Whether designing for resale, or planning on staying in the home for years, sometimes the best designs are the most flexible. Designing with tiles whose color allows for wall, towel and accent color changes over the years can give longer life to a bathroom design.
Designing with Neutrals
Homeowners who prefer to change the colors of a space frequently, or who are not sure about committing to a color, may consider using tile in a neutral color. The two most neutral colors, which will give the most versatility in accent colors and bathroom decorating, are white and taupe.
Using a white mosaic tile floor, whether with an accent of a color or not, along with a white wall tile, opens the room up to countless accent color possibilities. The wall color, towels, throw rugs and wall art, all take center stage, allowing the tile to fade to the background. White tiles can be toned down by grouting them in a creamy color, such as ivory, or by using a hand made tile whose whites shift tone from piece to piece, giving a subtle design look.
For homeowners who want a color other than white, but still wish to stay neutral, taupe is the best choice. While creams, and biscuits are popular colors in bathroom design, their warm tones tie them to a color pallet; they typically don’t work well with whites, blues, greens or grays. For small bathrooms in particular, this can cause a problem, as warm colors visually contract, causing the room to look smaller.
Taupe is a neutral color which works well with nearly ever shade on the color spectrum. It can be accented with white, blues and greens, or yellows and reds.
Homeowners hoping to use a natural stone should consider Botticino marble, a taupe colored stone with white, marshmallow veining. Botticino wears well, can take a high polish, or be honed or tumbled, and works well with nearly ever color. A bathroom tiled in Botticino, or a taupe colored porcelain can be updated frequently by changing the wall color from blue to orange, and still look good.
Designing with Color
For homeowners who like more color than neutrals can give, there are still options that provide a lot of versatility. One option is to use green tiles. There is a saying in many tile showrooms, “Green is the new neutral.” Green tiles can come in shades nearing yellow, or blue, and in tones from very pale to nearly black. Green tiles can be accented with golds, blues, whites, creams, tans and other shades of green, making them one of the more versatile colors available.
Another option for using color in a long lasting design is to use mosaic tiles which contain multiple colors or shades. Mosaic can be used as a border, a bathroom or shower floor, or all over the bathroom walls, in a mix of colors. Custom blends can be created of nearly any color pallet, or ready made blends are available in mixes that can include shades of tan, blue and green, or yellow, orange and red.
To change the look of the bathroom over time, simply pick a new color from the mosaic mix to paint the walls. Choose a second color for bathroom rugs and towels, for an even more versatile look. If using the mosaics as a border, the field tiles can remain neutral, or white, allowing the mosaic to be a highlight, while still providing plenty of color to the room.
By making tile color choices that allow for updating of the bathroom decorating over time, the length of the bathroom design can be extended as long as the materials last. Take care not to choose colors which are overly trendy, as this can cause the bathroom to appear dated after a very short period of time.
Remember, as well, that if remaining in the home, to always choose colors and products that are pleasing to the current homeowner, and don’t worry about what a potential buyer may think. Choose color wisely, and get the most out of any bathroom design.
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