Laminate in the interior - from light to dark

Laminate in the interior can already be called a traditional floor covering. With its excellent quality characteristics, it has a beautiful appearance, a huge number of colors and textures, which allows you to choose the best option for any design.

The floor covering, so popular today, was invented not so long ago, namely in 1977 by the Swedish company Perstorp. The first laminate was produced under the brand name Pergo. It was a laminated board that was glued to the prepared substrate. The glueless assembly system (the brainchild of another Swedish firm Valinge) first hit the market in 1996 and was marketed under the Fiboloc and Alloc brands.

Basic ways of laying on the floor

In total, there are three main ways of laying laminate:

Direct - the simplest and most common arrangement of boards parallel to one of the walls. When choosing this method, it is important to consider that the laminate can travel along the line of light or across. In the first case, it will be possible to achieve the visual effect of a continuous plane. A great option for elongated narrow spaces, as it allows for visually expanding walls with minimal pruning. If the panels are laid perpendicular to the light flux, a small room can be visually enlarged, but the joints will be very noticeable.

Diagonal styling is more complicated and time-consuming, the material will need a little more (about 10-15%) due to more trimming, but the effect will be appropriate. Diagonal lines visually increase the space, look brighter and more interesting. This method should be considered as the main one if the room has the wrong geometry.

Non-standard styling (herringbone, square and other options) - in this case we are talking about materials of certain brands that are suitable for styling in a selected way, for example, Quick Step. As a rule, such a laminate is similar to small parquet boards and is equipped with special locks. Externally, the coating is very similar to parquet flooring, and there can be about 50 laying methods.

Also, construction markets offer consumers a special series of laminated coatings with a chamfer. There are dimples on the boards; when connecting two adjacent panels, an almost invisible groove is formed. The accumulation of dust and moisture inside the excavation will be hampered by a special wax coating. Externally, the laminate with a chamfer resembles an elite parquet made of solid wood, moreover, according to experts, with proper installation, this floor is more durable.

What will be the floor: dark or light

Between contemporary designers, controversy is constantly flashing on this topic. Some believe that the bright remains the trend of this and future seasons. Others, emphasizing the shortcomings of pastel shades, argue that dark is a never-dying classic that will never go out of style. In a sense, both sides are right, because each option has its own advantages and disadvantages.

When light floor is better than dark:

Light laminate can complement many popular styles: contemporary, ethnic, country, provence, and of course chebbi chic, which is impossible to imagine without white frayed floors.

Light floor increases the degree of illumination of the room, so it will be an excellent option for small rooms, with windows to the north.
A light and airy atmosphere is created in rooms with a light floor, especially if the situation is intelligently supplemented with the same furniture and translucent textiles.

The palette plays a significant role in the visual perception of space. So, for example, when the floor is lighter than the walls, the ceilings seem taller. When it is necessary to achieve expansion, the surfaces are made in approximately one tone.
Light floors and walls do not cause problems in the selection of furniture and accent details; it is difficult to imagine a more universal combination. Equally important is that the surfaces do not attract attention, forcing them to admire the work of the decorator on the situation.

When to lay a dark laminate floor:

Solidity is associated exclusively with dark wood. The light floor can be different: trendy, stylish, clean, but definitely not respectable. If you want to create a luxurious interior with an emphasis on high cost, a dark floor will be the only suitable option.

Visually, a light coating always looks cheaper and simpler than a dark one, even if it actually costs much more.

Dark floors bring an atmosphere of warmth and comfort. Focusing on ease, you can lose such qualities as comfort and prestige. One should think in advance what is more preferable: home comfort or fashionable weightlessness.
Dark laminate in small rooms is usually contraindicated, but not always. He will make the room smaller in all directions. Visually, the room will seem narrower and shorter, if only you are not able to return to the previous dimensions: push the walls apart with light furnishings and raise the ceiling with vertical stripes on the walls.
Not the last is a matter of cleanliness. Light coating will have to be washed much more often. Therefore, it is recommended to lay it only in rooms with low traffic. Although here it is worth remembering the American proverb about dark floors, which says: first buy a housekeeper, and then lay a dark parquet. The darker the coating, the better it is villi, dust, litter, pet hair, and on some surfaces also footprints.

