Six Winning Looks to Enhance Your Interior Design
Porcelain and ceramic tile come in many varieties. In this blog post, we’ll be covering the different looks available at Tilezz.com. You’ll learn about what each look is and how to style it. We’ll also provide some product recommendations to make it easier for you to discover the ideal tile to complete your interior design project!
1. Subway Tile
Subway tile isn’t anything new–it’s been popular for over 100 years now! The look first originated with the New York City subway system tiles. (Those tiles were made from glass rather than ceramic, unlike most subway tiles today.)
Ceramic subway tile is renowned for its timeless style and fantastic durability. By definition, a subway tile is a glazed ceramic tile with a rectangular shape. Traditionally, each subway tile measures three inches by six inches, and for the classic subway tile look, each row is laid horizontally with a 50% offset. However, today you can find subway tiles in many different sizes, installed in varying patterns.
Frequently used in homes and businesses, subway tile is simple yet impactful, and its classic look is easy to achieve. Many homeowners even choose to install it themselves rather than shelling out the cash to hire a professional.
You’ll often see subway tile used in kitchens and bathrooms as a backsplash material. Its durability makes it an excellent choice for a backsplash (learn more about backsplashes in our guide here) since it needs to protect the wall behind it from splatters and other forms of damage. But thanks to its simplicity and timelessness, subway tile is an incredible choice for many different interior design schemes.
If you love subway tile but want to create a fun variation of the classic look, try using ⅓ or ¼ offset rather than the traditional 50% or ½ offset. You could also create a horizontal or vertical grid without any offset, or for a challenge, form a herringbone pattern for an especially eye-catching design.
Subway tile is available in a wide range of colors and sizes, so it’s easy to find the tile that fits your vision. Below, find a few of our favorite subway tiles.
Subway Tile Product Recommendations
Chanelle Blue 3” by 12” Ceramic Subway Tile
Ice White Glossy 3” by 6” Ceramic Subway Wall Tile
Black Reverse Beveled 3” by 6” Matte Ceramic Subway Tile
2. Marble Look
Marble has been a symbol of luxury throughout history. But today, you don’t have to purchase genuine marble to get its look in your home or business. Modern technology has allowed us to duplicate marble’s characteristic veining so accurately that it’s nearly impossible to tell the difference between true marble and marble-look porcelain tile.
There are tons of advantages to selecting marble-look porcelain over actual marble. Porcelain can withstand outdoor climates, and it’s also waterproof. Plus, it’s resistant to fading, scratches, and stains.
Porcelain tiles with a marble look are a great addition to plenty of areas of the house: a feature wall, the shower, a tub surround, a kitchen or bathroom backsplash, a bathroom vanity, a kitchen countertop, a fireplace hearth, and a seamless floor, to name just a few.
Marble Look Product Recommendations
Bianco Venatino 12x24 Polished Porcelain Tile
Bronze Armani 48x48 Porcelain Tile
Flamen Blanco 2x2 Mosaic Porcelain Tile
What makes encaustic-look tile special is its unique beauty. Classic encaustic tile is manufactured from cement and compressed into tiles with patterned bodies in many different designs. However, our encaustic-look porcelain tile, which is made from clay and fired in a kiln, is nearly indistinguishable from authentic encaustic tile.
Today’s porcelain encaustic-look tiles are often better than the classic version because they are infinitely more durable. Plus, traditional encaustic tiles are porous, so you must reseal them regularly. On the other hand, porcelain encaustic-look tiles are fired and sealed before their pattern is printed on top.
Many people choose encaustic-look tiles for their interior design projects because they’re customizable and come in a vast array of colors. They can also be used indoors and outdoors, so they’re highly versatile. You’ll often see encaustic-look tiles used for fireplaces, patios, decks, bathroom floors, and kitchen backsplashes.
Encaustic Look Product Recommendations
Encaustic Look Eiffel Oval Green/White 8x8 Porcelain Tile
Encaustic Look Eiffel Shell Pink/White 8x8 Porcelain Tile
Encaustic Look Marrakech Diamonds 8x8 Porcelain Tile
4. Wood Look
Wood-look tile is simply porcelain tile made to look exactly like wood. The technology used for its manufacturing process is so advanced that it’s almost impossible to tell the difference between natural wood and wood-look tile! The level of detail used to create this porcelain tile is truly amazing and precisely imitates the wood grain of hand-scraped wood.
