I have been thinking about tiles lately. Some people dream about beach getaways, or new cars –but me, I’ve got tiles on the brain.
I am working on a complete renovation of a master bath. That, of course, would include tile and arguably one of the most important design choices for any bathroom. My bathroom is, well, was all original 1920’s tile. Sadly, the tile was too damaged to re-use. I still wanted to pay some respect to the era so I knew I didn’t want to replace it with tile that was too sleek modern or super glam.
If you have had a tiling project lately you are aware of the ocean of amazing color, texture, design choices. Oh the fun I could have designing a room with this popping green!
Truthfully, I could just linger around a tile store for hours. It’s my version of jewelry. But since I don’t have hours to spend just browsing and dreaming, I decided to get some help. I turned to the professionals at Harkey Tile & Stone to help me make some choices.
While a subway or hexagon tile is still a classic option, penny tiles, glass tiles and terra cotta tiles are big right now.
I had an idea of using a trending type of patterned cement tile.
This tile comes in beautiful contrasting black and white swirling and floral patterns, or with pops of color. I just loved this tile.
What I didn’t know at first, however, was that the concrete tiles have extra steps in the installation process and might add to the cost of the project. Lucky for me the pattern I preferred was in a porcelain tile. These tiles paired with natural woods look just fabulous and have a modern farmhouse vibe.
There are no real rules for choosing tile but if budget is a consideration:
If you are installing the tile outdoors, there are weatherproof and slip resistant options. For the kitchen, there are some great scratch resistant tiles. More delicate hand painted tiles are good on a statement wall.
Here’s another a handy tip I came across: Avoid using large-format tiles in the bathroom. Unless you have a super-sized bathroom, keep bathroom tiles to 4 inches square or smaller. That’s because there are usually a lot of things to work around in a bathroom like toilet, pipes, cabinets etc. and the more tile you have to cut to fit a project the more it impacts the overall look.
Sometimes, the design that you wish to achieve has more to do with the pattern you lay the tiles out in than the tiles themselves. Laying the tiles can be an entirely separate element for the design of a room.
Tiles can add a pop of color or create a statement. They can create a calming vibe or a modern ambiance. What can you imagine?