finishing touches

Hardwood and laminate flooring, tiles and rugs can do more than cover floors and walls - they can set style from the ground up. With a little creative thinking and a few clever tricks, they become an added focus that can brilliantly update a room and even your entire home.

Make a splash with tile

In the bath: A surefire way to add style to the bathroom is to make your shower stall stand out. Try a similar tile to the rest of the room but in a different size or shape, or opt for something completely different, i.e., in a co-ordinating colour, or a metallic finish for shine, or a different texture, such as pebble. To wake-up an all-white modern bath, add a wide horizontal line or band of colour around the room, be it bold black or a soothing shade, such as aqua or sea blue.

In the kitchen: An easy, affordable way to update the kitchen and create a dramatic focal point is to switch your backsplash. While subway tile and mosaics are still top picks, new eye-catching ideas include oversized tiles or those with a rugged texture (such as slate made to look like a stacked stone wall). The effect is even more pronounced in today's stylish spaces, which forgo upper cabinets to create an open, airy atmosphere.

In the foyer: It's simple to make a great first impression right at the front door. A classic option is to use large-scale black and white tiles to create an elegant checkerboard floor. A clever new idea involves mimicking the look of a rug or runner in the entrance hall by insetting smaller-sized tiles—within a floor of larger tiles—in a square or rectangular shape and outlining it with border tiles (narrow solid, striped or diamond-patterned tiles generally used in the bathroom). Another option is to use a medallion (a 16-inch to 36-inch tile of tiny travertine mosaics set in intricate patterns) as a centerpiece in the middle of a large foyer or in place of a welcome mat in a small one. The idea also translates beautifully to bathrooms and kitchens—or for that matter, to your outdoor patio.

Get wow-factor with wood

With borders: Add a stylish edge to hardwood or laminate flooring by outlining the space with lighter or darker stained wood. You can rim the entire room with a wide swath of colour by installing a six-inch width or more of a different shade next to baseboards, or you can draw a fine line around the area by inserting one strip of a different wood shade about a foot or more from the wall.

With patterns: Another way to create down-to-earth drama is to draw a pattern in your wood floor. Classic herringbone remains in vogue, but there's also the option of crafting your own design. New trends include insetting strips of wood in a different shade (whitened with dark grey or black for example) to create large-scale grid or diamond patterns with stained wood floors. Or for kitchens, playrooms or dens, experiment with vinyl. Laid in wide stripes or large squares of varying colours, the budget-minded material is fun and functional.

As wall covering: Apply hardwood or laminate flooring to walls and presto: an instant feature wall. Whether you opt for smooth and glossy wood or rustic weathered boards; blond wood, cherry-hued or wenge; or install planks horizontally versus vertically, a focal point wall of wood flooring works wonders in the kitchen, bedroom, or in the living room surrounding a fireplace or flat-screen TV.

Add a little magic with carpet

Pull out a rug: Follow the lead of many an interior designer by cherry-picking area rugs to create focal points. They work well to delineate rooms, for example, by setting dining areas apart from living room spaces, whether laid on wood floors or on top of wall-to-wall carpeting. In neutral-hued rooms—yes, all-white and soft grey décor is trending strong again—there's nothing more dramatic than the splash of a vibrantly patterned or coloured rug laying front-and-centre. Don't be afraid to try the unexpected. Add texture, depth and a touch of artistry by cozying up a large kitchen or a high-ceilinged great room with a rug hung vertically, as a wall-hanging.

The message: Think outside the box when it comes to flooring. Consider the overall mood you want to achieve in your décor and then look at those laminate, ceramic, stone and hand-hooked products in a broader, more three-dimensional way. Go ahead, capture your own imagination.