Tile Fireplace Design Tips

— Written by Bill Buyok, Avente Tile

As February comes to a close, so does this month’s focus on tiled hearths and fireplaces. Today I will share three tips that can help you achieve the best design for your tiled fireplace. Tile will dramatically alter the look of a fireplace and improve a room’s look and character for a modest cost. Most fireplaces need just a few tiles, so it’s one place you can splurge, get something you really love, and still not break the budget. 

A fireplace using hand-painted Spanish Tile

Design Rule #1 for Tiled Fireplaces: What’s your style?

Define your style and your home’s style before deciding what tile to use. Just because you love a tile doesn't mean it will work with the design and flow of your home. Do you like plain, solid color tiles or patterned tiles? Are you working with a rustic or contemporary design? Answer these questions, and then remember that fireplace designs falls into two categories:

1. Fireplaces that use only plain or field tile. 
2. Fireplaces that use pattern tiles and field tile or some other material, like a stone mantle.

You can add decorative tile as accents or create a pattern with plain tile using two or three different colors of tile. Decide what style suits your tastes and the style of your house.

Detail of hand-painted Spanish tile accents used for this fireplace

Choose patterns consistent with your style and textures that will enhance it. The rough, uneven surface of our handmade Rustic Pavers and Arabesque tiles, for example, impart a provincial  feel that works great for houses with a Spanish, Southwest or colonial design. Our hand-painted Yucatan field tile will evoke an Arts & Crafts feel when the right glaze color is used. For a more formal effect, look for tiles with a smooth surface and precise edges. Use lighter glazed tiles to brighten the area. Relief tiles are a great way to add texture. 

Hand-painted Spanish tiles create a rustic look

Decide on a color scheme and then start looking for tiles! Make sure to give the design aspects of the project proper attention. Take into account the scale, pattern, and texture of the tile.

Design Rule #2 for Tiled Fireplaces: Frame the Firebox

This handmade Yuna cement tile border frames the firebox

It may sound obvious, simple or overstated, but make sure your fireplace tile design works by framing the fire box. It’s pretty simple, the theme for our design is really about the fireplace – drawing attention, warmth and comfort to that one space to share with friends and family.

You can frame the fire box with a decorative border tile or patterned cement tiles. For plain tile installations, use molding, different color tile, or a different format. For instance, if you are tiling the fireplace in 6”x6” tiles, try using a 3”x3” tiles around the box. 

Sangria red plain tiles frame the fire box.

Take a look at the four design ideas below. Notice each one of them frames the  firebox even if other design elements like a tiled mural or panel are used. In Design #1, a border pattern of cement tile creates the frame. In Design #2, a decorative liner or border tile frames the fire box. 

Decorative Andalucia Spanish ceramic tiles create a border around the fireplace's firebox.

Similarly, a 6" deco tile was used in Design #3. Plain tiles in sangria red provide the detail for the final design.

1. Cement Tile Fireplace

2. Spanish Tile Fireplace

3. Spanish Tile Fireplace

4. Fireplace Tile Mural

Design Rule #3 for Tiled Fireplaces: Consider Scale

Scale your project to the size of the room and fireplace surface for balance. Tile size and pattern will drastically alter the fireplace’s appearance. The tile’s size needs to be in scale both to the size of the firebox and the room. The pattern on the tile, the tile layout (or how it is set), color and texture will create an atmosphere – make sure it’s the one you want.

 

A medallion using Celtic ceramic tiles provides subtle interest.

Frequently, folks love a certain tile pattern and want to use it for their fireplace. After ordering samples, they will give me a call and say it just didn't work. I’ll often ask, “Did you try it in a smaller format? That fireplace isn’t very big when you are trying to fit patterned and field tile.” Sure enough, the design works when the tile is the right scale for the fireplace. When working with patterned or decorative tile, it’s a good idea to look at patterns that are available in different scaled formats, like our Malibu, Barcelona, Spanish and Portuguese ceramic tile lines.

Cuban Heritage Border Tiles provide warm colors and a charming pattern.

If you want to tile your fireplace, keep these three tips in mind and you should be on your way to creating a design that you will love! I hope you enjoy our series of blog posts devoted to tile and fireplace design.

Design Ideas for Tiling your Fireplace!

Click Here to View!

Do you have a question about using tile for your fireplace or hearth? No problem! Leave your tile question in the comments section of this blog, and we'll happily answer any questions you may have.

Fireplace and Hearth Tile Design Posts

If you enjoyed today's post, then you might enjoy previous posts on tile fireplaces and hearths.

• Designing with Tile: Fireplaces & Hearths 
• A Tiled Fireplace Will Warm the Home All Year
• Four Fireplace Tile Design Ideas
• Cement Tile Fireplace Ideas 
• Spanish Tiles Create a Classic Look for Fireplace 
• Cement Tiles Work Well for a Fireplace Surround
• Tile Ideas for the Hearth

Designing with Tile: Fireplaces & Hearths

An ever-increasing back-to-basics philosophy is leading homeowners towards the path of refreshing and renewing the look of their living areas. Be it a fresh coat of paint, updated flooring, dramatic lighting, and so on, the need for a soothing environment trumps even the most prudent of budgets.