You can find wood-look tile in many sizes with varying lengths and widths. There are even uniquely shaped wood-look tiles on the market, as well as mosaic tiles. With wood prices currently on the rise in 2022, wood-look tile is often a less expensive alternative.
One of the advantages of wood-look tile compared to natural wood is that it can be used in any room without fear of water damage. A more extensive range of colors and styles is available with wood-look tiles than with real wood, and the tiles can be used both inside and outside. Plus, they’re extremely low-maintenance and more sustainable and eco-friendly than natural wood.
Wood Look Product Recommendations
Tahoe Taupe 8x48 Wood Look Porcelain Tile
Navona Brown 8x48 Wood Look Color Body Porcelain Tile
Tahoe White Oak 8x48 Wood Look Porcelain Tile
5. Wall Tile
Next up, we have wall tile. Wall tile refers to tile made of glass, stone, porcelain, or ceramic intended for wall installation. This tile can be standard size, mosaic, or large format. You’ll even find wall tiles with 3D designs, textures, and tons of different patterns, perfect for adding detail and visual interest to feature walls, backsplashes, shower walls, and more.
So, what’s the difference between wall tile and floor tile? There are two main variances that have to do with hardness and slipperiness. First, there’s the COF rating, or Coefficient of Friction rating. Floor tile has to have a certain level of friction in order for it to be safe to walk on; higher COF ratings indicate greater friction. Wall tile, on the other hand, can be as slick as glass because there’s no worry of anyone slipping, falling, and injuring themselves on it. Traction is a concern for floors, but not for walls.
The second difference between floor tile and wall tile is the PEI rating, which stands for Porcelain Enamel Institute rating. This refers to a tile’s durability and hardness ranging from Class 1 to Class 5. Class 1 is meant for areas that don’t get any foot traffic, whereas Class 5 refers to spaces that get heavy-duty foot traffic, such as in commercial buildings. A Class 1 rating is perfectly fine for wall tile, but for floor tile, you’ll need a higher rating to ensure the tile can stand up to the traffic it will receive.
Wall tile is an excellent way to give your home or business a fresh, new look. Today in 2022, wall tile is especially trendy. You can create patterns with multiple differently shaped and colored wall tiles; you can introduce contrast by using a dark grout color with light tile; you can create a feature or accent wall with textured wall tile, and so much more. Nowadays, tile isn’t just for kitchens and bathrooms anymore. It can be used in every room of the house!
Wall Tile Product Recommendations
San Fran Volga Blue Hexagon Ceramic Wall Tile
Seville Jade Green Ceramic 6x6 Wall Tile
St. Lucia Peach 5x5 Ceramic Wall Tile
Concrete-look tile is currently very trendy. It’s sophisticated and refined, and it offers up the look of concrete without the time-consuming, inconvenient installation and maintenance requirements of real concrete. Concrete-look tile is typically made from ceramic or porcelain, and it has many benefits: it’s waterproof, first of all, and it’s also resistant to scratches, stains, fire, and slipping.
You can create a very cool and contemporary look with concrete look tile. It offers plenty of versatility and convenience compared to real concrete. Plus, it’s more cost-effective as well. Concrete-look tiles come in many different sizes, tones, and finishes, so plenty of options are available.
Concrete-look tile looks impressive in homes with both modern and industrial interior design schemes. It’s also fantastic for minimalist designs, as well as transitional, eclectic, and Bohemian designs that mix classic and contemporary elements.
Concrete Look Product Recommendations
Skye Nero 12x24 Porcelain Tile
Industrial Blanco 3x12 Ceramic Subway Tile
Skye Beige 12x24 Porcelain Tile
Find Your Look with Tilezz.com
If you’re in search of tile for a home improvement project, look no further! The tile options featured in this lookbook are just a handful of the products that Tilezz.com offers. Not only do we have a massive selection to choose from, but we guarantee your order will ship out within two to three days. Plus, we have insured shipments, so you have zero liability for damaged tiles, and we also offer easy returns within 30 days. Find the tile to complete your dream home at Tilezz.com!