How to Home – Selecting Tile for Kitchens and Baths

I feel strongly that tile is a great way to give kitchens and baths some personality.  These are two areas that are limited somewhat as to how to inject style unlike living rooms or bedrooms that have furniture, accessories, and textiles galore for personality.

Tile comes in all shapes, colors, materials and most importantly, budgets.  In a kitchen, I think it’s a great finish selection that has the opportunity to marry the different elements found throughout the space like cabinetry, color and texture; countertops, color tones, or installing something totally unexpected like an intricate mosaic or unusual material. 

A geometric pattern in natural stone, complimented the quartz countertop but tied together the two tones of the kitchen cabinetry and the dark charcoal of the double range helping create a really cohesive feel amongst all of the textures.

TIP: A cost saver that doesn’t skimp on style is mixing natural stone and ceramic.  I love using a great marble on shower walls, but then saving on the budget by using an interesting ceramic tile on the bathroom and shower floors.  The overall design looks well throughout and very rich.

I may not have the budget for a large amount of luxurious marble mosaics in every project so I try to find interesting ways to incorporate a touch of glam.  Clients wanted something dramatic in their home near the beach, so we added this waterfall of marble to highlight the bathtub area. A design risk that definitely paid off.

TIP: Use a higher end tile for impact.  I love adding a big design like an accent wall in the shower.

I love designing baths to have a calm and spa like feel.  I often use the same material but in different shapes and sizes throughout the bathroom.  Be it marble or ceramic, this is a great way to design the bathroom.  A 12×24 for the bathroom floor, a 6×12 for the shower walls, pebbles on the shower floor and maybe a piece or two of a great mosaic for the shower niche is really fun!

TIP: Have some fun with it!  We created these adorable “tails” for some special clients.  A whale for one, a mermaid for the other.  A flexible strip and a patient tile installer were key here!