How to incorporate decorative tiles into your next interior design scheme
With so many tiles – of all shapes, sizes, colours and uses – now available on the market, it can be difficult to know where to start when it comes to choosing the right product for an interior design scheme. There are a number of important practical considerations when it comes to choosing tiles for a commercial project, from PTV rating to anti-bacterial properties and durability.
But of course, it’s important to also consider the aesthetic of the project and how a tile can complement this. When choosing a product based on the chosen style of a project, it’s easy to simply look at a tile for its individual features but here at CTD Architectural Tiles, we recommend looking at the bigger picture – in essence, the overall effect.
The diversity decorative tiles offer is a key reason that they remain a popular choice in the commercial sector, and they offer a fantastic solution for creating a standout interior space. In this blog, we’re offering guidance on the best ways to incorporate decorative tiles into an interior design scheme.
Floors and walls
One of the first things to consider when it comes to using decorative tiles is application. Will the design be more effective on floors or on walls – or even both?
Fortunately, decorative feature tiles are not only available in a wide range of designs, but also a wide range of applications, so it’s up to you to decide where they’ll be most impactful for the project.
The Victorian Heritage collection is a great choice for sophisticated decorative floor tiles while the Luca range offers striking options full of character for feature walls. Or, if you’re looking to create a fully immersive effect, the Affrescati starry sky tile is suitable for both floors and walls, and is guaranteed to leave a lasting impression on users.
Alternatively, if you’d like to subtly add character to a space but entire floor or wall spaces won’t work, using decorative tiles to emphasise features such as fireplaces can offer a compromise. Our recently-launched 3D Split Face range is already a popular choice for fireplaces and what’s more, the collection is available as part of our UK-held stock to help you deliver projects on schedule.
Sizes and shapes
Once the application of a tile has been decided, it’s time to get creative. A great way to incorporate decorative tiles into an interior design project is through the use of different sizes and shapes.
The popular Cementum range offers an ideal solution for using shape and size to create a decorative finish, for both floors and walls. Although tiles in this collection are available in several natural and neutral shades, they offer the chance to create a standout space thanks to their hexagonal shape and availability in nine sizes.
And if you’re feeling bold, the Scale and Jazz collections provide the opportunity to install a truly unique feature wall. Both collections utilise a fish scale shape, but while Scale focuses on texture, Jazz offers users a series of bold patterns that can be combined for a one-of-a-kind pattern.
Textures and effects
Scale is by no means our only example of decorative tiles that feature the use of texture for an eye-catching finish, and in fact, we’re proud to offer a variety of tiles with this feature resulting in a range of effects.
Different textures – or the appearance of different textures – on decorative tiles often plays on the interaction between the tile and light, and the resulting shadowing. This natural interaction is utilised in collections such as Luce and Bow.
The Marea range offers another design which still maximises the impact of texture. Tiles in this collection alternate between contrasting gloss and matt surfaces which also catch the light to create depth.
It’s important to consider the interaction textured tiles have with light when it comes to commercial interior design projects, as this can affect the perception of the size of the space, and different lighting can create different effects on the same tile. To find out more about this, read our blog about how tiles can be used to maximise lighting in hotels.
It’s always best to speak to the experts when it comes to ensuring a textured tile is right for an individual project, and our team is always happy to help.
Themes and concepts
When you think of decorative tiles, bright and colourful patterns on each individual tile probably comes to mind.
These eye-catching tiles remain popular across the commercial sector thanks to a huge variety designs, meaning there’s a collection for every project. Whether you’re looking to create a boho-themed room for a chic city centre hotel, travel-themed interior design for a Turkish-style spa, a nature-inspired café – or anything in between – you’ll never be short of choice.
Our top four picks for themed and conceptual decorative tiles are:
Borders and patterns
While ‘decorative tiles’ may evoke images of bold patterns, that doesn’t mean there are no alternatives for creating a similar effect with more muted tiles.
A simple, single colour tile with no pattern can in fact be used to create a striking yet subtle overall effect when used to create a border or other pattern. Monochrome is a popular choice when it comes to elevating simplicity through, for example, creating a border or logo pattern with black tiles on a wall comprising largely white tiles.
But this effect doesn’t have to be created using muted shades: borders and other patterns using bright, block colours is a great way to add personality to an interior design scheme through using ‘mix and match’ collections such as Zelij.
Whatever the style, budget and timescale of an interior design scheme, there’s a variety of decorative tiles to suit. If you’re feeling inspired for your next commercial interior design project, our team are happy to provide advice and guidance. To find out more about decorative tiles for commercial projects, contact info@ctdarchitecturaltiles.co.uk or call 0800 021 4835.