Wood-Look Bathroom: Ideas and Solutions for Combining Comfort and Design
We all know that the bathroom, similar to the kitchen, is an environment with unique characteristics. And like the kitchen, it has gone from being perceived as a service space to being seen as a room that can be decorated with innovative designer solutions in keeping with the most current stylistic trends. It is, therefore, increasingly important for the bathroom to combine design and functionality. In addition to being beautiful, the flooring and cladding must, for example, also be waterproof, hygienic, and easy to clean. For this reason, wood isn’t really an option… Or perhaps we should say “wasn’t” one.
Wood-Look Porcelain Stoneware
Today, while using wood in a bathroom really isn’t recommended, using wood-look stoneware is. In fact, this material is giving rise to a plethora of new home design options thanks to technological innovations that make it possible to perfectly emulate the nuances and veining of real wood planks, giving these products a special sense of authenticity that conveys a warm and natural quality.
When creating a welcoming and natural wood-look bathroom, porcelain stoneware guarantees the perfect combination of aesthetics and functionality, a fundamental requirement for this space. Technological evolution has pushed the faithfulness of ceramic reproduction to heights that even just a decade ago were unimaginable. Today graphics and micro-relief, for example, are perfectly aligned with one another in such a way as to contribute to creating the illusion of a genuinely natural surface. This degree of graphic detail is the result of extremely high-resolution decorations that, in addition to managing the colours, add targeted glossy-matte finishes.
Wood-Look Stoneware or Natural Wood?
But why, when thinking of the bathroom, should we favour wood-look porcelain stoneware over hardwood?
Let’s start by saying that, when it comes to other environments in the home, like for example the bedroom, study, or living room, it’s almost exclusively a question of aesthetics, as well as considerations regarding lifestyle and the effort one is willing to put into maintaining the floor. Meanwhile, for the bathroom we have to look at the intrinsic characteristics of the material, which are able to guarantee resistance, practicality, and long-term durability.
The first characteristic to mention, if it even needs to be said, is that porcelain stoneware is waterproof. Given that the bathroom is typically a humid environment, constantly at risk of water spills, this is a decisive reason to favour wood-look porcelain stoneware over real wood, which, on the contrary, absorbs moisture and is therefore prone to getting damaged.
Choosing a porcelain stoneware floor has implications not only on the daily maintenance of the bathroom, but also on the cleanliness and practicality of the surfaces in general. Hardwood, for example, requires specific detergents and products to protect against scratches and spills, and these can be quite expensive. In contrast, ceramic surfaces are non-absorbent, making them hygienic, resistant to mould and bacteria, and extremely easy to clean and sanitize.
It’s undeniable that, in terms of longevity, a wood floor and a ceramic floor are vastly different. The same can be said about the maintenance they require and their ease of cleaning. Hardwood tends to scratch much more easily and will inevitably show signs of wear over time due to foot traffic. To address this, treatments can be applied to remove or reduce the signs of aging, but these processes can be quite demanding and expensive.
In contrast, ceramic tiles are exceptionally resistant to loads, scratches, foot traffic, chemicals, and stains. They require no periodic maintenance and ensure an impeccable aesthetic for their entire lifespan. Furthermore, in the worst-case scenario, replacing a single ruined tile is much faster and cheaper than replacing hardwood. In fact, new wood planks can easily have different tones and grain patterns compared to the original ones.
Wood-Look Tiles for the Bathroom: Rustic or Modern, Light or Dark?
Wood look doesn't go unnoticed, especially in a bathroom. It’s an element that can’t help but strongly influence the style, atmosphere, and sense of comfort within this space. But which of the many versions of this look should you choose? Rustic and authentic or minimalist and modern? Light or dark?
Light wood-look tiles are perfect for decorating a Nordic style or modern bathroom. The key words are brightness and simplicity, for example in the choice of furniture, which will be simple and minimalistic, with just a few carefully chosen pieces. Whether warm or cool, light tones offer greater design freedom because they can be more easily paired with light or dark, or even decorative, cladding (or paint).
Given that bathrooms are often small environments with irregular layouts, it's important to always consider the size of the room. Light shades help prevent a "boxed-in" feeling. However, for such a personal space, this cozy, almost protective, feel might be exactly what you're looking for. In that case, a dark, more classic and timeless, wood-look stoneware paired with deep, rich colours, can be an excellent option.
