I was motivated to post about interior design trends today because of my experience looking for floor tiles for a client. My client wants to update their upstairs toilet and the bathroom. I have already designed and specified for their kitchen renovation project which is now in the hands of the builder.
I thought that as we already had a design strategy for the kitchen, that I could apply this to the bathroom, toilet and guest bedroom upstairs. Mostly I want to reference the colour scheme but there is also an intention to keep some classic period features but adding some modern touches.
That strategy was sound until I started looking for floor tiles. I wanted a small floor tile for the separate toilet, for example 300 x 300. Primarily because this is the size of the floor tile in the bathroom, which is not changing.
Replacing vinyl floor with floor tiles, Northcote, Victoria
My rationale for wanting the same sized tile was to repeat the line and square pattern so that the two spaces, that is the toilet and bathroom are connected, contributing to the ultimate goal of cohesion.
Researching interior design trends
But doing my research for a suitable floor tile I learnt that the current trend is for large format floor tiles, measuring 300 x 600. For the small toilet, I would therefore only need, maybe 3-4 tiles. Less grout lines, less labour, easier to clean and people think it makes the room look bigger.
While I was at Beaumont Tiles and talking to Scott, the showroom assistant, I understood the reasons for this trend towards large format tiles. But less grout lines or making a small toilet look bigger are not a priority or in line with the design strategy for this project.
So, I’ve had to comprise, which I don’t like doing for my clients. Although compromise is definitely a necessity in some interior design projects, especially when it comes to keeping to budget.
I firmly believe and often advise clients not to follow trends. Instead, I advise them to create a space that reflects their own interior design preferences and tells their own design story. Which is why I’m usually the last one to know what the current interior design trends are.
Cover Photo by 91 Magazine on Unsplash
