Encaustic tiles are all the rage in restaurant, kitchen and bath design. Encaustic means the color is inherent in the actual clay or cement and not from a glaze. As your tile wears it will not lose its color, but will patina. I read an article cautioning people to think before installing “trendy” encaustic tiles as they could negatively affect resale values. Here’s my thought. Floor and wall tiles are not factors in whether a house sells. Location, price, square footage, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, yard size, garage, no garage all come before tile flooring and backsplashes. Flooring and backsplashes can be changed out either before you move in or down the road. If you’re lucky enough to fit your home with beautiful encaustic tiles have at it!
Popham Design is a Moroccan tile company owned by an American couple. Their contemporary, graphic designs in bright colors and black and white are perfect in retro and modern interiors. Ann Sacks carries their line in the US.
I admire Dowe-Sandes fearless style and use of bold colors.
A contemporary take on the classic hexagon bathroom tile. Light gray looks fantastic with black and white, but comes alive when paired with warm colors like yellow or coral.
Besides floors, feature walls are great places to install patterned encaustic tile. Geometric designs are timeless. What you need to consider is color. Fashion colors should be avoided, remember avocado refrigerators?
Some of my favorite designs are from Cle out of California. I love their classic, graphic style. With 50 colors to chose from and countless designs you’d be hard pressed not to find something to love.
This dreamy kitchen contains butcher block, Carrara marble, cement tile, porcelain subway tile, Farrow & Ball painted cabinets, rich wood tones, metal accents, copper pots, and casement windows. The highest compliment I can pay a kitchen is “would I want to cook in it?” and the answer is yes! The tile design is appropriate to the Spanish Mission style of the house. When selecting tile make sure it is suitable to the style and architecture of your house.
If you’re into more pattern, patchwork is a popular style.
Wondering if these stunning tiles will weather the test of time style wise ? May I present, gorgeous and graphic tiles at the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain, in style since the 14th century. Timeless
Very cool article, nice to see the variety of styles within this segment of tiles! Keep the content coming!