Porcelain stoneware has become a cornerstone in interior design, beloved for its durability, versatility, and aesthetic appeal. It’s particularly valued in spaces where both functionality and style are paramount, such as small bathrooms.
In this part of the house, where every inch counts, porcelain stoneware offers innovative solutions to visually expand the space. Let’s explore, then, how this remarkable material can transform even the tighter areas into seemingly spacious sanctuaries, utilising large formats and light-reflecting tiles to create an illusion of expanse and airiness.
The main features of porcelain stoneware
Porcelain stoneware stands out for its robust physical and aesthetic properties. Its low porosity makes it highly resistant to moisture and stains, an essential feature for bathroom environments. Furthermore, this material boasts exceptional durability, capable of withstanding heavy foot traffic and the wear and tear of daily use without showing signs of aging.
Its versatility in design is unmatched, offering a plethora of finishes that mimic natural materials such as wood, stone, and marble, providing almost endless decorative possibilities.
Additionally, porcelain stoneware is easy to maintain, requiring only simple cleaning to keep its surface sparkling and hygienic. This combination of functional resilience and visual appeal makes it an ideal choice for enhancing small bathroom spaces with both style and practicality.
Expanding visual space with porcelain stoneware
In the quest to make small bathrooms appear larger, porcelain stoneware emerges as a key ally, thanks to its ability to manipulate perception and enhance spatial dimensions. This material’s unique characteristics allow for creative design strategies that can visually expand the confines of a compact bathroom.
By carefully selecting tile sizes, colours, and placements, designers can craft an environment that feels more open and inviting. Here are some tips to achieve this objective.
- Using large format tiles. Large format tiles create a seamless look by minimising grout lines, which can visually fragment the space. This continuity promotes an unbroken visual flow, making the bathroom appear more spacious than it is.
- Choosing light-coloured tiles. Light hues naturally make spaces feel brighter and larger. Porcelain stoneware in soft whites, creams, or pastels reflects more light than darker shades, enhancing the sense of openness in the bathroom.
- Opting for glossy finishes. Bathroom tiles with a glossy finish have a reflective surface that bounces light around the room, contributing to a brighter and airier feel. This adds depth to the space, making it appear larger.
- Strategic tile placement. The orientation of tiles can also influence the perception of space. For example, laying tiles diagonally can lead the eye along the longest dimension of the room, creating the illusion of a wider area. Similarly, extending the same flooring from the bathroom into adjacent spaces can blur boundaries, enhancing the overall sense of openness.
- Incorporating light-reflecting designs. Beyond solid colours, porcelain stoneware with patterns or textures that mimic natural light reflections can add visual interest and depth, further contributing to the illusion of a more expansive space.
Creative solutions with porcelain stoneware
Creative solutions with porcelain stoneware go beyond mere selection of colours and sizes. They involve innovative design strategies that maximise the potential of small bathroom spaces.
By integrating different formats and hues of porcelain stoneware, designers can create visual pathways and zones within the bathroom, guiding the eye and enhancing the sense of space. For instance, contrasting large, light-coloured tiles on the walls with darker tiles on the floor can ground the space while making the walls seem to recede, thus amplifying the perceived area.
Incorporating decorative patterns or accent tiles can also introduce depth and interest without overwhelming the space. Strategic placement of these accents can draw attention to specific areas, making the bathroom feel larger by distraction. For example, a feature wall behind the sink or along the shower area can become a focal point, with the rest of the bathroom in more subdued tones to maintain a feeling of openness.
Finally, the use of porcelain stoneware with reflective finishes can enhance natural and artificial light within the room, further contributing to the illusion of a more expansive space. These creative approaches not only optimise the functionality of small bathrooms but also elevate their aesthetic appeal, demonstrating the versatility and transformative power of porcelain stoneware.
Ceramiche Refin offers porcelain stoneware collections that enhance the uniqueness of every setting
Strictly Made in Italy, environmentally friendly and respectful of natural resources, the porcelain stoneware collections created by Ceramiche Refin are characterised by refined, elegant, and timeless design. Crafted to enhance the uniqueness of every environment, they provide a precise response to the needs of public spaces, private contexts, offices, and shops.
The Italian company, active in the sector since 1962 and part of the famous Concorde group, places at the centre of its vision several fundamental values. The Made in Italy aspect is very important, interpreted as a true production model that combines history, culture, and work ethics. This is joined by a focus on eco-sustainability and the protection of the environment, a heritage for future generations.
Ceramiche Refin’s offering, broad and constantly updated, includes multiple options, designed to offer endless creative possibilities. Among the most recent novelties, the restyling of PRESTIGIO stands out, a marble-effect porcelain stoneware collection created with the aim of extending the available range, in line with the latest industry trends. It includes significant natural marbles in five shades of white: Statuario Apuano, Calacatta Oro, Nuvolato, Arabescato, and Opera.
Equally fascinating is undoubtedly NAMIB, a collection inspired by one of the world’s oldest deserts, also a UNESCO heritage. Contemporary and evocative, it is distinguished by a seemingly uniform surface but, when observed closely, reveals a richness of unique details and chromatic variations. Offered in enveloping gradations and warm natural tones, it successfully manages to coexist essentiality and immensity, transporting the spectacle of untouched nature into interior spaces.
Unique and special in the world of ceramic surfaces, on the other hand, is CERA. We are talking about a true multi-sensory journey, a collection that reinterprets the process of wax transformation and the unpredictable graphics in which the element crystallizes after melting. Observing the surface closely, it is easy to discover an extraordinary richness of details and chromatic variations, such as cracks, cavities, and shades, that give movement and personality.
Ceramiche Refin’s offering also includes COQUILLE, a line that expresses and reworks the peculiarities of limestone. Ideal for both elegant and prestigious environments and urban-style creations, it is distinguished by balanced, discreet, and contemporary ceramic surfaces. This is combined with delicate fossil inclusions, calibrated graphic signs, and light veins, which blend with the nuances and chiaroscuro of the background.
The proposal of the Italian company ends with TAMASHI, a collection inspired by the charm of the most essential woods. It is characterized by a clean and essential graphic development, which gives elegance and sophistication. The surfaces, simple and pure, are characterised by dense veins free of knots, while the colour palette is wide and ranges from greys to warmer tones. It is the result of meticulous research to find the perfect graphic and chromatic balance.