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The Patterned Tile Floor Revival
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 and — although we haven’t actually changed the flooring yet — I began sourcing a replacement for the sad, tired carpet that’s currently down.
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.
There’s a revival in full swing, alright.
Companies such as Bert & May, Mandarin Stone and Claybrook Studio offer a plethora of patterned floor tile options. In literally every colour under the sun.
If you want a patterned tile floor, you’ll be literally spoilt for choice.
A Patterned Floor Tile on Every Surface?
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.
This love affair with a patterned floor tile transcends floor coverings too. I’ve spotted quite a few beautiful Moorish-inspired wallpaper designs recently.
And, whilst I’m not suggesting that a full — pattern on pattern — floor-to-ceiling pairing would be quite appropriate for modern-day living in the UK. Elements of it, here and there, are 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 bit of sunshine into your home.
I always love going to Portugal and seeing their beautiful patterned tiles.
It 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?
Patterned Tile Floor Is On a Roll
But what if you’re not in the market for a genuine patterned tile floor? The tiles can be costly but you’ve also got to consider the subbase before they can be installed.
Fear not. There are fantastic, budget options for a patterned floor tile that don’t require grouting!
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 Floor Tiles on Pinterest
Pinterest is bursting with beautiful examples. But now, having seen the vinyl, it’s hard to work out what is actual tiles and what’s vinyl.
I’ve started a Pinterest board for decorative flooring inspiration. Pop along and have a peek.
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.
This post was first published on 26 February 2016.
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.
I especially like the tiled effect flooring in the bathroom. What beautiful colours and it makes a difference to the normal sort of bathroom floors you get. Thanks for hosting Caro x
Me TOO! If we didn’t have such wonky floors in our ensuite, I’d like some in there! I’m just not sure how they’d lay it as the floor beneath has to be totally flat. Am on a mission to find out if it’s possible to get some fitted xx
I have always loved a bit of pattern…who am fooling I love lots of patterns. The cushions are lovely, I have so many photos of tiles from my Portugal trip I was going to frame them but I am wondering if I could do something a bit more exciting now
Ohmygoodness — YES!!! You could create a pattern and get some fabric printed by Contrado — or similar — and make some of your own cushions!!! SO exciting!
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! :)