not use curtains to cover it. If the environment allows it, use full-height LEDs and make sure that the sink area is well lit;
  3. Prefer the shower to the bathtub. The latter needs more space for installation;
  4. Rather than furniture, take advantage of the walls with niches, shelves and minimalist furniture;
  5. Hide the washer and dryer in purpose-built furniture (you can also stack them), to enhance the design of the bathroom;
  6. If you have problems with depth, you can also opt for off-center faucets over the sink;
  7. Few objects, but of character (such as chairs, lamps, coat rack) the effect will be very special, characterized by refined objects.

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