Home Tree Atlas: Home Decor Ideas and Mood Boards

Bathroom Flooring Ideas Guide: Designs and Material Options

There are a whole host of different materials, and design options when it comes to bathroom flooring ideas. In this post I go over design ideas and the pros and cons of different materials, hopefully to help you choose what kind of flooring to use.

Design Ideas

Color

The color choice of your flooring will play a big role in how the bathroom feels. The floor takes up so much space, you see it everywhere, so the color and design style is important. To create a bright and spacious feeling bathroom use neutral and light colored flooring. Like marble, white, tan or light grey flooring. Darker colored flooring, like slate grey or black, will make the space feel cozy, smaller, but also more luxurious – just like the bathroom in picture (1). Have a look at my mood board post here for ideas on overall color schemes for a bathroom.

If you have a small bathroom and want to create a spacious feeling bathroom to use floor tiles that blend with the walls – just like in picture (2). Using large tiles, the same for the floor and the walls, is ideal for a small bathroom – as it creates a unified look. Also keep the floor design the same throughout a small bathroom. If you have a larger space you can divide up the floor design – for example having the tiling inside the shower different than the rest of the bathroom.

Size

Interior designers debate whether the size of flooring tiles makes a difference in a space feeling larger or not. But one thing is for sure, and that is large tiles create a more modern and luxurious looking bathroom. They also use less grout meaning a cleaner design. But they are more expensive and harder to install.

Design Options

It is easy to get creative with the flooring design. Mix square tiles with rectangle ones (3) – or use different sized tiles to create different patterns (4). Or use tiles that are 2-3 different shades of one color. There are also insets – little diamond tiles that are fitted at the tips of larger square tiles – seen in picture (5).

Don’t forget about floor trim as a final touch. If you have a small bathroom space, it might be best not to use any trim. As you want to create a continuous, uninterrupted design to make the space feel bigger.

For the top 8 bathroom remodeling design ideas, have a look at my post here: The Upgrade: Top 8 Bathroom Remodeling Ideas and Design Tips.

Safety

Look for flooring options that are textured and a little bit rough as these help in preventing slippery floors. This is ideal if you have young kids.

Bathroom Flooring Options: Materials

Here are some quick design notes on the different kinds of materials you can use for your bathroom flooring. Things to consider when choosing what kind of flooring to use: cost, durability, ease to install, how slippery it will get, does it work well with underfloor heating, and the design style.

Concrete

Concrete is an inexpensive flooring option for the bathroom. It can also be stamped to look like hardwood, tile, or even stone. It can be polished to create a more refined look and stained to create a different color. You can even design graphics on it or have glow in the dark parts. Go for a textured finish for a more non slip finish.

Another good thing about concrete flooring is that it works well with underfloor radiant heating.

Tiles

Tile is always a classic choice and for me would be the best flooring option. It is more expensive than most bathroom flooring options, but with it you get the authentic porcelain or stone finish. You want to get specific bathroom tile flooring as it will have moisture protection. I wrote a lot about the different design options when it comes to bathroom floors above (mixing sizes, colors), most of it relates to tiles. This shows how versatile it is in designing your floors.

You have a lot of design options when it comes to tiles. This is because you can essential design the floor piece by piece if you wanted to. You can use different sized floor tiles, or different colored pieces to create designs. You can create borders, outline the shape of the room, or even create paths with different tiles.

With tiles you have the porcelain kind or stone. Stone tiles are durable, and can be textured to make the floor not so slippery, but they will be cold on the feet in the winter. For a spa like feel, use river rock or pebble stone tiles – especially inside the shower (8).

For a vintage style, go with a herringbone or chevron design pattern. Or use black and white tiles.

Laminate

Bathroom laminate flooring is cheap, easy to clean, soft, and durable. You can find laminate in all kinds of design styles from wood to tile.

Vinyl

When I hear ‘vinyl’ I think of a plain rubber looking floor. But vinyl flooring comes in all sorts of designs. From hardwood looking floors, to tiles, marble, and stone. Vinyl is inexpensive, easy to install, and highly resistant to moisture. You can get it in sheets or tiles. It also feels warmer than stone, tile, and concrete in the winter time.

Home Depot has a huge collection of vinyl flooring designs which can be seen here.

Hardwood

Hardwood is a classic choice. It brings warmth in a bathroom and will always be an elegant design style. It does need protection, and some maintenance. But if properly cared for, hardwood can outlast other bathroom flooring materials.

It can be expensive though. Salvaging barn wood or hardwood from houses that are being remodelled is one way of getting inexpensive pieces.

