So, tiles. I’m a huge fan. Huge. I think they’re great anywhere in the house not just bathrooms and kitchens. There are so many wonderful and beautiful tiles around at the moment that I need more rooms to put them in.
But, on the basis that most of use do just use them in bathrooms and kitchens, perhaps it’s time to be a little more adventurous. As I have said before, patterned tiles are a fantastic idea. You don’t have to live in a riad in Morocco to introduce colour and pattern this way.
Kitchens are full of hard lines and surfaces – hardly any of us have curtains in there, cushions only in the dining end (if you even have one) and rugs are generally regarded as A Bad Thing when there is food around. I have an old Persian rug under my kitchen table and actually it’s perfect because you just don’t see the stains. I spilt an entire cup of coffee on mine the other day. Well, strictly speaking I spilt it on the lap top and it went from there to the rug in short order. But, you can’t see it at all. On another rug that would have been a nightmare. As it happened only the laptop was grounds for divorce on that day and even it has recovered. And with it my marriage.
cotswold tiles and wood effect
On balance, patterned tiles might have been a more practical way to bring colour into my kitchen. They are a great way to add personality and to soften those lines. The other thing is that most of us buy our kitchens off the peg (as it were) so there is a risk that we might have the same one as friends and neighbours. There was definitely a period when there were so many Swedish white gloss cupboards around that you were in danger of not knowing whose house you were in. Then, when you add in the current fashions for wooden worktops, or marble or stainless steel, it becomes even harder to add your personality. But, there are infinite numbers of patterned tiles so you have instantly made the space your own and added some colour and softness.
Now, the splashback is the obvious place, but try the floor instead. If you are scared of a huge amount of pattern on the floor, then why not lay them in a rug shape in front of the island, or down the middle of a galley kitchen, or even under the table. That really is more practical. In fact, there are as many ways to lay them as there are patterns to choose from.
Which brings me to the point of this post. I have been working with Wickes to show you some new ways of laying tiles that will hopefully inspire you to be a little more daring with your tiling. Some of these patterns I made up and some I took from Pinterest, where I have made a board to show you a whole range of ideas.
wickes herringbone tile pattern made with wood effect tiles and cotswold metro tiles
Sometimes, it’s about finding a pattern that you like and sometimes it’s about employing a tiler with a good cutter so you can shape the tiles how you want. I used grey grout in all these boards. Not only is it fashionable at the moment but, when it comes to flooring, it’s also much more practical as it doesn’t show the dirt. Wickes will sell everything you need for a job so you can get the grout, the spacers, the glue and the grout all at once, which makes things easier if you are forgetful, like me. Then you end up with a builder booked, a box of tiles, all the spacers and no glue to stick them on with.
I hope you find these images inspiring and that you will perhaps be a little more daring next time you are using tiles. Do pop over to the Wickes Pinterest Board for more inspiration.
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