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Monotone Home Interiors: Design Inspiration
As easy as it may sound, tackling monotone themed interiors is not the simplest of tasks. With a well-structured plan in place, single tone rooms can look quite stylish and interesting. However, without a proper concept in mind, you may run the risk of ending up with lacklustre interiors.
To make a monotone colour scheme work, various design elements like texture, contrast and pattern come into play. Here are a few smart ways to achieve monotone interiors without having to worry about the end result:Wooden Accents
Make use of timber accents to add warmth and life to a room with single coloured walls and flooring. Wood works especially well with neutral shades like eggshell, beige and cream. But you must ensure that all wooden furniture and accessories have the same shade. Varying shades will create clutter and disrupt the harmony of your neutral palette.
The kitchen shown here is a perfect example of how to execute monochrome correctly. The wall tiles, cupboards and shelves are all in the same shade of white but the space looks anything but boring. The wooden platform subtly brings warmth into the kitchen, which would have otherwise looked stark and overly pale.
Contrast
Use of contrast is a smart and effective way of adding character to a room with a monotone scheme. Opposing colours, patterns, or textures are commonly employed to create a striking contrast. However, it must be carefully done so as to maintain the correct balance.
In the image above, rust cushions are instrumental in breaking the monotony of an all-gray décor. The image also serves as a great example of making block-colour linen or furniture the focal point of the room.
Texture
Texture is an essential component of any single tone colour scheme. Varied home décor accessories like curtains, cushions, rugs and designer floor tiles are a great way of incorporating texture into any kind of set-up, especially monotone.
The picture shown here tells you exactly how it’s done. While printed wall tiles add interest to an otherwise basic lounge, the off-white rug brings drama while still maintaining the neutral theme. The geometric table stand is also a unique and playful way of bringing in another dimension into the layout.Pattern
Using subtle patterns in monotone interiors is a fail-safe way of livening them up. Not only does it create contrast but also gives you scope to display your personality.
This elegant bathroom meets all the requirements for a classic, clean and sophisticated bathing area. While it would still be beautiful without the wall tiles, we must admit that they impart an extra dose of freshness and oomph – just want monotone interiors need!
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4 Bathroom Trends for 2017
For the longest time, bathrooms were considered mere functional spaces. But over time, their aesthetic value has substantially increased. With more and more homeowners looking to infuse a ‘spa-like’ feel to their bathrooms, it is obvious – your bathroom’s design needs cannot be ignored.
Create a Mini-Retreat
Also known as a soaking tub, a free-standing tub can instantly add a luxe feel to your bathroom. Unlike a built-in tub, the free-standing tub stands alone and is not connected to the shower. In that sense, it resembles the look of furniture and becomes a focal point of your bathroom. The trend was first observed in upscale villas and bungalows, and is slowly making its way to modern apartments.
We personally love the look of clawfoot tubs. They help create space beneath the tub and let you show off your floor tiles.
Inject Pattern
Gone are the days of restricting pattern to walls. This year, interior decorators all over the world are going for patterned floor tiles to bring personality to a bathroom. Geometric patterns, in particular, make a cool statement when used in monochromatic tones. Extending your wall tile pattern to the flooring is also a fun way to experiment with pattern.
If you’re looking to add more depth and texture, we recommend pairing honeycomb or hexagonal tiles in a dark colour like navy with a contrasting white grout.
Go Green
‘Greenery’, the colour of 2017, has been making a huge impact on the design world. The colour can be used both as an accent and as a base theme. But if you’re not yet ready to see a whole lot of green, introduce it in smaller doses to give a refreshing look to neutral toned bathrooms. Variations of green like lime green, emerald and hunter green can be infused in the form of plants, a statement garden stool or wall tiles.
Mix and Match Metals
Metal accents enjoyed immense popularity in 2016. Thankfully, they’re back in 2017 with a refreshing spin. Warm metals like copper and bronze that were trending last year, are being mixed with cool metals like pewter and steel to create unique visual interest. The trick is to pick a dominant metal that lends a sense of unity to the space, and accentuate it with small doses of other metals.