Carpet

Carpet is a viable flooring option in a bathroom. You don’t want to use any ordinary carpet though. There are carpets that are specifically suited for the bathroom. They are water and mildew resistant. You can get them in tiled pieces for easier installation. The good thing about bathroom carpet, apart from it feeling great, is that it is warmer on the feet compared to other materials in the winter time.

Cork and Bamboo

For eco friendly bathroom flooring go with cork or bamboo. Bamboo flooring is durable. Both bamboo and cork flooring are resistant to mold and naturally repel moisture. They are also warm on the feet in the winter – and they look great.

Mats

Don’t forget about simple bathroom rugs or even teak/bamboo mats. These can be placed by the shower door, to keep water off of the floor and to protect the feet from feeling cold. 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8

Design Advice: Small Kitchen Ideas

There is one benefit to having a small kitchen, everything is close by when you need it. Most of the ideas below will go over storage solutions. That is one of the most pressing issues in a kitchen, you have so much you need to store. But I’ll also go through some overall design tips and small kitchen ideas such as color choice, the need to blend everything for a uniformed look, and using reflective materials.

Overall Design Tips

Color Schemes

To make your kitchen feel larger and more spacious, you want to go with light colors. For your wall paint color, for the cabinet colors, and even for your furniture pieces. Go with white just like in picture (1), off white, or light grey. Or you could go the other way, and embrace the coziness of a small kitchen by using darker colors. For ideas on kitchen color schemes have a look at my post here: A Palette Guide for Kitchen Color Schemes: Decor and Paint Ideas.

Reflections

See if you can find a way to add a mirror to your kitchen. It can be one large one or a group of small ones hanging up on the wall. What this does is reflect light around the space and adds depth – creating a larger feeling space. This design tip can also apply to your cabinets and countertops. Go with a glossy and reflective finish, as it will help bounce light around.

How To Make A Small Room Look Bigger: Creative Design Ideas and Tips

Blending

Try and blend your kitchen together as much as possible. What I mean by this, is that you don’t want anything to stand out. Try and keep to a simple color scheme, with maybe no more than 2 colors. Avoid using patterns. You want everything from your kitchen table and decor, to your cabinets and countertops to be unified in color and design. When you have a more uniform design, the eye doesn’t fixate on one area. You don’t want to have focal points. By keeping things blended together, you create a larger free flowing space.

Curtains

One way to blend the design of your kitchen is to use curtains that are a similar color to your wall color. If you have white walls then use white curtains or off white. This helps create a uniformed design in the kitchen, making it feel larger.

Also how you hang your curtains can play a role in how spacious the kitchen feels. The longer your curtains are and the higher up you hang them, the taller your space feels. This might be harder to do in the kitchen, than say in the bedroom or living room. One thing you want to make sure when hanging your curtains, is that you don’t block out any light. You want to bring in as much daylight as possible. So use a long curtain rod, this way you can fully open up your curtains without blocking any of the sides.

Bringing in as much natural lighting as possible, during the day, is one of the best ways of making the kitchen feel bright and spacious. For some people and for some homes, privacy is needed and so opening up the windows isn’t such a great idea. To get around this you can either:

Hang a curtain rod half way down the window. Closing off the curtain adds privacy, while light can still shine through the top
Use frosted glass window panes, or stick frosted film over your current windows
Use shutters

For more kitchen window treatment and curtain ideas, have a look at my mood board here: Decorating The Windows With These Kitchen Curtain Ideas.

Stress Free Living

You can reduce stress in the kitchen by keeping it clutter free. Do this by keeping the countertops clear of items, or group small items together in bowls and trays. Below I go over smart and creative storage and organization ideas to help you make the most of your limited space.

Lighting To Create Space

In the day, you want to use as much natural lighting as possible. Here are some ways lighting can help out in a small kitchen when it gets dark:

If you eat and dine in your kitchen, why not put your ceiling lights on a dimmer. This way you can have a bright space when you are preparing food, and create a more relaxing mood by turning down the lights down when you are eating.
If you plan on doing any remodeling, see where you can add lights in your kitchen to make things more convenient. Under cabinet lighting helps light up the countertops – for when you are preparing food. Inside cabinet lighting helps in making finding things easier.

For more kitchen lighting ideas have a look at my mood board here: Kitchen Lighting Ideas Mood Board and Inspiration.

The Eating Area

If you have a kitchen table where you eat, this can take up a lot of space. Some ideas on making the most of your space include:

Using round kitchen tables vs a square/rectangle one as it makes better use of floor space – check out the kitchen in picture (2) for an example.
An extendable table is great for adding space while dining, and can be shrunk down when it is not in use.
A transparent kitchen table will help make the room feel spacious. Even though it takes up the same amount of physical space than a normal, say wooden, table, it takes up less visual space – because you can see through it.
One way to save space with the seats is to use a bench. This bench can have a flip top so you can store items underneath.
A built in nook is a way to take advantage of the corner space in a kitchen.

