Cement Tile Patterns for Patios and Floors

By Bill Buyok, Avente Tile

Cement tile floors for outdoor patios or indoor living spaces allow you to create unparalleled visual appeal using patterns together with the colors of your choice. Here are a few recent projects that I've been working on with customers. Each project shows how cement tile is being used to create flooring that is both personal and unique.

Celebrate summer and be reminded of the cool water at the seashore with the Wave pattern by Tania Marmolejo from our Artist Series.

Cement tile floor pattern using Wave in Stormy Blue and White

Desiring a casual look for their floor, one of our Southern California customers chose the hip, contemporary and stylistic Wave pattern. Selecting their own colors, Stormy Blue and White from the Heritage Palette, they customized the pattern for their design at no additional cost. Durable and easy-to-maintain, cement tile is a great choice for floors. Not only is the look cool, casual and comfortable; but, the silky feel of polished cement tile on bare feet is a perfect choice for an outdoor patio or bathroom. The larger 10" x 10" cement tile format laid from wall to wall without a border. provides eye-catching appeal for contemporary homes.

Capitalizing on California's great year-round weather, many of the state's homes wrap around a backyard patio that can be accessed from the bedroom, kitchen and living areas. A customer in Santa Monica has a traditional Spanish-style home with a central back patio. She wanted to tile the back patio and establish a casual, contemporary look that would work with the home's traditional architecture. She achieved her vision by using the Union 1A pattern by Tania Marmolejo, also from our Artist Series.  

Union 1A pattern from Avente's Artist Series of Cement Tile

To achieve a slightly more traditional feel for this outdoor patio, the pattern was framed to make a rug using Ash Grey. The area outside the rug will be filled with Dark Shadow. Both Ash Grey and Dark Shadow are colors from within the pattern. The interlocking circle pattern plays well with the classic Moorish-inspired, Spanish theme of the home's architecture. The soft and dark grey color palette is easy to work with and complements the existing design.

Another Avente customer wanted to maintain a traditional, slightly more formal look for their entry hall. Working with patterns and colors from our Mission cement tile collection, they created a complex tile rug pattern with a border. However, since the rug will be laid in a polished, cut, poured concrete slab, only two colors from the grey-scale were used.

Cement tile rug created using New Castle pattern with Queen Border in Charcoal and Grey

Moreover, our same customer also liked our Cuban Heritage CH110-2B and choose the pattern for a different area of their home. The popular CH110-2B Cuban Heritage cement tile pattern uses shades of blues, grays, and dark brown. Unfortunately, the customer didn't have any blue in their existing design, so they changed the pattern colors and substituted Cana Green for Royal blue in the pattern.

Cuban Heritage Design 110-2B Cement Tile. Cana Green has been substituted for Royal Blue

As you can see, designing with cement tile is fun and personable. I can't wait to see the installation photos from these customers after their tile is delivered and installed. These recent projects from our customers illustrate how flexible cement tile is with any decor or environment. You can create flooring designs for outdoor spaces, such as patios and walks, or interior spaces such as entries and kitchen floors. Cement tile works with the existing architectural elements from traditional to contemporary. You can use our existing designs and colors in the catalog, modify the colors in the pattern, or mix or match patterns and borders to make your home your castle. The choice is yours!

Feeling inspired? Want to learn more about cement tile design, cement tile flooring, cement tile patterns, and see installations? Let us help! Visit our Cement Tile Information Center.

Visit our Cement Tile Information Center

Cement Tiles Exude Warmth, Flexibility in Master Bath Redesign

By Bill Buyok, Avente Tile

Nothing excites me more than seeing a customer's installation photos. Readers of this blog know that I love color and pattern. Needless to say, I was thrilled when a customer from La Crescenta, CA called to order more tile. She was also gracious enough to send me installation photos from her previous order. As you can see, the showy bathroom uses one of our boldest, most colorful cement tile patterns, Melilla.

Melilla Cement Tile in Master Bath

Not only did the customer embrace color and pattern, they also combined cement tile with mosaic wall tiles. With the addition of exquisite fixture details, this master bathroom is nothing short of jaw-dropping. What's more, this is a truly unique look that speaks to the homeowner's attention to detail and passion for design.

Rich cement tile patterns in warm tones play off the cool blue patina of the vanity.