Incorporate this trend in your bathroom through metal finish tiles, mirrors or fixtures. It also helps to remember that warm metals go well with warm hues like reds, browns, and yellows whereas cool metals complement cool hues like blue, green, and violet.
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Perfecting Your Living Room Design Basics
The living room is where a family spends time together conversing, playing games and watching TV. Other social gatherings like soirées or casual dinners also take place in this part of your house. Clearly then, designing your living room entails close interaction between two key aspects – comfort and style.
For this, is important for you to get the basic design elements right:
Colour Scheme
When it comes to the living room, a neutral colour palette works best as a backdrop. In addition to opening up the space, it serves as a great canvas for injecting personality through other décor elements. Wall tiles, for example, are a great way of introducing texture. You could either opt for various tones of neutral colours like tan, white or grey; or add a pop of colour to create a striking visual contrast.
Furniture
Less is certainly more in case of furniture. Look for furnishings that don’t overcrowd your living room and facilitate easy movement. Dainty, clean-lined pieces work really well in a small living room.
If space is not a constraint, opt for a plush sofa and place it in the middle of the room, as opposed to against the wall. By grouping the furniture close together, this arrangement brings a sense of intimacy and cosiness to the conversation zone. Area rugs are especially flattering for this set-up, as they help visually define a space, and divide it from other spaces like media zones or the dining area.
Flooring
The flooring that you choose must ideally serve both aesthetic and practical purposes. Glazed vitrified tiles are a suitable fit here. Made with a mixture of clay, feldspar and quartz, these tiles are known for their high durability and low porosity. Stain and scratch resistant, glazed vitrified tiles are easy to maintain and retain their shine for years to come. As an added bonus, vitrified tiles come in a wide variety of finishes, designs and styles. So you can easily mimic the look of marble or wooden tiles, while retaining the properties of vitrified tiles.
Lighting
Lighting primarily influences the ambience of a room. The key to getting lighting right is by layering it. Diffuse multiple sources of light throughout the room, ensuring that they’re in sync with one another. In living rooms, a combination of floor lamps, table lamps, central fixtures and dimmers can be used depending on the purpose. Accent lights are also popularly used for drawing attention to architectural elements like an art piece, mantel, bookcase or wall treatment.
Curtains
Curtains play a huge role in pulling a look together and creating a sense of grandeur. Plus, if you hang them high above the window and extend them right down to the floor, they bring in much more height and airiness. By contrast, small, ill-measured curtains can make the room appear smaller than it really is.
The other good thing about curtains is that you can change them seasonally, or as per your mood. Prints, for instance, impart a playful character whereas translucent curtains have a more breezy appeal to them. Shades of red, orange or yellow can also be used to liven up the area.
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Kitchen Backsplash – Ideas and Inspirations
Tiles and kitchens share a time-tested relationship that has been extensively documented in the design world. But over time, the kitchen backsplash has graduated from being merely a protective feature to a focal point of kitchen décor. Not only is it used to guard the space above the countertop from splashes and smudges, but to also to set the tone of the décor.
Today, backsplash designs come in a wealth of patterns, textures and finishes that cater to diverse tastes. Here are a few ideas that prove that style and functionality can co-exist:
Classic Subway Tiles
Subway tiles instantly come to mind when we think of a kitchen backsplash, and the timeless beauty of these classic tiles isn’t lost on modern sensibilities. Subway tiles still continue to be popular and are open to creative experiments. You could shake things up by playing with size and patterns. The traditionally used 3” x 6” size is now being replaced by larger dimensions of 3” x 9” and 4” x 12”. As an added bonus, larger tiles also help change the perception of space. To further reinvent the look, overhaul the tiling arrangement. Vertical, herringbone and diagonal patterns are much more dynamic than the traditional horizontal layout.
