Author: IvySpace
Published in: 18 Jul 2022
Your bathroom is one of the most used rooms in your home. It’s the perfect place to freshen up, re-energise, and prepare for the day ahead. For this reason, it’s vital that your bathroom is not just tough enough to handle daily use, but is also a relaxing, comfortable, and accessible place to be.
One of the best ways to achieve those outcomes is with the right bathroom tiles. But with so many to choose from, how do you know which ones are right for you?
There are lots of options out there, with ceramic and marble being one of the more popular tiles. But over the years, another tile material has begun to increase in popularity: large porcelain slabs.
What makes porcelain slabs special?
Made from a combination of clay and finely-ground sand and feldspar, porcelain tiles are fired up at a much higher temperature than ceramic, which makes them more hardwearing and durable in wet areas.
They come in an impressive range of styles, designs and textures, giving you the freedom to personalise the look and feel of your bathroom. The large slabs help create a greater sense of depth and space in your bathroom, while also reducing the amount of tile grout needed to connect each tile. With less grout, there’s less chance of the grout breaking and exposing the surface to water leaks, thus saving you money on costly waterproofing and other maintenance costs.
With that being said, there are a lot of porcelain slab designs out there. How do you know which style is right for you? That depends on the atmosphere and mood you are aiming for, the colour and appearance of your existing accessories (i.e. shower, countertops, bathtubs), the amount of natural sunlight your bathroom receives, and more.
To help you answer these tough creative questions, here are a few popular porcelain tile designs to inspire your imagination.
Keep it simple with classic white
White is one of the most versatile colour tones in the world, especially for bathrooms. You can mix-and-match it with virtually anything. And it blends in seamlessly with your existing accessories like your showers, bathtubs, and countertops. However, even in the best case scenario, sometimes you need just a touch of colour to add life to a plain white bathroom.
That’s where the Bianco Venato (Matte and Polished 120x120cm, Polished 60x120cm) set from Ivy Space comes in. This polished porcelain slab design has a classic white colour enhanced with subtle grey veins.
The veins add a splash of colour and personality to the design, while establishing a sense of continuity with the whole bathroom. Furthermore, the design is subtle yet bold enough to draw attention, without shifting the focus away from the rest of the interior space. A truly elegant and classic design that will earn you compliments-galore.
Use symmetry to add depth and complexity
Sometimes the use of symmetry can have a negative impact on a room, making the space feel a bit too uniform and neat. When executed properly, though, symmetry can help draw attention and focus to key points of interest in a room – similar to a feature wall.
That’s exactly the effect you’ll enjoy with the Statuario Bookmatch 120x120cm large format porcelain tiles from Ivy Space.
Featuring a classic white colour, the design is enhanced with large, subtle grey waves and contours. When arranged in a precise manner, the veins in each tile ‘connect’ with one another, similar to a jigsaw puzzle. The result is a mesmerising kaleidoscopic effect, one that instantly adds drama and excitement to your bathroom.
Aside from being visually stunning, the design itself is incredibly versatile, and enables you to mix-and-match the tiles with any type of furnishing, whether it be a solid white benchtop or dark black counter.
Take advantage of contrast with darker tiles
Contrast is another powerful effect that can enhance your bathroom. It adds energy and excitement to the room, as well as draws attention to the main features in your bathroom. For instance, dark cabinets and countertops may contrast well with solid white tiles, and vice-versa.
Porcelain slab tiles like our Brown Lava 120x120cm are perfect for this. The colour is dark brown, but the effect is enhanced with glimmers of light brown and bronze veins, which appear in different shapes and forms on each tile. The effect comes across as both seamless and natural, establishing a consistent flow throughout the whole bathroom.
What's more, the use of dark colour gives your bathroom a slick and modern edge, one that will give it a unique look and really stand out.
More bathroom tile inspiration
Calacatta Oro – Proudly manufactured in Italy, this gorgeous marble effect tile is available in both a matte and polished finish. Just like the Greek term itself, your bathroom will ‘sparkle, flash, and gleam’ with delight when you adorn it with the Calacatta Oro tile set. We offer this in many different dimensions, from 30x60cm up to 160x320cm slabs.
Calacatta Helios 60x120cm – These beautiful white rectified, vitrified porcelain tiles can be used for walls and floors in residential and commercial settings. The subtle grey veins add a touch of luxury to the classic white colour palette, while being versatile enough to blend in with any interior style. We offer them in Polished finish.
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