View of the vanity and cement tile floor from the walk-in shower.

Cement tile rug with warm mosaics show how well
patterned cement tile can coordinate with other tile styles.

Shower bench adorned with Melilla cement
 tile and plain cement tile in terracotta

The use of traditional cement tile rugs, with full pattern flooring and more contemporary mosaic wall tile, show how cement tile can adapt and work with just about any style or theme. Another way to mix-up a design is to use warm colors in a bathroom.

Conversely, blues, aqua, turquoise and cobalt are also a sensory-pleasing choice for a bathroom because of the water metaphor. I really love seeing a pool's sideboard tile in a fire red, and the warm color choices used in this bathroom. You feel the energy and can't help but feel awake and alive!

Cement tile rug surrounded in terracotta-colored plain cement tile.

Pattern floor tiles are run to the edge of the room in the master bath. However, a traditional cement tile rug is used in the shower. Both are paired with terracotta-colored cement tile and small-format mosaic wall tile. Mixing up design style and techniques really work because the color palette flows together flawlessly. No easy task considering different vendors provided the other tiles and furnishings.

Running the pattern to the edge works well.

Also notice the appropriate use of negative space and white walls. Good design has to allow for this especially when using a rich, color pattern.

The Traditional Melilla pattern in our standard catalog colorway has a dizzying array of colors that makes it difficult to work with; however, that is also what makes it so bold and exciting when used with the right color choices.

Melilla Cement Tile Pattern - Field, Border, & Corner

• Heritage Golden Ocre
• Heritage Powder Blue
• Heritage White
• Heritage Pearl Gray
• Heritage Light Salmon
• Heritage Fire Brick
• Heritage Dark Roast
• Heritage Terra Cotta
• Heritage Veridian

View additional colors available within the Heritage Cement Tile Palette here.  

Kudos to our customer for creating such a warm, rich and tantalizing bathroom with Avente's cement tile. Who wouldn't want to be in this bathroom? I just love everything about it!

Cement tile rug, pattern tile and plain cement tile work exquisitely together.

Feeling inspired? Want to see more cement tile design ideas, installations, and inspiration? Let us help with our design ideas.

See More Cement Tile Design Ideas

Vintage Tile Tour of Original Los Angeles Spec House

By Bill Buyok, Avente Tile

Recently, I had a rare opportunity to tour a house with tiles installed in almost every room including some stunning tile murals and Royal Delft decorative tiles. Located in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles, the home tour was arranged by Joe Taylor and Sheila Menzies of The Tile Heritage Foundation for a collector. The small, unassuming corner lot house is a treasure trove of original Dutch cloisonné tiles and mural from the 1920s.

A resplendent Art Deco tile fountain

As soon as you pass the entry gate, you know this is no ordinary home. You are immediately greeted by an Art Deco fountain in the courtyard. Created entirely of tile on a concrete base, every detail is tiled including the spitting-fish fountain heads and intricate bead-work molding and trim.

Spitting-fish fountain tiles and exquisite beaded trim tiles are part of the Art Deco-tiled fountain design.

Open the mahogany door and dappled light spills onto this glazed tile mural in the entry. The mural exhibits rare craftsmanship because the glazing appears to have the same detail of a hand-painted oil painting.

Tile mural in the foyer of the 1927 Los Angeles spec house.

Our host, and owner of the home, Robert Smaith, explains the home was originally the spec home for all the homes built in the area. It's where home owners would go to select tiles and other finishing details for their home. Once you enter the home, you can't help but notice the beautiful tiled fireplace.

Tile fireplace with Royal Delft cloisonné accents.

Hound and Stag cloisonné tile is the focal point of the fireplace.

Dutch cloisonné tile is enveloped with trim and field tile.

Joe Taylor, whose encyclopedic knowledge of tile and tile history is impressive, explains that Royal Dutch cloisonné tiles were only made by one factory in The Netherlands. The process, which uses a mold to keep the glaze colors from mixing, is not all that different than how cement tiles are made. Of course, cloisonné tiles must be fired; but, the mold forms the patterns and maintains the colors in the decorative tiles you see.

Moving along to the sunny south-facing breakfast nook, I was amazed by the small format mosaic on the floor and the stunning murals of Montserrat. According to our host, the owner's of the tile factory had a home on the Caribbean island.

Breakfast nook mosaic floor and tile walls include a mural.