Ceiling-Height Backsplash
While a typical backsplash tends to run from the countertop to the bottom of the upper cabinet, it is also becoming increasingly common for it to extend all the way to the ceiling. An artful utilization of dead space, a ceiling-height backsplash makes a more powerful impact. As well as adding height, it also brings in continuity by uniting all the features of your kitchen to create a cohesive look.
Patterns
To create extra drama in your backsplash, make a statement with patterns. Herringbone, checkered, sunburst, floral, chevron, travertine – the options are endless. For the chosen pattern to really pop against your cabinetry, it is ideal to keep the countertop and cabinetry in solid, neutral-toned hues. It’s the contrast between the two surfaces that will create a striking visual in your kitchen.
Finish
Take a cue from your floor tiles, and incorporate wood in your backsplash. Wood-looking tiles mimic the look of wood, except that they’re made with ceramic or porcelain, so they can be easily wiped clean. It makes sense for the cabinet to be in a solid colour, instead of wood, to avoid visual overkill. The same goes for natural stone looking tiles; they bring in a rustic feel that offsets contemporary aesthetics beautifully. Alternatively, you could choose from a range of other finishes like matte, glossy, metallic, marble, weathered and so on.
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Design Tips for a Small Bathroom
As tiny as a bathroom may be, it does include necessities like the sink and faucet, toilet and the shower area. And while a small bathroom may seem to restrict your design options, it doesn’t have to.
If every design element is planned logically and carefully, your bathroom can be functional and beautiful in equal measure. Here are a few tips that will help you work with limited space:
Plan Your Colour Scheme
The colour palette you pick can either visually expand or contract the chosen space. Neutral colours make for a suitable base theme owing to their calming effect. For effect, use textures in the form of wall tiles.
It also helps to have both the wall and floor tiles in the same colour. Merging the two surfaces minimizes contrast and lends continuity to the space. Contrasting colours, on the other hand, tend to visually chop up the space. The lesser the contrast, the more expansive the appearance.
Opt for Glass Enclosures
Shower curtains tend to visually divide the space. By contrast, glass shower enclosures allow you to see from one end of the room to another, thus creating an extended space effect. Sliding glass doors also complement the clean, sleek aesthetic of a small bathroom.
Keep It Organized
A floating vanity not only makes a small bathroom look bigger but also provides for open storage option under it. You could either stack towels and bathrobes or store other bath and body essentials. The idea is to keep the countertop as clutter-free as possible so that you’re also left with some empty space.
Avoid Dark Areas
Ample lighting can trick the eye into seeing larger space. Avoid restricting lights to the mirror area and illuminate the corners as well. This way, you don’t create dark areas that end up making your bathroom appear much smaller. It also helps to have natural light and steer clear of dark drapes to exaggerate your bathroom’s sense of space.
Use Compact Fixtures and Sanitary Ware
To make the most of the length, mount a narrow, rectangular basin sink on the wall. Place a mirror on the rest of the wall to add height and turn it into a focal point. Alternatively, to further save on space, you could put the corner to use by installing a small ceramic sink in round shape. The trick is to keep it as simple as possible by opting for space-saving and well-proportioned features.
With its minimalist yet striking vibe, your small bathroom will make a statement with its simplicity.
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Decorating Your Kid’s Room – Tips & Tricks
Whether it’s sleeping, studying or playing – kids spend most of their time in their rooms. This makes it imperative for this space to echo their personality and ensure their comfort.
Involving your kids in the decorating process is a great idea. And while your kids can help get those creative juices flowing, you can ensure that the décor also serves its functional purposes.
Here are a few ideas to get you started-
Old Meets New
Combining modern and rustic elements can add a dose of character in your kid’s bedroom. If you’re inclined towards modern furniture and design elements, balance it out with wood-looking floor tiles. You could also infuse the raw element in the form of a wooden stool in the workspace or a barnwood dresser. Ultimately, it’s all about striking a balance between the two design aesthetics.
