Your Complete Guide to Tiles For Your Home
WhatHouse? has teamed up with Tiles Direct to bring you a guide for choosing the best tiles for your new home.
Tiles are a popular choice amongst housebuilders, as they’re hard-wearing and impossibly easy to clean, as well as offering boundless design potential - giving them an all-round edge over alternatives such as vinyl and natural wood flooring.
Tiles offer the opportunity to instantly transform a room - whether you’re after a cutting-edge tile solution for a statement kitchen or bathroom, or something more timeless that will serve as a fixture of your new home for decades. In this post, we’ll run through some tantalising tiles available across the housebuilding market that are sure to whet your appetite for experimentation in your new build home.
In the bathroom
The bathroom is certainly a tricky one, as it can be quite disruptive to refit with new tiles - so it’s generally recommended to go for a timeless, clean style that won’t age badly in your home. The sleek, simple lines of metro tiles are always a safe bet - evoking the clean design of underground rail stations the world over. White is the default colour, but coordinating with bursts of light pastel shades is an effective solution if you’re looking for a more adventurous bathroom style.
If you’re looking for an on-trend bathroom design, it’s time to mix up the shape of your tiles. Hexagon-shaped tiles are an emerging bathroom trend - and we’ve seen them in every colour, from subdued cream hues to more opulent, glossy greens and blues. Ideal either as floor tiles or as a statement feature surrounding your bathroom mirror, they’re as versatile as they are stylish. Try pairing them with colourful grout in citrus colours to make an unforgettable style statement.
In the kitchen
The kitchen can be the heart of a new home - so you’ll need to get the decor right. The first port of call should be the tiles, as you’ll need both kitchen wall and floor tiles to look on point in order to set the tone for the room as a whole. What you put on your kitchen floor needs to emphasise walkability, so some large, American diner-style tiles are a timeless option when arranged in a chessboard pattern. If you’re looking for something a little more luxurious, quartz tiles are a striking and sophisticated option for a modern kitchen, looking particularly extravagant in bright lighting.
If you’re hunting for a style that reflects the exotic flavours you’ll be cooking up in the kitchen, invest in some geometric Moroccan tiles to make your kitchen look the part when you’ve got a spicy tagine bubbling away on the hob. Even if you’re not the greatest cook, having a kitchen that conjures up delicious flavours through its colour scheme can inspire you to sharpen your culinary skills - while also creating a hub in the home that’s guaranteed to wow guests.
And beyond…
Perhaps the most important thing to remember is that tiles don’t have to be restricted to the kitchen or the bathroom. There are huge areas of your home that could benefit from some carefully selected tiles here and there. Do you have a cherished piece of art or a statement mirror in your living room? Build a border around it with patterned tiles for an unusual look that’ll draw attention to your treasured piece.
Your doorstep is another area that could be crying out for a tile-based upgrade. Evoking classic Victorian terraced townhouses, tiles from that era can be used to give your home an inviting entrance that will make your home stand out.
Of course, your tile choices are entirely up to you, and your new home should reflect your creativity and spirit more than anything else. So, start experimenting with your use of tiles, consult with your housebuilder on the options available and you’ll soon be well on your way to a beautiful interior sure to stand the test of time.