Geometric tiles in classic shapes, such as chevron, hexagon, stripes, honeycomb or octagon, are a great way to add style to your home's wall or floors. More intricate patterns reproduced on a single tile will always be more expensive than plain tiles. Here are a few tips to create style and accommodate just about any budget.
Tip #1. Create a pattern using plain or solid-color tiles using different standard formats. It's easy to create bold and unique patterns by mixing and matching less expensive plain or solid color tiles that would be less exciting on their own. Consider using field tiles from our Malibu and Yucatan lines. There are hundreds of glazes and the high-fired tiles can be used on walls and floors, inside and out - even in areas subjects to hard freeze thaws. Grit can also be added if slip resistance is a concern for commercial and wet areas.
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| Plain tile can be used to create patterns and interest like this tile rug |
Tip #2. Make a mosaic. You can create a mosaic-like effect with cement tile using simple patterns like our Traditional Geo #3 shown here.
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| The Geo 3 cement tile pattern creates a mosaic tile effect at a fraction of the cost. Shown here in Pearl Gray, Sky King, and Autumn Eve |
For an accent strip in your bath or kitchen, consider our Fragments line of easy-to-install, face-tape mounted mosaics. Fragments are colorful mosaic accent strips made from patterned cement tile. Available in four colorways - spring, summer, fall and winter - and in three formats (Small Squares, Large Squares, and Bar). We use a standard grout thickness of 3-4 mm on all formats.
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| Fragments are an easy way to add a mosaic accent strip |
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| Checkerboard pattern in Jet Black and Polk Gold provide color and style |
Tip #3. Blend glazes or colors using tiles of the same shape. Create a more complex and rich look by blending three or four colors. For a more organic look, blend the colors randomly. For a bold, contemporary design, you can run the colors in stripes or rows. A great example of creating a blend can be seen below with our Clay Arabesque Leon pattern, which uses three colors from our Malibu Ceramic Field Tile collection: Sea Foam Matte (#5503u), Mushroom Matte (7504u), and Winter Grey (#405c).
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| Clay Arabesque tiles in three glazes provide a rich look and are perfect for a backsplash. |
A more contemporary look can be created using any Rustic Paver and Tile in a square or rectangular format in using the Metro Blend. The soft neutral colors and earth tones in this blend are easy to work with. Shown here in a 3"-square format, the blend consists of equal parts Charley Brown, Natural Gray, and Charcoal.
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| Metro Blend from our Rustic Paver line uses soft, earthy neutral tones |
Tip #4. Add texture to the color blend for a vintage look and lots of variation in color. Take it a notch further with our Rustic Pavers and Arabesque cement tiles by adding texture to the color blend. I love the look of these 6" Arabesque Hexagon tiles in Normandy Cream. This vintage look is created by blending both color and texture in these hand-crafted cement tiles. This classy color combination is created using equal parts Cotto Gold, Cotto Dark, Cafe, and Tuscan Mustard. Pieces are then finished with standard (smooth), Limestone, Travertine or Luna texture.
It's important to remember that the most cost-effective tips will be to use standard tile formats, existing colors and glazes without texture. Avente has the resources, experience and skill to make your dream a reality. Contact us via email with your project timing, budget and design requirements. We will schedule a time to discuss options that meets your goals and budget.