Regarding the choice between rustic or elegant, it must be said that the style of an environment is created through the synergy of many elements. Of course, flooring and cladding play a pivotal role, but we recommend having a clear idea right form the get-go, perhaps seeking the assistance of an interior designer. That said, why not pair contrasting elements for an unexpected look? After all, “cross-contamination” is the key word of many styles that have popped up in the past decade.
Some Ideas for a Wood-Look Bathroom
Now let’s look at some ideas for decorating a bathroom with wood-look porcelain stoneware, striking a balance between the authenticity of a natural look and the modern appeal of the overall design.
Easy to Pair with Other Materials
We’ll start by specifying that, if we’ve chosen a wood-look floor for the bathroom, perhaps in continuity with the bedroom area, nothing is forcing us to pair it with matching cladding. Actually, this incredibly natural looking product demonstrates an extraordinary aesthetic affinity with many other materials, a characteristic that the world of interior design has exploited for highly modern, and at the same time sophisticated, pairings. Stone, marble, cement, and cement tiles - and even the very colourful and whimsical majolica tiles characteristic of Mediterranean design - are able to retain their identities not only next to the most elegant and minimalist wood-look textures, but also next to ones with more rustic and stylised graphics as well. The reason for this is, more or less, due to the nuances of wood-look stoneware, which, aside from expressive extremes, always mimic those of the various woods which inspired them.
Bathroom Cladding: High or Low?
In the 1970s, bathroom cladding extended up to approximately 30 cm below the ceiling; the formats were small and included listellos, and decorations. Today, the formats of over-sized, ultra-thin slabs are designed to literally reach the ceiling of the room. But there’s an even trendier alternative: the so-called “low cladding”. This stops at a height of approximately 120 cm - above the tap and below the mirror. You might still hear it called “boiserie”, because originally this was a cladding made of wood panels, above which wallpaper was often applied. It’s no surprise then, that this kind of cladding is particularly recommended for those who love a wood-look bathroom. But there’s another reason too: almost all producers of porcelain stoneware include one or more formats with a long side of 120 cm in their range of products. These are perfect for being installed vertically as a “ceramic boiserie”.
The Role of Paint
With ceramic cladding that’s less invasive than it once was, many new stylistic possibilities for paint present themselves. Thanks to its natural quality, wood look pairs well with many tones: light and dark colours, pastel shades, deeper hues, in chromatic continuity as well as contrasting. Here, what counts is personal taste and the chosen interior design style. Obviously, if the bathroom is small, light colours are recommended as they help to reflect light and amplify the space. Soft tones create a relaxing ambience in the bathroom, the most intimate room in the house. Additionally, since this is where the most humidity forms, it's important to use breathable paints.
The Wood-Look Bathroom According to Lea Ceramiche
Now let’s examine the distinctive features of the wood-look collections in Lea Ceramiche’s catalogue. As a whole, these collections explore different aspects of this look, sometimes emphasizing a rustic quality and other times offering a more elegant interpretation. As always, there are decorative elements as well, a distinctive feature of Lea Ceramiche's products.
Let’s start with Bio Attitude, a ceramic wood so far removed from any sense of artificiality that, with a simple and timeless language, it conveys a strong sense of authenticity. The only graphic touch is the pairing of dark and almost white grain patterns, typical of woods treated with natural waxes. The balanced authenticity of the series is exalted by its surface micro-texture, which perfectly matches the high-resolution graphics, a result achieved through the use of advanced digital decorative technologies. The Bio Attitude range includes the Gramma format for chevron patterns and the two-tone Rail 3D decorations for an elegant and evocative raised texture.
Bio Select, a sophisticated and faithful interpretation of classic woods, offers wood-look planks in contemporary and balanced tones and well-defined textures, featuring both small and large knots, rich grain patterns, and noticeable colour variations, without being excessive. The collection offers a 30x180 cm plank format and various decorations, like chevron patterns, slats, and three triangular slat compositions.
Bio Recover, a long-time favourite from Lea Ceramiche, skilfully replicates reclaimed planks, marked by signs of wear and other traces accumulated over time, all of which accentuate its vintage appeal. The ceramic surface, with its structural micro-reliefs, veining, and variations in tone, conveys all of this in two extremely natural looking colour options.
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