If you want to change the look of a room, you should start with the floor. There are almost infinite possibilities when it comes to flooring options and you should think about all of them before settling on any particular one. For example, you might already have a carpet down. Try taking the carpet up! What lies under it? Do you like it or do you fancy something else? A room does not have to be entirely carpeted in order to be complete. Natural materials such as stone and ceramic offer huge possibilities in the realm of flooring – don’t ignore them.

Ceramic is a particularly effective flooring material. The strong earthen color of terracotta stands out well against pale walls and ceilings and ceramic floors can be as cool or as warm as you want, as underfloor heating works well underneath them, taking the edge off the cold. Furniture is easily moved over a ceramic surface, so when the floor is down and it is time to start moving the couch, you can change your mind as often as you like without breaking your other half’s back.

Ceramics come in a wide range of colors and the tiles are available in a huge variety of shapes, sizes and designs. You can easily design a geometric pattern on your floor, reminiscent of the old Roman houses, or just lay the floor entirely in one color and this will provide a simple yet dramatic contrast within the room. A dark floor of terracotta will provide a simple yet impressive contrast with pale walls and a floor tiled entirely in white will stand out well against darker walls and ceilings. If you intend to decorate in a geometric or cubist theme, then continuing this onto the floor will be an interesting detail. Not everyone will notice, but those that do will be impressed.

Particularly in a large room, the wide expanse of floor can seem a little overwhelming under certain circumstances, so you should consider breaking it up with area rugs. These can be in colors, shapes, designs and textures which complement or contrast with the floor’s color and/or design, thereby continuing the theme. Apart from their use as part of the room’s grand design, they will also give you something to warm your feet on at night or first thing in the morning, when tiles can still be rather cold from the lack of sunlight or heat.

The design of a floor is often overlooked when decorating a room but the truth is that, when done properly it can have a huge impact on the look of the room overall. Given the amount of space taken up by the floor, it is better to keep any design quite simple, and put the details into the furniture, artwork, fixtures and fittings. Furniture, etc, is easily changed, but pulling up an entire floor of tiles is rather more work and a lot messier. Keep the floor simple – a black and white geometric design is as complex as you need to get and put the details in above floor level.