Creative Small Kitchen Storage Ideas

Modifying Cabinets and Draws

A lot of kitchens don’t make the most of their closet or draw space. Everyone is different, and has different storage needs. So to make the most your your cabinets and draws you are going to want to modify them to your own needs.

Inside cabinets you can add shelving, railings to hang things up, or tension rods to store things sideways. You can even add utensil containers, food baskets, spice racks, and sealed containers into draws. This also helps keeps items off of the countertops.

The bottom of your cabinets has potential for storage. Here you can add toe kick draws. Ideal for non essential kitchen items or for a pet feeding station.

Behind The Doors

The inside of cabinet doors can also be modified to add storage – just like in picture (3). Hooks and railings can be used to hang things up. A bracket can be fitted to hold up chopping boards or kitchen rolls (trash bags, cling film, aluminium foil). You can also find over the door brackets so you can hang towels or kitchen rolls on the outside of the cabinets

Your kitchen door can also be used to add storage. Once again hooks, railings, brackets and shelves can be fitted – all depending on what you need storing. You can also get over the door organization hangers.

On the Walls and Up High

In a small kitchen design, make the most of the height space you have. Hang up as many floating shelves or wall railings as possible. Built in cabinets are great for making the most of a kitchen layout, plus they are designed to blend in with the design of the kitchen.

You’ve got space above the kitchen cabinets that can also be used. Or how about hanging up a beam overhead that you can hang items from. You can hang things by using a pole and hook, or by putting the beam on a pulley system that you can lower.

A Flexible Layout

A handy item to have would be a little cart on wheels (4). This can be wheeled over to where you need to cook with all the general items you use daily. Then when it is not in use it can be stored away – maybe under the kitchen table.

For pictures of the clever and creative storage ideas mentioned above, have a look at my mood board here: Kitchen Storage Ideas and Organization Tips. For ideas on how to easily store your pots, pans and lids, have a look at this mood board post: Kitchen Storage and Organization | Part 2 Pot and Pot Lid Storage Ideas. 1/2/3/4

More kitchen design mood boards:

March 28, 2014 in Kitchen, Small

Finished and Unfinished Attic Storage Ideas

Here are some attic storage ideas ideal for both finished and unfinished attics, along with some flooring ideas for unfinished spaces.

Storage Ideas for Finished Attics

The best type of attic storage to go for will be built in units. This is because an attic space has weird angles and layouts. Built in units will make the best use of the space. Also the design of the built ins will be created to blend in with the style of the room, and this helps makes a room feel more spacious. Check out pictures 1 – 3 in the mood board to see attics making use of built in closets, draws, and railings.

Railings (4), floating shelves (5), desks, and tables are some other finished attic storage solutions.

Unfinished Attics

In an unfinished attic, you’ll need to have some sort of flooring so you can walk around. It is also an easy way of adding storage in the attic as you can just stack boxes and containers on the solid floor. Some options for flooring include fitting sheets of wood between the trusses, beams (6) and rafters (7). You can also find interlocking floor panels.

Once you’ve got the flooring sorted out, now you can start adding storage solutions around the attic. One idea is to hang shelves in-between the rafters – seen in picture (8). You can also just screw wire panels in-between the rafters to hold items up (9). Free standing shelving units can also be used.

Garage Attic Storage

The attic space above the garage is another area that can be used for extra storage. The good thing about this space is that it will be directly over the garage, so you can have a storage lift system fitted to hoist big boxes from the garage into the attic (10). 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10

For ideas on creating a bedroom in an attic, have a look at my mood board post here:

Design Ideas for an Attic / Loft Bedroom

More storage ideas:

March 28, 2014 in Storage

Color and Style: Living Room Decorating Ideas

For me decor means making the most of the main pieces in the room, not really so much in adding decorations, accessories and small decor items. So when it comes to living room decorating ideas, here are the main areas and pieces to focus on.

The Coffee Table Area

The coffee table is going to a major focal point in a living room. This is because it takes up a lot of space, it is usually in the center, and everything else in the room is arranged around it (the seats, the TV). So the design of the coffee table matters and what you put on top of it.

Coffee Table Designs

Depending on the style you want to create in your living room, try and get creative with your coffee table so it makes a statement in the space – just like the coffee table in picture (1). If you are going for a modern look, then opt for a clean cut coffee table. For a more rustic or vintage style, use a trunk, log, or antique table (2). You’ve got Moroccan style metal coffee tables for a more exotic look. Or you can simply drape your favorite fabric design over a normal coffee table to add some style.