One of two murals in the breakfast nook featuring a landscape of Montserrat.

The floor-to-ceiling tiled kitchen includes some amazing tile work that I have never seen before, including a tiled pantry, bread-making pull-out, and a California cooler.

The kitchen includes floor-to-ceiling tile.

A tile pantry with pull-out bread-making counter.

Tiled California Cooler

A tiled mural from a Dutch painting graces the area above the sink in the laundry room.

Next week, I'll finish this fantastic tour with a glimpse of the  master and guest bathrooms, more Royal Delft cloisonné tile, and a tiled telephone niche. If you love historic tiles, then this is a rare chance to see some of the most well-preserved tile trends from 1920s vintage Los Angeles.

Cuban Tile Makes Grand Entrance for Resort Hotel

By Arpi Nalbandian, Tileometry

The above commercial installation of Cuban cement tile uses a classic rug design in rich, warm colors.

The hypnotic pattern of our Cuban Heritage Design 110-3B 8x8 handmade cement tile features prominently in this resort's airy and grand entry. Nestled between architectural elements of arches and columns, this handmade cement tile rug, which features an original Cuban tile pattern and a polished finish, will withstand decades of high foot traffic with proper care and maintenance. Not only is it beautiful, but it adds to the sustainability factor with its long lifecycle.

Cuban Heritage Design 110 3B 8" x 8" Handmade Cement Tile.

Looking closely at the 110 3B cement tile pattern, you can see and appreciate the subtlest of details and the artisanal touches that went into making this tile. The tiniest nuances are accentuated with color and/or flowing decoration. Coupled with details and precision, handmade cement tiles are unlike any other flooring choice.

The colors used in this pattern, from our Heritage Cement Tile Color Palette include:

Radiance	Pecan Pie
White	Ash Gray	Steel Blue

Tips for Creating a Cement Tile Rug

The key to creating a long-lasting, successful cement tile rug installation is planning, and a good sketch or drawing done to scale showing the placement of the tiles. Here are some tips to get you started. For more information or advice, visit our page on How to Create a Cement Tile Rug Design:

• Use the same size border tile as field tile. It makes the installation and layout much easier.
• If you choose to use border tiles that are a different size from your field tile, your rug width and length must be a multiple of both tile sizes to avoid unsightly cuts in the border pattern. Don't run the border to the edge of the room.
• Allow for at least one or more rows of solid colored field tile outside the border.
• Center the rug in the main area of an irregularly shaped hallway or entry.
• An extremely level surface is critical for any cement tile floor installation.

Handcrafted cement tiles are capable of grabbing the attention of anyone who enters your home or establishment from the moment your guests walk in. Read more about How to Create a Cement Tile Rug Design.

For more information about cement tile selection, customization services, or available sizes, shapes and more, please see our new Guide to Buying Handmade Cement Tile.

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Autumnal Musings

"I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house." — Nathaniel Hawthorne

The trees have begun to shed their coats of leaves in preparation for their winter hibernation. With their shades of green, gold, orange and brown, we seem them fluttering onto the streets and lawns in the same way a child goes down a playground slide.

Autumn is a curious season where we take joy in Mother Nature's last hurrah until the awakening in Spring. The same sentiment holds true for upcoming remodeling or redesigning projects. Now is the perfect time to place your order for those Cuban cement tiles you've been eyeing for your patio, kitchen, bathroom, entry, and more. Add customization services, and you'll be all set for your project, with the tiles in hand and ready to be installed.

Just like Mother Nature, every good thing takes time. Handmade cement tiles are just that — handmade. Because of the Old World techniques our manufacturers still employ, some things just can't be, and shouldn't be, rushed.

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Save on Spanish Cadiz Tile

Our hand-painted, Cadiz Spanish tile makes a bold design statement when used for a kitchen backsplash or stair risers.
Our Spanish Cadiz 6"x6" Ceramic Tile is part of our extensive Spanish Ceramic tile collection. The pattern is created using traditional Majolica glazing techniques and each tile is hand-brushed by the artist.

Brighten your home with the warm gold and deep blue in this Spanish ceramic tile. This month only, we're offering 10% off any Cadiz 6"x6" purchase made. Discount applies only to stock on hand. You must place your order over the phone and mention the "FALL" coupon code at the time of purchase.