Timeless White
Crisp white interiors make for a perfect canvas to inject bright bursts of colour and patterns. This can be done in multiple ways using bright curtains, bedspreads and rugs. You could also tile your way to a feature wall and breathe life into an all-white space. Wall tiles in punchy colours and playful patterns work really well in in a children’s room and allow for endless creative experiments. Going with white as a foundation also means that the bedroom can grow with your kid by changing accent hues from time to time.
Storage Made Fun
Clever storage options are essential in every kid’s room to help keep it tidy and create more space. Built-in cubbies and bed births are practical solutions, and so are flip-top ottomans that can be used to store clothes or stuffed toys. It also makes sense to have a laundry basket placed right next to your kid’s bed to minimize clutter and encourage tidiness. To make things quirky, you could use a wall as an effective storage spot. Hang a string of wire baskets along the perimeter of the wall or pick a corner to hang a colourful toy net. This hack is especially useful if you’re short on square footage.
Touch of Vintage
Showcasing antique collectibles from your childhood will envelop the space in a nostalgic charm and give soul to it. Alternatively, a vintage piece of furniture like an iron bed or vintage fabrics and frames also make striking counterpoints to the otherwise contemporary vibe of the room. Something as hassle-free as crocheted bedspreads or patchwork blankets are also powerful ways of adding a vintage charm.
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Kitchen Tiles – Everything You Need to Know
Kitchens, over the time, have evolved from a space meant just for cooking. As opposed to a traditional closed kitchen, the concept of an open-plan kitchen allows the space to be both, a functional and a social area. Thus, a kitchen’s tiling requirements deserve special attention.
This is where we come in to help you get the basics of kitchen tiles right, with some time-tested tips:
Material
For more reasons than one, ceramic tiles are a clear winner among homeowners when it comes to kitchen flooring. Their ability to withstand high humidity makes them a fail-safe choice for a moisture-prone area like kitchen.
Available in a vast array of finishes and designs, you can also create a unique look with tiles that resemble hardwoods and natural stones. When grouted and sealed well, ceramic tiles can resist the harshest of spills and last you a lifetime.
Vitrified tiles slightly differ in its composition. In addition to clay, vitrified tiles contain elements like silica, quartz and feldspar. The process of vitrification creates very low tile porosity, giving them a low water absorption rate. Being stain and scratch resistant, vitrified tiles are well-equipped to deal with the ever so inevitable cooking spillages.
Finish
When it comes to deciding on a finish, there are some practical pros and cons to be considered. Matte tiles lend themselves really well to kitchen flooring. Along with providing optimum traction, they bring a rustic, natural look to the floor. Glossy tiles on the other hand, are not ideal for kitchen flooring because of their slippery surface. Instead, they are a popular choice for kitchen walls and countertops thanks to their light-reflecting properties and easy to clean texture.
Pattern
Patterns define the character of any space and with a range of available patterns like herringbone, honeycomb and checkered, to name a few – you can turn your kitchen into the prettiest room of your home. However, it’s wise to restrict pattern to one surface, either the floor or the wall. This way you create one focal point and avoid visual clutter. If you have an open-plan kitchen, with no concrete divisions between your kitchen, dining and living areas, it makes sense to have the same flooring pattern running throughout. In addition to lending cohesion, this will make the space look larger.
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Wall Tiles for Living Room – Ideas & Inspiration
When it comes to their modern homes, people generally adopt a less-is-more attitude. Clean lines with a neutral colour palette are preferred for their calming and inviting influence on the interiors. However, this sometimes lets a sense of visual monotony creep in.
One way of bringing character to an otherwise modest space is by creating a feature wall using wall tiles. Wall tiles instantly add depth and texture to a wall, thereby elevating the overall appearance of your living room.
Here are a few wall tiles design ideas for your living room to set the ball rolling:
Pattern Play
Patterned wall tiles have always ruled the décor world. Classic and vibrant, they inject a sense of personality to your living room. It’s a good idea to go for prints and patterns that tie in with other design elements of your home space. The key to getting patterned tiles right is teaming them with neutral, toned-down tiles. The living room above cleverly incorporates a pattern that is striking, yet easy on the eyes.
