Tile is a natural and sustainable material with the lowest carbon footprint of any flooring choice. Ceramic tiles have no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or toxic chemicals and are non-flammable. In addition, the ongoing maintenance costs are a fraction of the installation costs.
Terrazzo is a tile pattern that has been refashioned into a flecked effect. The specs may be small or chunky. The colors tend to be neutrals. This trend is seen both indoors and outdoors on any surface.
Biophilia is connected with a nature and wellness philosophy. Connections to nature and wellness in design supports cognitive functions and physical well being. Some of the methods for interior design with biophilia include using high-definition printing and natural, untreated wood. Along with the biophilia theme of physical and mental wellness is a soft palette of muted tones. This includes soft blues and greens in toned-down muted hues to create spaces that are soothing and promote harmony and tranquility.
One popular tile color is green because of its connection to nature. The green can range from sage to mint to emerald shades. This color appears in all types of looks which might include marble and oxidized metal. Also close to the feeling of nature is using color to achieve a serene environment. This can be seen in the use of neutral areas within some soft colors. In addition, high gloss areas may be used to ‘pop’ the overall color scheme on the backsplash, shower walls, or flooring in either neutral or saturated colors.
Tile can be used in a softer and lighter version through the use of 3d tile. This type of tile helps to deliver the trend of softer textures. Another popular pattern is the ‘in vein’ look. This pattern mimics the look of marble, but in a larger size. The trend is for the size of these veins to get even larger. Tiles have fewer and larger veins. Also seen are angular, high-contrast patterns. Veins can continue without an interruption in the pattern. The veins can be angular, but veins also follows the trend of softer textures with softer veining in some patterns.
Another popular pattern is based on concrete tile. This may be actual concrete, but there are a number of lookalikes that mimic the pattern of concrete. Seamed concrete can introduce playful patterns into interior design.
Ceramic tile themselves are becoming extra-large tiles with a large format. Some common sizes are 5 ¼” to 10 1/2” or 3.5 mm to 2 cm. This tile size may be used walls, a backsplash in a laundry, and cladding walls. In some cases, the countertop may be made larger. Some of the tile shapes are non-rectangular shapes. The shapes can go up to almost 2’ in diameter.
Ceramic tiles can be a substitute for large stone tile. This substitution can be used in spaces such as residential, commercial, kitchens, and baths. Countertops is one of the most common areas to use this substitution. Building façades are another popular area for the use of tile. The sizes of tiles on building façades have become larger over time. The International Building Code (IBC) only allowed tiles up to 24” on one side with a 1’ x 2’ standard. Larger exterior adhered porcelain tiles are now allowed up to 4’ x 4’ or 3’ x 6’ on building façades.
Tiles allow additional flexibility in design. For instance, tiles could be a substitute for pre-cast concrete. Tiles would allow branding and art, even in a relatively large size to be included on building façades. One use of tiles could involve 3/8” tile over honeycomb extrusions. This material looks like marble, but would save approximately $150k over using marble. This type of tile is more consistent in appearance than marble and is resistant to ultraviolet (UV) rays. Additionally, it would require a three person, instead of a five person crew for the similar area of installation.
Ceramic tile is the number one tile of choice for backsplash and flooring in bathrooms. A high gloss and shiny tile might be a striking upgrade to a bath. Some of the tiles with glossy finishes also have a marble effect. However, some of those types of tiles are likely to scratch and lose shine in high traffic area.