Firmly cemented in the interior decorators’ playbook, patterned floor tiles can instantly elevate a room. These homes from the ELLE Decoration archives feature tiles that run the gamut from modern and graphic to classic period styles, all demonstrating how tiles can be used to introduce drama, pattern and colour without overwhelming a room.
The home with original Mallorcan tiles
When Tine Kjeldsen, interior designer and owner of lifestyle brand Tine K, renovated her family’s Spanish pied-à-terre she made the best sort of discovery when lifting up the tired lino flooring: original Mallorcan tiles. The traditional pattern proved to be the perfect counterpoint to the pared-back Scandi-influenced styling she deployed throughout the three-bedroom holiday home.
A black and white backdrop in the south of France
‘Somewhere between graphic and Mediterranean,’ is how artistic director Edward Mitterrand describes the style of designer India Mahdavi, whose monochrome tiles for Bisazza create a bold backdrop to this French villa’s vibrant furnishings.
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A contemporary twist in an English country pile
Designer Henri Fitzwilliam-Lay riffed on the classic checkerboard tile in this country kitchen with a custom blue and rust-coloured design from Mosaic Del Sur. ‘The pattern is traditional but the vibrant colourway gives it the contemporary pop we were after,’ she says.
The bathroom decorated with bespoke tiles
Custom jewel-toned tiles from Popham Design spill out from the shower cubicle across the floor of this vibrant bathroom in the home of designer Mardi Ola. The converted warehouse is airy and bright, allowing plenty of opportunity for the designer to deploy her signature use of colour and print.
A lino alternative in a London home
One of the first things the team at Owl Design did when renovating this London apartment was to remove the wooden floors and lay down shiny Marmoleum (a modern, more eco-friendly alternative to linoleum). It features a bespoke geometric design that echoes the look of graphic tiles or terrazzo and is a nod to Memphis style.
The vibrant dining nook in a London home
Design studio MariaGroup is renowned for its use of beautiful, custom-designed encaustic tiles, specially made in Lebanon by BlattChaya. In the breakfast area of this London home designers Georges and Michèle Maria paired a vibrant star-burst pattern with an oxblood table which is one of their bespoke designs.
The indoor/outdoor tiles in a London home
MariaGroup also used custom BlattChaya tiles in this Chelsea home. The jaunty red pattern creates a connection between kitchen and terrace (which was created by British landscape designer Alexander Hoyle) resulting in a seamless indoor/outdoor living space.
The Wes Anderson-inspired home in New York
Michael Chen, architect and founder of studio MKCA, used these colourful cement tiles in varying shades to zone the basement level of this Brooklyn townhouse. The homeowners are huge Wes Anderson fans, and the colour palette is a nod to both this and the ‘gleeful embrace of colour’ that defines this home.
The apartment with floor-to-ceiling pattern
‘We wanted to take these incredible floors and balance them with modern elements,’ says Giuseppe Minaldi, co-founder of Studio Gum, of this apartment in Modica which boasts original cementina tiles. They paired the graphic floors with larger-than-life wallpaper from Fornasetti and a tropical mural design by Ananbô.
The Arts & Crafts tiles that inspired an entire home
These original Edwardian floor tiles inspired the entire palette of this London home. Designer Tiffany Duggan picked out shades of mustard, beige, pink and blue and subtly introduced them into each room – ‘It was nice to be able to use all of those colours, but in a different scale and pattern,’ she says.
