Tile in Interior Design: Favorite Techniques of Nadia Zотова

Even in the most tranquil interiors, designers at Enjoy Home love to play with contrast. The accent is often tiles: neutral walls are paired with an active floor, a niche in the bathroom stands out with geometric contrasting tiles, and lack of decor in the bathroom is compensated by colored «scale» on the wall. Our favorite tile usage techniques in interior design we learned from the founder of the studio — designer Nadia Zотова.

Nadia Zотова, designer and founder of Enjoy Home studio. Creates residential and public interiors worldwide from sketches to implementation.

1. Accent on the Floor

I like tiles with intricate geometry and decorative lines — as an addition to a light classical interior, in my opinion, it's a winning option. 

Design: Nadia Zотова, Enjoy Home

The floor — the main character of the space, it's when monochromatic walls are paired with a vibrant geometric pattern. 

Design: Nadia Zотова, Enjoy HomeTwo-room apartment on Vernadsky Prospect. Design: Nadia Zотова, Enjoy Home

Here is a more serene combination. But the floor remains the center of attention.

Design: Nadia Zотова, Enjoy Home

In this project for a classic-style bathroom, we chose tiles with a delicate pattern. An active geometric pattern or a bright design would not go well with heavy curtains, mullions, and ornate cornices, so here we opted for soft dusty blue.

Design: Nadia Zотова, Enjoy Home

Classic 50s. In the project for a bathroom in a house on the Oka River, we took blue as the base color — it «settled» on the floor, walls, and tub.

Bathroom in a country house by the Oka River. Design: Nadia Zотова, Enjoy Home

If you enjoy color experiments, try choosing wall paint, for example, rich wine or red, and contrast tiles in the form of black-and-white checkered pattern on the floor to add volume to the space.

To avoid overloading the interior, decorate the wet zone with a simple white tile. In the end, you will get a vibrant, even playful space, not overloaded with details.

Eclectic apartment in Zamoskvorechye. Design: Nadia Zотова, Enjoy Home

Often I am asked what tile to choose for a vibrant kitchen. Probably the most appropriate solution would be to select white tile (metro style), which its simplicity will smooth and enhance bright shades. But you can experiment with the floor and add color, even three colors.

Trash interior in Moscow «Stalin-era». Design: Nadia Zотова, Enjoy Home

2. Highlighting the Walls

How do you like this mix of black, gray, and white? Bold, right? This is an excellent way to visually highlight a niche. To avoid dizziness from such geometry, simply choose a neutral tone for the remaining walls and furniture.

Interior in Moscow «Stalin-era». Design: Nadia Zотова, Enjoy HomeInterior in Moscow «Stalin-era». Design: Nadia Zотова, Enjoy Home

Highlighting one wall is an excellent way to compensate for the lack of decor in the bathroom. It decorates, complements, and attracts attention!

Bathroom in a house near the center of Riga. Design: Nadia Zотова, Enjoy HomeBathroom in a three-room apartment in «Stalin-era». Design: Nadia Zотова, Enjoy HomeTwo-room apartment on Vernadsky Prospect. Design: Nadia Zотова, Enjoy Home

We used more color and various patterns in one of our recent projects. Here the bathroom area was highlighted with deep blue, complemented by neutral gray, and a whimsical pattern was laid on the floor.

Three-room apartment in New Moscow. Design: Nadia Zотова, Enjoy HomeThree-room apartment in New Moscow. Design: Nadia Zотова, Enjoy Home

Colorful tile — this is a story about highlighting separate zones: niche or wall, you can lay the tiles on the wall up to half the height all around the room.

Four-room apartment in the «Losiny Ostrov» housing development. Design: Nadia Zотова, Enjoy Home

And tiles «up to the ceiling» have long since gone into the past, so don't be afraid to highlight only wet zones and enjoy the result!

Design: Nadia Zотова, Enjoy Home