There has been such a revival in patterned tile flooring recently.
It used to be the mainstay of Victorian houses — the sight of beautiful encaustic tiles, greeting you in the hallway— but then fell out of favour in recent years for plainer alternatives.
I did a little bathroom makeover quite recently and — although we haven’t actually changed the flooring yet — I began sourcing a replacement for the sad, tired carpet that’s currently on the floor.
I totally had my head turned by patterns and shapes — beautiful colour combinations — and fantastic substitutes to plain (and dare-I-say-it boring) floor-coverings.
In fact, just last week KA who blogs at Life As Our Little Family had shared her own bathroom makeover with our HomeEtc link up and what should I see?
MORE gorgeous patterned tile flooring!!
Yep. There’s a revival in full swing, alright.
But there definitely appears to be an emerging trend for similar patterns and prints in homeware across the board; it’s not just resigned to flooring.
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Patterned Tile Flooring, Walls & Fabric!
I’ve spotted quite a few beautiful Moorish inspired wallpaper designs recently. I’m not saying that a full — pattern on pattern — floor to ceiling pairing would be quite appropriate for modern day living in the UK but elements of it, here-and-there, is lovely and the perfect way to break up an expanse of plain colour, as illustrated by the image below.
I love seeing how a design, that’s generally used on a hard surface, translates to softer materials too.
These days you can even buy patterned tile cushions. The decorative nature of a tile print works so beautifully here. And if you’re a little too nervous to cover your walls in a tile print wallpaper — or go for patterned tile flooring — it’s a lovely way to bring a little of the exotic into your home.
I always love going to Portugal and seeing their beautiful patterned tiles.
Makes such a change to see gorgeous, decorative flooring too, rather than boring old grey or brown that is often favoured in the UK.
But did you realise that you don’t even have to go for a tiled floor to get the same effect?
But Are They Really Tiles?
I was having a look at the Carpetright website the other day and they’ve got some amazing patterned vinyl flooring.
The one above is on the roll vinyl.
Looks fabulous and you’d never guess — without closer inspection — that they weren’t imported tiles, shipped in from Morocco.
Patterned Tile Flooring on Pinterest
Pinterest is bursting with beautiful examples. But now, having seen the vinyl, it’s hard to work out what are actual tiles and what’s vinyl.
I’ve started a Pinterest board for decorative flooring inspiration. Pop along and have a peek.
Follow The Listed Home’s board Decorative Floors on Pinterest.
In any case.
Whether it’s original encaustic tiles or on the roll vinyl, it has to be preferable to tatty, carpet that has seen better days.
I think our bathroom carpet’s days are well and truly numbered ;)
Caro Davies is a former art-director turned writer and content-creator, and editor behind UK lifestyle blog The Listed Home. She writes about home-related topics, from interiors and DIY to food and craft. The Listed Home has been featured in various publications, including Ideal Home, Grazia, and Homes & Antiques magazines.
Love those tile patterned cushions – they’re unexpected but beautiful. Great way to bring the tile love into a small space or rental property too!
They’re so gorgeous aren’t they? She’s got some lovely prints and patterns but I think the tile ones are my favourite :)
so Caro – please tell me where I can get the tiles in the last image? I have trawled the internet and can’t seem to find any like them to buy! HELP!!
Hi Hannah!! I think the ones in the pic were from a US site but I have found a very, very similar tile, that will ship to the UK. Have a look at the Cement Tile Shop. Whilst not identical, they have some that are a really, really close match! :)