Home Decor Ideas

National Tile Day is February 23. And we can thank the largest stone and tile show in North America, Coverings, for bringing it back. “National Tile Day is rooted in a desire to celebrate the many great benefits tile has to offer as a material,” explains Alena Capra, industry ambassador for Coverings. “We’re encouraging the architecture and design community to get inspired by tile.”

Tile is a great choice when you’re looking for something durable and unique. Nowadays it can even look like hardwood flooring, complete with the grooves and textures, but offers a lower maintenance surface that doesn’t need refinishing.

We’ve come a long way from the basic white 16″ squares of the past. Here are 15 tile design ideas to inspire you:

Mid-century modern tile design ideas

A mid-century modern dining room wall is finished in a white retro tile to add texture. Image: Mod-Ified

A vibrant retro aqua tile backsplash offsets the crisp white cabinets and yellow pops of color. Image: Tile Desire

The geometric pattern appears 3D due to the shadowing of the design. Image: Anthology Interiors

Textured tile design ideas

White honeycomb tile runs floor to ceiling in front of a marble field tile in this contemporary bedroom. Image: Cle Tile

Soft waves carved into the large format tiles add a peaceful, spa-like feel to this contemporary bathroom. Image: Porcelanosa

A home’s atrium is finished in a dimensional tile to create light and shadow textures from the skylight above. Image: Garrison Hullinger

Metallic tile

This metallic herringbone-pattern tile is available in gold (shown) and silver. The tile is durable enough to work as a backsplash or floor tile. Image: Porcelanosa

New kitchen backsplash tile ideas

A small floral repeating pattern softens the hard edges in this chef’s kitchen. Image: Walker Zanger

A powder blue, brown and white backsplash pattern gives the transition open kitchen a sense of depth and interest. Image: Walker Zanger

The wall tiles warm up the masculine and contemporary look of this kitchen. Image: CBD Lofts

This kitchen’s tricolor tile pattern ties in all the color elements perfectly. Image: Sustainable Kitchens

 Modern floor tile design ideas

A kitchen tile floor is one of the easiest surfaces to clean and maintain. Image: Optimise Design

Black and white marble tiles form a stripe pattern on the floor and in a modern grid pattern on the bathroom wall. Image: Optimise Design

Bathroom tile design ideas

Vivid turquoise raised elliptical tiles work well with the cherry wood bathroom vanity. Image: Sarah Jeffries Design

Layers of monochromatic tiles in the form of distressed wood planks, marble squares and octagonal shapes create an understated yet elegant bathroom. Image: Porcelanosa

Which tile design idea is your favorite? Comment here or post your favorite on our Facebook page using the hashtag #nationaltileday.

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Open space living in lofts, studios or homes with high ceilings and few walls are very popular. The open architectural look may be gorgeous, but not always practical. Being able to have a private bedroom or a way to divide the living space from the dining room would create a more functional feel to a home.

So how can you add a little intimacy or privacy to a room without closing up your space permanently? By getting creative and adding a room divider that can open and close as needed, or moved to another spot. Check out these awesome room divider ideas that can work in nearly any space, large or small.

Room divider ideas using bookcases

There’s no better way to multitask than to use a room divider that features storage, too. A bookcase may be the perfect solution. For the ultimate flexibility, add locking wheels to the bookcase so you can roll it to where you need. Or if you’re sure you won’t be moving it, consider adding a built-in cabinet to divide a space.

A sleek wood bookcase with no backing divides the open living area without blocking sunlight. Image: Musa Design

This studio owner added a wall of bookcases to create a more private bedroom feel. Image: Kea Design

A built-in bookcase is the only wall in this small studio. It doubles as storage and a divider to separate the living area from the bed. Image: Elayne Barre

A centered cabinet can store cutlery and china on the dining room side and hold books and the television on the living room side. Image: Ciccozzi Architecture

Hanging room dividers

When floor space is of a premium, hanging a room divider can be the perfect solution.

The room divider by Blomming appears to be made from a textile in a laser-cut pattern, but it’s actually more modular than that! Each diamond, or facet, can be tilted to open to create a custom look.

For a sleek fabric room divider, hang a curtain featuring large metal grommets from a simple chrome bar mounted on the ceiling. Image: Podio Arquitectura

Geometric room divider ideas

Sometimes a room divider is nothing more than a design feature that creates the illusion of dividing a large or small area without actually closing it off. These room divider ideas are the perfect example. They add a custom look to a room that’s memorable.

Panels of stacked wood blocks add a graphic look to the area dividing the living room and dining room. Image: Betty Wasserman

A custom metal panel with leaves and vines not only divides the space, but creates beautiful shadows on the floors when the sun shines in. Image: SFA Design

The clever installation of a graphic wall serves as both a headboard on one side and a desk on the other side. Image: Kimberley Seldon

An industrial loft’s focal point is a glass and iron room divider. Image: Axis Mundi

Slatted wood room divider ideas

Simple wood slats can be mounted to create a sense of a smaller, intimate area without completely closing off the spot. Depending on a home’s decor, the look can be mid-century modern or contemporary in style.

