CHOOSING THE RIGHT TILE
If you know me and you’ve been following for a while, then you know tile is one of my favorite materials to work with. It’s kind of because I worked in a Tile Kitchen and Bath Showroom for a couple of years on my design journey. There are so many options and combinations. To this day, there are still tiles I cannot wait to work with. Tile selection is so important because you want to choose a combination that flows with the natural style of your home. Now while your personal design style may lend itself towards traditional or eclectic, its important that your style shine through.
Here is an example of a tile that could work in a more traditional kitchen. This is a 1” x 2” white cermaic tile attached with a mesh backing (mosaic). Mosaics are pretty much the easiest tile to install. Each piece provides a lot of coverage, and the installation itself reduces the amount of spacers needed to complete the job.
Here is a more eclectic styled kitchen. While it features a traditional 3” x 6” subway tile. The bright colored tile makes the space feel more electic in style.
Now while your personal design style may lend itself towards traditional or eclectic, its important that your style shine through.
Tile is made with several different material types, including the man-made stones, like ceramic and porcelain. Then you have the natural stone tiles, like marble, travertine, granite, slate, onyx, and glass. While the natural stones’ beauty does not compare to the man-made stones, they require sealer and some maintenance. Durability is one benefit of choosing a porcelain stone over a natural stone. Porcelain can outlive your house and comes out at a much lower price point.
The current trend is the use of larger porcelain format tiles. Large format tiles are generally tiles larger than a 12”x 12” tile. I’m seeing them for bathroom wall options and for backsplash options. They provide a very seamless look making the overall design cohesive. The photo below features a 24” x 36” faux marble porcelain tile.