For more coffee table design ideas and a mood board have a look at my post here: Creative Coffee Table Ideas.

Coffee Table Decor Ideas

The next step after sorting out your coffee table is figuring out what to put on top of it. It is better to only go with a few items, as this space can easily get cluttered – you’ve already got remote controls to deal with.

2-3 coffee table books is one way to go. Choose books that you want to see everyday, rather than what would look good to visitors. Other decor ideas include using lanterns, candles, and small plants. One way to keep a clean and well designed look on the coffee table is to group everything together using a tray – just like in picture (3).

For more ideas have a look at my mood board here: Creative Coffee Table Decor Ideas.

The Seating Area

The seats in the living room also take up a lot of space. You can style and add color to your seats through the pillows you use (4). Play with the fabrics – you’ve got patterned designs, or simple but elegant textures. Keep all the pillows the same size or mix up the sizes.

You’ve also got blankets that can be draped over the couch. These blankets can use a fabric design that adds to the style of the room or can be a solid color that adds to your living room’s color scheme.

On the Floor

When it comes to the floors, you can decorate and define spaces with area rugs. For example, putting an area rug under the coffee table helps define that space. The style and and color you use for your area rugs also adds to the design of the room. Choices include: the popular chevron rugs, shag rugs for a vintage style, or Persian rugs for a more exotic look.

Floor pillows can also decorate the floor space and add some informal seating to the living room. Again, the fabric choice you use for the floor pillows will help decorate and add style to the room.

On the Walls

For living room wall decor you have the normal route of hanging up art and photography. Or hanging up a number of pieces to create a gallery wall – seen in picture (5). You’ve also got more structural design elements such as trim, crown molding, and wainscoting that can add style to the walls (6).

The curtains in a living room take up a lot of visual space, especially when they are closed. So the fabric you use can really add to the styling of the space. Even the curtain rod and how you tie back the curtains adds to the room’s style. For a modern look, it would be best to go with hookless curtains, that way you won’t need tie backs as they create a more traditional look. In my Decor Style: Vintage Living Room Ideas you can see vintage door knobs being used as tie back hooks for a shabby chic and vintage styled living room.

Lighting Tips for a Cozy Living Room

Here are some ways to create a cozy setting in a living room by using lighting:

Turn down the ceiling lights by hooking them up to a dimmer switch. Or turn them off and use table and floor lamps instead
Candles are the ultimate mood lights. To reduce the fire hazard the candles can be put into a lantern, or floating candles can be used in a bowl of water. You can also get battery powered candles that look just like real ones – some will even flicker
Hang up some string lights for a whimsical vibe. LED string lights give off less heat which means you can wrap them in a light fabric to create a very soft diffused glow
A lamp or LED strip behind the TV creates a nice soft glow in the room
Look to get a mood lamp if you white walls in your living room. This mood lamp can bathe your walls in a color of your choice, or can slowly cycle through different colors

Have a look at my mood board post here for more ideas: Relaxing and Cozy Living Room Lighting Ideas

Style + Storage Living Room Decor

The goal is to try and get every piece in your living room to add to the decor and style of the space. So even your storage pieces can come into play, especially if they are out in the open. What style are you going for in your living room? See what kind of creative and stylish storage solutions you can use in your living room. Some ideas include:

Using a ladder to hang up blankets and magazines. This can be an old rustic wooden ladder, or a more modern sleek looking one – seen in picture (7)
Wicker and wire baskets add style to a living room
A cheap galvanised bucket can be used as a trash can, to store extra pillows, magazines, or fire wood.
Shadow boxes can be used on the walls
Trunks can be used as a coffee table or side table

For more stylized storage ideas have a look at the images in these mood board posts:

For more general living room storage ideas have a look at these mood boards:

Creating a Color Palette and Living Room Design Scheme

To create a strong design in your living room, you want to try and keep the decor focused. For example if you want to create a blue color scheme in your living room, then you’ll want to focus all of your decor pieces to blue shades, and neutral colors such as white, cream, grey, black. This means taking out decor pieces that are not blue. An orange pillow, a purple area rug and a green picture frame takes away from your blue color scheme. You can have two colors or maybe even three in a color scheme, but you still want to focus all your decor items to the overall color scheme – and take pieces that are not inline.

For ideas on color schemes for your living room have a look at my posts here:

The same also applies for the style of the room. If you want to go for a vintage look, then you’ll want to avoid having modern pieces. Each decor piece that is off the main style you want, slowly reduces the overall style. 1/2/3/4/5/6/7

For style related posts have a look at these mood boards: