Today’s decor trends are intermixing! It’s no longer about straight-up traditional design, eclectic bohemian or industrial homes anymore, but rather, a fusion of motifs to create unique spaces that reflect your personality! These interior design hybrids have popularized new styles like tribal Zen, industrial farmhouse or Spanish country meets. Sounds fancy, right? Needless to say, at this level of design, the art of coordination gets tricky! You have to know how to incorporate bold tile patterns and colors in interior design.
Bold, dramatic, graphic - adding a dynamic and eye-catching detail with bold tile can be as easy as following these steps! We love this striking geometric vanity tile wall with our newest Deco Glass Mosaic Tile
The basics of statement making in home design
Making a statement in home decor isn’t as simple as having an impulse moment with your design! You have to plan how all the elements will come together - from bold tiles to bright colors to unique accent pieces. Without a clear vision in place, the end result could create more headache than harmony. We’re sharing some of our essential tips for designing around statement pieces and building materials to create a cohesive space that’s interior decorator approved!
How to design with bold tile
When done right, designing an eye-catching focal point in your home should create an “ah” moment — not a “huh?” moment. To set you on the right path, we’ll review some basic design principles for using bold tile, including incorporating textures, eye-catching patterns and dramatic details.
Let’s start with something simple: designing an accent wall.
Creating an Accent Wall for a Bold Interior Design
An accent wall or “feature wall” stands out from the surrounding walls in the room. It might be designed with a different paint color or tile pattern as a way to draw the eye.
The purpose of an accent wall is to break up the flatness of the space with an expressive, eye-catching visual. The secondary purpose of an accent wall is to showcase an important spot in the room, like a television area or vanity counter.
You can also give your bathroom a fresh new face with a shower accent wall that combines vibrant colors and creative patterns!
Check out this bold tile for a shower remodel, as shown by Domino Magazine. We love the Moroccan-inspired blue and white tile featuring a traditional pattern of stars and florals. Balance this design with white walls and floors, and for contrast, consider furnishing with metallic accents like a bronze shower head. If you tend towards more classic design, it’s a great way to incorporate a bold tile statement with a pop of color in a white bathroom design.
How about something more colorful? This Spanish Mosaic tile features a traditional pattern you’d see in any vintage home in Barcelona. With its vivid colors and details, you’ll bring a timeless touch of culture to your space!
To incorporate a tile like this one in a cohesive interior, you need to balance the complexity of the pattern with plain cabinetry and other furnishings. Consider a Carrara marble countertop and light wood cabinets such as Birch or Knotty Maple to play off the warmer colors in the stone mosaic tiles.
Add a Focal Point with a Dynamic Backsplash Tile
A backsplash is the wall area behind your sink or stove — the perfect space for an accent tile! Although subway kitchen backsplash tile has become the standard go-to, it can be more fun to break up a classic pattern and make a bold statement.
If you love the classic look of a ceramic subway tile kitchen backsplash but want to amp up the impact, this colorful glazed La Riviera Blue Reef tile is a great way to go! A vertical stack pattern is a modern way to set this timeless tile while the glossy indigo blue surface amplifies natural light.
Colorful glass tile works wonderfully as an accent! The glossy surface reflects light which makes the room feel bigger and brighter. It’s also a great pick for a backsplash which is aptly named because it’s one of the surfaces that you most frequently need to wipe down. Even the most intricate glass pattern is simple to clean and less porous than natural stone - making it a great option for a dramatic detail in a wide range of colors!
Whether you go for a full kitchen wall in Red Foil Glossy And Frosted Hexagon Glass Mosaic Tile or just use it behind your stove, it’s a great way to bring character to your space!
When you’re adding an eye-catching tile detail to your interior you want to make sure you coordinate the rest of your design!
This blue gemstone patterned glass tile, for example, is paired with navy blue cabinets and a white marble counter to match the hues in the tile. Although monochrome colors like white, grey or charcoal cabinets would also match, the look feels most cohesive by avoiding the earth tone family (brown, beige or mahogany). These colors are too warm and would clash with the blue tiles. Picking up tones present in the agate slice pattern of of the inkjet-printed glass tiles creates a color scheme that you can work from for paint, fixtures, and finishes!
How to design with a bold pattern tile
When you’re working with an eclectic tile pattern, you The idea is to let the tile make a statement, while allowing other elements (textures, patterns and colors) to speak the same language.
Our aluminum and vinyl peel and stick tile combines a classic picket shape with a black, silver, and gray palette - that color scheme in a highly varied pattern becomes the dominant detail in this modern bathroom vanity wall - the frameless mirror, minimalist sink, and blonde wood countertop all support the primary design - the tile wall!
Another example of letting the tile pattern lead the way! Our Blue Deco Fan Glass Mosaic tile created an Art Deco-inspired accent wall for this stunning bar - the blue and chrome stools picked up the primary colors in the frosted glass and metallic tile while the marble slab bar top added some natural stone veining in a neutral color that tied everything together!
The Impact of Patterns in Design
Looking to get creative with your patterned interior decor? Incorporating prints can be trickier than focusing on bold colors because patterns introduce something more complex: the element of culture!
Patterns come from all different places and time periods: Celtic knots from Ireland, Aztec chevrons from ancient Mexico, gold florals from the Baroque era (now known as the Versace pattern). When using a patterned tile, you want to be thoughtful about how you incorporate them with other design themes in the room.
Although it’s great to mix tile patterns with decor from different regions and time periods, you need to consider the overall message they create. For example, if your living room has cozy bohemian flavor like Aztec art and throw pillows, you want to choose patterns that pair well with the textiles, like a neutral marble chevron tile for your fireplace facing.
