Surely at the time of choosing the coatings doubts assail you in case you do not get it right. Many times the simplest solution is chosen for fear of not doing it well and that the result is not as expected. But if you have the right keys, you will know how to combine tiles and other materials on bathroom walls and floors and thus give the finish you want. We talk about materials, textures and colors.
The most neutral option: equal walls and floors in a soft tone
While the photo that opens this article (by Decocer and Ascer) combines blue wall tiles and stone-tone flooring; this other bathroom -decorated by Pia Capdevila- opts for neutrality. It is a simple and safe option. It is about creating a neutral and basic base with walls and floors that use the same coating: a rectified tile (without joints) identical in size and color. Use this idea in small or large bathrooms where the prominence is left to other elements such as a striking washbasin front with colored furniture or a spectacular shower area.
When the material is visually powerful …
If you want a bold and striking finish like a graphite-toned stone, take it to the floor and one or two walls. Reduce its intensity with a couple of fronts in a finish that does not stand out and that provides light (as has been done here by Círculo Cuadrado Design).
Same finish for walls and floor and an accent wall
The option that The Room Studio proposes in this bathroom is another idea to combine wall tiles safely. Play with the same finish (whether they are tiles or large-format ceramic materials) on walls and floors and reserve only a different finish for an accent wall, a wall that contrasts sharply. Here the wall in front of the washbasin has been chosen with a color finish and linear motifs. In the rest of the space, although neutral in tones, the marbled finish brings a trend and elegance to the bathroom.
An accent wall: the shower area
With a neutral base, although the walls have a covering and the floor another, introducing an accent wall, as we have just seen, enriches while visually delimiting. In this bathroom by Sube Interiorismo this wall is the shower wall. A fairly common decision that works well. In this case, there is a wood effect tile on the floor and a combination of neutral tile and wallpaper over the sink on the wall . In the background, the shower wall maintains a similar tone to the floor, although with a textured effect of horizontal slats . If you want to introduce paper in a front, play with a shower or bathtub wall with tiles that provide texture but in a tone that is the same as the rest of the tiles on the wall or on the floor.
With a mirrored wall
Another example in which a floor with a geometric motif, which becomes a focal point, is combined with smooth walls, one of which is mirrored. This solution is original and also manages to multiply the natural light received by the environment and gain a feeling of spaciousness. The mirror compensates for the weight of the flooring and thus, even in small spaces, it is possible to enjoy a marked pattern. It is an idea of Estudio Helena Martín.
With hydraulic on walls or floors
In this bathroom, the interior designer Pia Capdevila has brought the hydraulic tile to the floor in this bathroom. A coating of this type is visually marked, so the ideal is to combine it with a neutral tile on the walls or paint (plastic or enameled). Also the microcement on the walls is a good option. In this way the floor marks the style with its motif and colors. You can play with one of the tones present in the hydraulic model you choose to take it to a wall in any of the materials mentioned, including wallpaper suitable for the bathroom with a woven effect (it provides a pattern but not a drawing). Depending on how you prefer a smoother effect on walls, choose a straight tile or, as in this case, a beveled Metro-type tile.
Hydraulic on the floor and tiles and paper on the walls
When you want a less neutral effect on the walls with a hydraulic tile floor, you can create a base in the lower part of the fronts in neutral tile (white always gives light) and give at least part of the bathroom prominence to a role painted in an orderly pattern (stripes or geometric motifs fit this concept) in the colors of the floor. This idea to combine wall and floor coverings is easier to implement when the colors are the basic ones: white, black and gray. In the case of introducing colors, the shades should be the same. As a rule, note that when combining wall and floor coverings, three materials are perfect. This idea is a decorative proposal by Estudio Helena Martín.
Same two-tone coating
This bathroom decoration proposal from the decorator Elizabeth Roberts helps us to visualize another of the keys that you can apply when combining wall tiles in the bathroom: choose the same ceramic or porcelain material and combine a darker tone on the floor and more clear on the walls (or part of them). This is how you will get it right. Remember that when combining materials, those that provide a matte or satin finish are safer. The bright ones mark more and it is preferable to reduce them with something matte or satin in some element.
The wood finish in the bathroom
For convenience, in the bathroom, the wood finish is incorporated into the cladding through ceramic or porcelain tiles or vinyl. It is a warm finish that fits in all styles and used on the floor is a perfect base to introduce whatever you imagine on the walls. Here, for example, in a medium-high tone on the floor, the wall shows rectilinear brick effect tiles with black joints. If you bring this wood finish to the wall, you will also have a warm effect. Do not saturate the space, combine wood on one or two fronts with another tile that does not provide as much texture.
Walls with paint or microcement
As in the case of opting for a wooden floor, when the bathroom walls are covered with paint or microcement (the first can be smooth or provide a water effect and the second always has those changes in tone with a water effect), the ground can be as you imagine. Of the most striking, with color or with motifs. Or a more neutral one and let the color invade the wall. The enameled paint supports water -for the sink area- and can be cleaned and the microcement can be put anywhere, also on the walls of the shower tray.
The style of the coatings
The best thing to do is to choose wall and bathroom floor coverings that have a style consistent with each other. It is rare for the floor to be terracotta or imitation clay and the wall tiles have a glossy finish and geometric texture. While the basic pieces are more adapted, the ideal is that there is a coordination in these finishes. In this bathroom by Ingrid Matheu, the floor and walls are decorated with pieces with a certain texture and rustic evocation, but decorated in an eclectic style.
