Design solutions

on the tiles

Halls, bathrooms and kitchens need hard-wearing floors, but that doesn’t mean they have to be boring

classic look

Terracotta is warm and natural with a lovely uneven, worn character, making it the ideal backdrop for many styles of decor. With the sun streaming into Helena Barrowcliff’s dining area, the Mediterranean-style tiles add ambience and blend beautifully with the wooden furniture. Because they are unglazed, they are porous and will require sealing, but this will deepen their colour. In this space, terracotta tiles have been laid in a basket-weave pattern. Reclaimed floor tiles, £109.82sq m, Fired Earth.

bold bathroom

One of the most popular flooring options, ceramic tiles are a great way of introducing colour, pattern or texture in a room. The Barratts have laid a geometric pattern in their bathroom to give the neutral space dynamism. These tiles work well by a shower or bath as they are waterproof and stain resistant. In this scheme, bold monochrome tiles have been used to great effect and are extended up the wall to emulate the look of a skirting board. Black walls add to the drama. Brixton floor tiles, £67.56sq m, Topps Tiles.

first impressions

Seeing an eye-catching floor as soon as you open your front floor has the ultimate wow factor. Laura and Patrick Butler-madden have created just this with patterned encaustic tiles in their hall, an update of mosaic flooring of the Victorian era. Here, porcelain tiles have been used to recreate the beauty and impact of geometric floors found in historical buildings. A plain border has been set in from the wall to give the scheme a framed effect. Play One porcelain-style floor tiles in layout 7-3, £174sq m, Domus.