Monochrome Minimalism
Making a statement, and being dramatic don’t have to be mutually exclusive; and this monochromatic living room shows exactly how! Harmonising your wall tiles with the floor tiles, makes your living area look bigger. Opt for hues of white since they reflect light and accentuate the extended space effect.
Vintage Wonders
Wood-looking tiles make for a welcome contrast to modern furnishings. An ideal option for those shy of colour, wood helps infuse natural warmth and cosiness. Aside from its rustic appearance, wood-looking tiles also bring a historic, old-world charm to a contemporary space. Take a cue from this living room and further enhance your feature wall with artworks that complement its character.
Texture Touch
Digital elevation tiles can instantly add a rich, luxuriant appeal. If your living room already has a TV unit or a fireplace as a focal feature, it makes sense to treat the backdrop as an extension of the focal feature. The feature wall above, combined with neutral colours of the space, creates a cocktail of texture and visual interest, leaving behind a lasting impact.
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Wall Tiling Trends for 2017
Wall tiling is an easy and impactful way to accentuate the walls of your room. Traditionally restricted to bathrooms, wall tiling has now made its way into every part of the modern home. Adding a statement wall to your room helps give it a personality – whether it’s sophisticated, over-the-top or rustic. We have rounded up for you, a few of the most popular wall tiles trends this year-
Colour Block
Our personal favourite – colour blocking, is striking without being overwhelming. You can select any two contrasting tones – rust orange with white, teal with grey or pastel pink with black. Enhance the light hued base with just a touch of the brighter/darker coloured tile. This pop of colour can be in the form of a neat border, an abstract concept or even a juxtaposition of multiple tones. Colour blocking also adds depth to an otherwise plain wall, making it the crowning glory of your room.
Depending on the functionality of your room, its size and exposure to sunlight, choose your colours and patterns wisely. A dark shade like emerald, for example, may not be ideal for a dimly lit hallway, just like a fuchsia and black combination could be a bit too garish for your living room.
Monochrome
A classic trend that will never quite fade away is monochrome and this year, we are seeing monochromatic tiles in playful prints and patterns. Introduce monochrome wall tiles behind the sofa of your living room for an instant ‘wow’ factor. You could in fact adopt the monochrome trend for the entire space, using green as an accent hue. This could either be in the form of a potted plant, rug or cushion covers.
Mosaic
Modern mosaic tiling is a rendition of age-old Indian and Persian art forms. They continue to be popular thanks to the vast array of colour and size variations that they offer. This year, we are seeing a dominance of browns and Greece-inspired indigo and white combination in mosaic tiles. And if you’re in the mood to experiment, use mosaic tiles around your fireplace ledge to create a bold focal point in your living room.
Au Naturale
The indoor-outdoor living trend is here to stay and the key to blending these two spaces seamlessly is using the architectural elements correctly. To mirror the outdoors, you could either go for ceramic wood-looking tiles or up the vintage appeal with distressed moss or mirror tiles. Tiles that look like wood not only retain the warmth of real wood but are also easy to maintain and resist moisture.
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Home Flooring –Decoded!
Your dream home is a reflection of your vision and personality. A range of factors like colour palette, flooring, space-usage, wall décor and lighting come together to materialize this vision. Of these, flooring plays a central role in setting the tone for your décor.
Modern floor tile designs offer abundant choices when it comes to texture, shape, colourways and sizes. But does that mean your perfect floor tile is only a random pick away? No!
Different tiles work for different spaces. What goes for your bathroom may not meet your living room requirements. Getting your tile selection right is imperative and we help you here with key thumb rules:
The Living Room
Your living room shapes the first impression of your home. It’s where you welcome guests, host gatherings and celebrate festivals. Obviously then, while choosing tiles for this space, two key aspects come into play – visual aesthetic and durability. Vitrified tiles, with their low porosity, high strength and luxurious polish perfectly fit the bill in this regard. Not only are they scratch and water resistant, but also come in a wealth of colour and design variations.
