Tiles really are the most versatile of all surface coverings. You can’t put carpet, lino or wood on both the walls and floor, nor can you use other coverings to make patterns in the way that you can with tiles. Tiles work beautifully in a kitchen where a lot of action goes on and mess is made: if walls are splattered you can wipe them and if things are spilled on the floor they can be quickly mopped up. Tiles provide ease of movement and unlike carpet, they don’t indent so you can freely change the furniture positions. This blog will give you some exciting tips for using kitchen wall tiles.
1) Feature Wall. If you don’t want tiles everywhere in your kitchen, perhaps because you’-ve already opted for them on the floor, or you really want to use some wall paper, then just use tiles on one wall. Chose the wall where most mess is going to happen as you don’t want to stain the wallpaper. If your other walls are brightly coloured or patterned then opt for a neutral coloured tile.
Ideal tile: Earth
2) Tile splash-backs. If you don’t want to go heavy on the tiles again and you’ve picked out the perfect colour to compliment your furniture, then you can opt for tiles around the places that matter. It is important to have a non-porous, wipe-able surface around your cooker and sink as the walls around these areas suffer plenty of debris. Opt for a small and subtle tile to surround these key appliances.
Ideal tile: Abitare
3) Break up with colour. Tiles look good on the entire walls too; they give a polished and contemporary look and they don’t advance like wallpaper, therefore helping the room look bigger. If you have chosen a neutral colour, spice it up a bit with the odd coloured tile. You can work out a regular pattern or place them at random.
Ideal tile: Agatha
4) Create borders. Nothing looks sleeker than having a colour block and then breaking it up with an elegant border. You could run a border right through the middle, a few inches from the top, or around every edge.
Ideal tile: Liso
5) Half and half. Another classic look is combining two complimentary surface covers on each wall to make a half and half effect. It’s up to you whether you put the wall paper on the top of bottom, although considering the bottom may get scuffed by shoes you may be best with tiles nearer the floor. To announce the transition from tile to paper or paint you colour opt for a third colour and make a delicate border.
Ideal tile: Edge
6) Frame your feature. If your kitchen contains a stunning feature appliance, such as an Aga cooker or fireplace, then why not frame it using tiles? This creates a traditional look as tiles have been used for centuries around fires and stoves due to their heat resistant properties.
Ideal tile: Hampton
These are just some creative and contemporary ways to style tiles and there are many more inspirational ideas on our own website and on interior design sites. You can mix and match both colours and sizes of tiles to create a look that really suits your room.
