Patterned Tiles

There was a time when patterned tiles – or at least tiling arranged into patterns – was simply the normal option when covering a wall or floor. Then everything went minimalist and they all but disappeared. But this story has a happy ending, because patterned tiles are well and truly back in style, and we have to say, they are more beautiful than ever. Many patterned tiles are inspired by the extraordinary designs of the European and African Mediterranean – especially Spain, Italy, Greece, Morocco, Lebanon, Algeria – and these designs are begging to be joined together to make wonderfully striking areas of beauty. Some of the inspiration is a little closer to home; you can see echoes of Victorian grandeur and domesticity in some of the patterns; you’ve probably walked on similar floors in classic precincts, museums, galleries and plazas around the UK. An exciting trend is to get a vintage tile look by mixing and (possibly) matching different types of tiles randomly to create a low-key artisanal zone that’s always a conversation starter. Whether you go completely random or make an attempt to colour-match your tiles is up to you, but if you choose the latter we can help you, with sets like the Casablanca Mix or Tapestry Black to give unity of colour in amongst the unpredictability. Need some more information? View our buying guide.