Happily, along with this desire for something new and different, fireplaces are also enjoying their place in the renewal process with the limitless decorative possibilities of handmade cement tile, porcelain tile, glass tile, ceramic tile, and mosaic tile.

An inviting fireplace with charming handpainted tiles

The increased awareness of tile’s long-lasting beauty has not only made kitchen and bathroom backsplashes a showpiece, but the same theory has held true for fireplace hearths and surrounds as well. With a surge in home remodeling projects and newly built homes, homeowners are looking for something different and more personalized to their taste, character and lifestyle. Designers, bloggers, and design-oriented publications have dutifully observed this trend, and have embraced the use of decorative tile fireplaces.

Tile offers flexibility to the architect and designer like no other material with its expansive color palette, sustainable properties, and timeless patterns and designs. Let's first look at handcrafted cement tiles, which provide both long life and distinctive beauty.

Using a gray-scale color palette, or any other monochromatic color scheme, creates a look that is understated, yet beautiful. Consider a two-tone color scheme (shown below) if you'd like to pair cement tile with natural stone. Although not one piece will stand out over another, all aspects of the space work together to create a cohesive design.

The gray and white tones of the Yuna traditional cement tiles frame this fireplace and perfectly coordinate with the marble hearth and mantle.

Further, the versatility of cement tile as a building material is not restricted solely to indoor spaces. You can transfer the same rich and silky feeling of cement tile to the outdoors where you and your guests can experience a new environment.

Remember, although cement tile can be used outdoors, it cannot be used in frosty environments. If your project is located where frost or freezing temperatures are common, then you should use a porcelain or vitreous tiles for your project. Here are some wonderful examples of indoor/outdoor tile fireplaces.

Outdoor living area with a fireplace featuring a ceramic tile Pomegranate mural.

Spanish style fireplace with imported ceramic tiles.
Image via Studio H Landscape Architecture.

The firebox was built off the floor so the fire could be visible from the bed.
Moroccan tile from Urban Archaeology. Image via House Beautiful.

A mid-century modern, two-sided fireplace featuring tile by Heath Ceramics.
Image via Apartment Therapy.

Hand-painted Albacete Spanish ceramic tiles are right at home with the terracotta floor pavers, stone molding and black granite mantle and bench.

Bruce Palmer Interior Design used glass mosaic tiles by Walker Zanger to create a contemporary fireplace. Image via Houzz.

Which type of tile would you use for your next indoor or outdoor fireplace or hearth project? Do you prefer to make your fireplace a focal point of the room, or would you rather it blend in?

- Written by Arpi Nalbandian, Tileometry

Spring into Summer with our Cement Tile Ideas

Handmade cement tiles are an easy-to-maintain product that not only offer deep colors and a rich history, but most importantly, they offer long-lasting beauty and extensive design possibilities for floors and walls. 

From bold tile patterns in contrasting colors or classic cement patterns in harmonizing colors, the resulting design is certain to transform the look and feel of any space. To that end, we’ve assembled dozens of image-filled cement tile projects and ideas onto our Design Ideas Portfolio.

With dozens of Cement Tile Design Ideas in our portfolio, we're sure you'll be inspired!

Our extensive portfolio of design ideas will show you how handmade cement tile can be used on floors, wall, ceilings, backsplashes, as a tile rug, wainscoting, mural, or in or around a water feature. Because of their natural slip-resistant qualities and versatility, cement tiles are perfect for flooring a bathroom, kitchen, dining room or outdoor patio.

Our Houzz Ideabooks offer a glimpse into the endless possibilities when designing  with handmade cement tile.

Additionally, we invite you to explore the world of cement tile via our Pinterest boards Cement tile floors/walls, and Cement Tile Rugs. Cement tiles are used all over the world in countries such as Cuba, France, Spain, Portugal and more. Our Houzz Ideabooks also offer various settings and applications for handmade cement tile.

Our Pinterest board featuring Cement Tile: Floors, Walls

Our Pinterest board featuring Cement Tile: Rugs

Creating a Custom Cement Tile

Creating a custom pattern takes time. There is time to work out the design of the pattern, choose the colors, and create virtual designs with options. Most importantly, you need time to decide what looks best and is right for you. Then, once the design is final, more work begins. A mold needs to be made for the pattern and a strike-off or sample tile is created using the mold. This allows you to verify the pattern, color, and design before a full-order.

So how much time does it take to make handmade cement tile? Once you have your colors and pattern picked out, it will take about six to eight weeks. For a fully customized handmade cement tile pattern and color options, the delivery time is much longer – up to several months. Here’s an example of the timeline for a fully customized cement tile pattern:

• 2-3 weeks - Pattern development in black and white with several iterations.
• 1-2 weeks - Color choice and placement with several iterations.
• 2-3 weeks - Create mold.
• 2-3 weeks - Create strike-offs and ship for approval.

Hopefully, you now have a better understanding of why it takes so much time, and the increased costs involved, in creating a custom handmade cement tile. Rest assured the end result of the time and effort of invested in creating a one-of-a-kind tile product is well-worth it! 

Have we inspired you? Where would you use our handmade cement tile?