Bathrooms
Modern bathrooms are not only meant to be functional, but also visually appealing. Our Slip Shield tiles offer the ideal solution to bathroom tiling needs with their water and abrasion resistance, high breaking strength and finesse. Best part? They work just as well for interior as well as exterior flooring options!
Kitchen
When it comes to kitchen flooring, high durability and low maintenance are of prime importance. With an ingrained resistance to high humidity, ceramic tiles are a staple fit. Their easy maintenance, longevity and ability to withstand high temperatures are nearly unparalleled. Somany Ceramics also offers glazed vitrified tiles for kitchen that are sealed with patented anti-ageing ‘VC Shield’ protection. This unique coating process ensures that your kitchen floors are guarded against abrasion, scratches and discoloration for years to come.
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Wooden Flooring vs. Wooden Tiles: Pros And Cons
The grandeur, opulence, raw nature of wood, bears the capacity to uplift your senses through its rich and organic characteristics. Wooden floors are the best way to achieve that touch of lavishness in your home, but wood is high maintenance. Now you no longer need to use pure hardwood, modern tile designs in India can emulate the texture of wood with remarkable ease. With this growing trend of wood, here are a few reasons why wooden tiles are a preferable option to wooden flooring:
Wooden Flooring
A major drawback of natural wood is its vulnerability to damages like, scratches, cracks, and dents. Seasonal changes affect wood to expand or contract making it difficult to maintain. Hardwood requires refinishing and regular cleaning. Apart from maintenance, wooden flooring cannot be installed in spaces like bathrooms, laundry rooms and entryways. An accumulation of these factors is cumbersome.
Wooden TilesIn addition to their longevity, tiles are extremely easy to maintain. You can use any cleaning product and method on tiles. In the unlikely circumstance of these durable wooden tiles getting damaged, you can easily replace one single tile and not your entire flooring.
The biggest advantage, of using wooden tiles is the magnificence of wood without the effort and expenditure, making tile flooring the epitome of versatility. They are built for all kinds of climatic conditions and can last longer than wooden flooring.
While installing wooden tiles in your home, be sure to select stunningly authentic wooden tile designs. Somany Ceramics offer the best floor tiles in India. With a large catalogue of floor tiles they have brought the stunning natural appeal of wood to life. So, keep in mind what suits your need and spread the beauty of wood in every corner of your home.Read More » -
Tiling your outdoor – things to know
We have all imagined sitting in the patio or the veranda in our dream house on a warm summer evening or a chilly afternoon, reading a book. The patio is beautiful, the embellishments subtle and refreshing. However, finding the perfect tiles can be slightly intimidating given the wide varieties available and how to leverage them.
1. Hue of your humble home
Designing something is very important we need to make sure that every element compliments the other. While shopping for outdoor tiling, make sure that the style of the tile compliments that of your house, encompassing both colour and texture.
2. Texture of the tiles
It is of utmost significance that the quality of the tiles is non-slippery and suitable for outdoor use. The most appropriate textures are either natural stone or porcelain. They have very low water absorption rate, making them efficient for outdoor utility. The texture should also be decided after keeping in mind the amount of water the floor is exposed to, and the climatic conditions.
3. Tiles and lights
One understated factor while choosing ideal outdoor tiles is, the lighting outdoors. Using dark tiles in dimly lit areas will not only give a dreary apprearance, but it will also take away from the effect of your appropriatley chosen tiles. Hence, light coloured tiles work best for areas with low light, whereas darker tiles compliment well-lit patios.
4. Usage
Did you imagine a lavish pool outside your house or did your dream sequence feature a spacious balcony? While deciding your tiles, it is advisable to first keep in mind exactly what you need the space for. A patio may need smooth flat tiles whereas area around a pool will require uneven surfaced tiles.
Your dream house is ready, all this is where you might end up writing your next book or coming up with the next brainwave of your life – and perhaps one right tile decision is all you need.
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