The conclusion suggests itself: when choosing a color, it is important to focus on questions of style, but do not forget about practicality. Perhaps somewhere it would be more appropriate to play on the contrast, and somewhere to sacrifice comfort for the sake of the latest fashion trend.

Popular wall, floor and ceiling color combinations

There are lots of receptions and various subtleties, therefore we consider the most vivid and popular options for decorating an apartment.

Always current gradient

The basic principle of this design is a smooth transition from a dark laminate on the floor to a white ceiling. At the same time, the walls can be painted to the full height by one selected tone or separated by wooden panels, the doors can be in one tone with the walls or contrasted.

Stylish and eye-catching contrast

Contrast colors are always interesting and saturated. In addition, it allows leveling minor flaws in the geometry of the room. For rooms with a low ceiling, it is advisable to choose rich colors with an ornament for the walls, the ceiling is made as light as possible, and the floor, on the contrary, is very dark. If the rooms are narrow and low, the same techniques are used, but one of the walls is made as light as possible in permissible tonality.

Lots of light and freedom

Under this motto, interiors are created, with a predominance of light shades against the background of the light floor. Best suited for rooms with a small square and low natural light.

Opposites

Here you can consider two interesting options:

Dark floor, light walls, dark ceiling;
Light floor, dark walls, light ceiling.

And the first second option is better to use in fairly spacious rooms.

Wall decoration

Laminate in interior design is no longer a purely floor material. It has become more versatile in use, successfully used on other surfaces, in particular on the walls.

One of the most popular options is the entrance hall, where the material has become a worthy replacement for plastic lining. Most often, the panels raise to a height equal to their length or completely sew one or two walls that are most susceptible to mechanical damage.

To decorate the walls of rooms with only laminate is an excess, while competent partial application can be called a successful design solution. The kitchen is usually sewn up the working wall. It looks very interesting when the apron is in harmony with the color of the facade. In terms of performance, a good laminate is only slightly inferior to tile, at a price it is much cheaper, and it is also easier to install. In the living room any wall or its part can be upholstered depending on the layout and design.

In the bedroom, as a rule, panels fill the wall at the head of the bed. The surface imitating wood will be an excellent addition to the headset, emphasizing the unity of the interior. Balconies and loggias, perhaps, the only place where the laminate as a finishing coating can be used on all surfaces at once and it will not be much. If the style allows, the panel can be used in the bathroom, but not in the shower area. Even the waterproof, the highest quality laminate is not suitable for it, and the walls in the washbasin area behind the mirrors are completely.

Laminate on the walls can be stacked in various ways, but the rules of visual perception remain the same: the horizontal lines push the walls apart, the vertical lines raise the ceiling.

On the ceiling

It has long been the idea of "euro-repair" with its multi-tiered ceilings are not nice to a spoiled consumer. Replaced by new materials, in particular laminate. One of the reasons for its non-standard use was the desire to decorate the ceiling in any way possible. The ceiling is more expressive, providing additional sound insulation properties. Walking on it is unlikely to have, so the laminate, you can choose the lowest class.

When finishing the ceiling with laminate, designers use different techniques: full or partial trim. Sometimes it is appropriate to finish the part of the wall that goes to the ceiling, highlighting the functional area. This technique is usually used above the bed or in kitchens, when you need to select a dining room or bar counter. Often laminate, as an alternative to wooden paneling, is used for lining attic.

Of course, this approach will not be widely demanded in the realities of high-rise buildings, where ceilings with a height of 2 meters and a tail seem low even without that.

Laminate in the interior is the best option for creating a beautiful and neat floor without extra costs, as well as the original interior of the apartment with unusual use of material on the walls or ceiling. The main thing is to have a harmony of color and a sense of proportion in everything.