Wood slatted room dividers create a small library or sitting room in an open loft. Image: Stebelskiy Studio

Adding uplights and some greenery to a slatted room dividing wall create a zen vibe. Image: Futurcret

The wood slats of this contemporary home were stained in a rich black tone. Each slat rotates to close off the space completely or open it up as shown. Image: Don Taylor Design Associates

This room divider hides the stairwell. Image: Maurizio Giovannoni

The light-color stain of the wood slats adds a natural Scandinavian feel to the small studio space. Image: Mr. Mitchell

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Valerie Schweitzer Architects completed the design of a tiny sanctuary for creativity and reflection in Westport, Connecticut. Inspired in part by the closing of a butterfly’s wings, this 350 square foot (32.5 square meter) art studio and private office for a family home, provides a comfy refuge.

“Like shards protruding from the earth, the studio’s angled panels clad in stucco and recycled teak, impart a primitive and futuristic quality at the same time,” the architect said.

“Due to the skylight and narrow windows, there is a strong sense of privacy and being hidden from the rest of the world. The view of changing skies and light create an optimal space for intermittent reflection during artistic production.”

The interior may seem small, but it offers everything an artist needs. There is plenty of space here for an office, a sports mat and even a half bathroom.

Energy efficient elements of the design include concrete flooring with integrated radiant heat piping, as well as a cross-ventilation system, achieved by carefully placed windows that capture breezes off the nearby Long Island Sound. Information and photography provided by Valerie Schweitzer Architects.

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The pros weigh in on how they handle small space living. Image: McGinn Photography

Anyone who’s ever had to deal with a tiny apartment knows that small space living comes with its own set of challenges. It doesn’t mean designing these spaces is impossible. With a little planning and forethought, even the most cramped spaces can become equal parts functional and eye-catching.

If you’re dealing with tight square footage and aren’t quite sure where to start, you’re in luck. We asked some interior design pros to share their best tips for designing small spaces. Keep reading to see what they had to say.

Plan your space carefully before you start buying. Image: Finch London

Think it through

“Make sure to be precise as to the function of the space. Ask yourself questions about how you use the room. For example, do you need storage for kids toys? Is a sectional a necessity or will a sofa and a chair be fine? Would a round table be a better fit for your dining area? Asking these types of questions will help you identify your specific problem areas — and viable solutions before you start to purchase furnishings, which will ultimately save you time and money. ” — Basia Falcon, owner and head designer of Sycamore & Gray in Highland Park, IL.

Go big with a statement piece. Image: Kelly Martin Interiors

Don’t discount a statement piece

“Get the size right! Too often consumers think my space is small so I’ll buy a bunch of small pieces. Top designers know that’s the exact opposite of good space planning — one stunning statement piece of anything always makes a better impact than many busy small items just creating visual clutter.” — Charmaine Wynter of Charmaine Wynter Interiors Inc. in Southlake, TX

Invest in uplighting. Image: Lindye Galloway Interiors

Opt for lifted lighting

“In smaller spaces, flat areas like the floor and table tops are at a premium, so consider lighting solutions that hang in the air like wall sconces by your sofa and pendant lighting by your bed. However, if your home relies on recessed can lighting for most of its illumination, be sure to layer in some floor or table lamps so that you have light casting up onto your ceiling, too. Leaning too heavily on recessed lighting tends to leave the ceiling in darkness, and that makes any space feel smaller.” — Rebecca West, Interior Designer at Seriously Happy Homes in Seattle, WA

Let color unify the space. Image: Ally Fountain for Ethan Allen – Bellevue

Consider a unifying color

“I recommend covering all the walls of the room in one color to make it feel larger. Consider using a warm and rich or soft and soothing hue to cover the majority of the room, including the ceiling. Highlighting one unifying color fades defining lines, which enhances the coziness of the space. Additionally, using that wall color at least one other time in your space — either in an area rug or a small accent piece — will pull your style together while continuing to let it feel open.” — Dee Schlotter, Color Expert, PPG Industries, Inc. in Pittsburgh, PA

Use multi-functional pieces wherever possible. Image: West Elm UK

Make it multi-functional

“Regardless of your style, the most important thing to decorating a small space well is to invest in pieces that can be used for more than one thing. If space is an issue, think about investing in multi-functional furniture like a set of nesting tables that can double as a coffee table. A desk can also function as a buffet when entertaining, or even a bench can be a coffee table, extra seating.” — Lisa Melone Cloughen of Melone Cloughen Interiors, Inc. in New York, NY

Use these tips to get the most out of small space living. Image: Day True

Most of us would agree that small space living requires a certain amount of flexibility and creativity. However, when done right, there’s no reason why even the tightest of spaces can’t showcase a design worthy of acclaim. To help you get the most out of your space, we asked interior design pros to share their best advice for helping compact rooms shine. Read over their tips and do your best to incorporate them in your own interiors. Sometimes one tip makes all the difference.

Do you live in a small space? If so, what tips do you have for making limited square footage work in your favor? Share them with us in the comments below.

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