To simplify this craft, we’ll review how to incorporate bold tile patterns with other continental themes — without clashing!
Japanese tile: Zen Minimalism
Zen minimalism is defined by a no-clutter zone that invites peace and spirituality. It’s all about channeling positive energy, also known as “Chi” in Chinese or “Qi” Japanese. This style has become especially popular lately thanks to the KonMarie method popularized by Marie Kondo - the art of tidying up can give us greater insight into enjoying our space!
The designer incorporates many patterns and textures in this black, white, and gold modern living room, yet still manages to make the feature wall work cohesively.
The Kasai Notte tile which accents the fireplace combines a burnt wood texture with cracked gold lines. Visually, it all makes sense: the charcoal color of the porcelain tile blends with the tones in the carpet and surrounding artwork. Plus, the gold metallic lamp picks up the gold lines in the tile. Keeping to the Zen motif, there’s calmness and simplicity in the minimalist black furniture: the black chair and shelf console.
Since every feature is connected to another element in the room, everything is balanced!
Spanish meets Mediterranean Style
This gorgeous trend also appeals to the rich and famous! Architectural Digest’s tour of supermodel Kendall Jenner’s home showcased her affinity for dramatic details that provided the perfect counterpoint to her cozy style
Kendall Jenner’s interior aesthetic can be best described as a Spanish spin on a vintage farmhouse — mixed with contemporary influences. At this advanced level of design, her design team was not only thinking about blending different patterns, colors and textures, but also elements from various cultures that Kendall encountered on her travels.
Kendall Jenner's Home Tour on Architectural Digest
Her pool bathroom is a great example of how her team used tile to make an impact! We see the Spanish colonial style with the Victorian mirror, antique gold faucet and of course, those gorgeous zellige-style ceramic tiles. Cleverly, her designer adds in an industrial style sconce — and funny enough, it doesn't feel misplaced. Although its contemporary, its bronze texture fuses seamlessly with the other earthy colors and textures.
You can achieve a similar look with the La Riviera Quetzal tile. Its stunning jewel tone color is enhanced by a semi-gloss finish and unique texture has a handcrafted artisan appeal. You can use this bold tile to recreate Kendall Jenner’s bathroom or as a colorful kitchen backsplash!
Incorporating an Accent Color
A fun splash of color brings zest to any interior! Whether it’s a glossy glass subway tile backsplash, a glazed ceramic tile, or the beautiful tones of natural stone, tile is a creative way to incorporate creative color into your interior design!
Let’s consider some examples of how to incorporate bold color tile into your space!
Polished glass tile is a great way to make a statement! Glass designs come in a wealth of colors, like our Springhill Green tile pictured - the 1” x 1” square mosaic tile pieces are a fun way to add vibrant green to your kitchen tile backsplash or design a colorful shower! We love how it looks with natural wood details for this colorful cottage kitchen, creating a juxtaposition between in your face color and organic details. If leaf green isn’t your color, you can choose cobalt blue, turquoise, orange, or gray - the possibilities are endless with glass!
A purple accent wall in your bathroom perks up the space for a fresh design! Create this statement tiles bathtub surround with Purple Foil Glossy and Frosted Mosaic tile, featuring a checkered pattern of frosted and polished glass. Each piece contains dynamic flecks of foil to add eye-catching detail and a hint of shimmer. The royal purple color instantly gives your bathroom a dramatic lift but careful not to go overboard with lots of other primary colors. Pair this colorful glass tile with a purple vase or artwork to create harmony. You could also use neutral details or a splash of gold to complement the vibrant hue.
What if you want to incorporate a bold color in a different aspect of your design? We love how this dramatic dark kitchen used dark wood cabinets - the moody effect is balanced out by pairing the dark wood stain with Silver Diamond Glass Mosaic Tile. The luminous backsplash picks up the tones in the brushed nickel cabinet pulls and drawer handles while amplifying natural light in the kitchen and balancing out the espresso wood finish of the cabinets!
Bold metallic tile
Metallic design elements are all about luxury and edge. There are some guidelines on matching to help mixed metallics not look too flashy or overdone.
Generally, warm metallics like gold, copper, and brass are combined with other metallic details in the same color family. For instance, the Calacatta Gold and Brass tile in this bathroom vanity backsplash features glowing diamond shapes that match with the brass soap dispenser.
Although this complementary design concept works flawlessly, let’s be honest: rules were meant to be broken! That’s why contemporary design themes are more lenient about mixing warm and cool metallic shades like silver or stainless steel.
A great way to cohesively combine different metallic shades is to mix up the finishes! Here’s an example: if you’re creating an industrial kitchen design with this Stainless Steel Penny tile as a backsplash, you can pair the brushed metal tiles with a matching finish in your fixtures or mix it up with polished metal accents in the same silver hue!
Bold modern tile accents
If you love modern art, this abstract tile concept is for you!
This kitchen wall makes a vivid statement, showcasing a geometric effect with a range of blue triangles. Yet, if you look closely, these porcelain tiles have a wood-like finish which adds an interesting texture.
The designer used that texture as a jumping off point for the blonde wood furniture that adds a Scandinavian design element to the patterned accent wall. This choice allows the wood-like grooves in the Melange Blue tile to match the natural texture of the Oak chairs and table. The pendant style light fixture has an angular shape which echoes the triangles in the accent tile wall, bringing everything full circle!
You can achieve stunning results with bold tile in your interior design - just follow the key tips we laid out to create balance and harmony along with the drama in your design! Whether you go for eye-catching colors, dramatic patterns, or a little bit of both, let us know your approach in the comments!