Five Creative Ways To Use Tiles In Your Kitchen

The kitchen is often the heart of the home. While tiles are an obvious and practical choice for this room, tiles can also add a focal point, make a design statement and may even be the starting point for your scheme.

Whether it be for gathering with the family for meals, meetings, entertaining or a cup of tea with a friend the kitchen is a hive of activity. A kitchen is also an opportunity for creative tile design and interior schemes that reflect the individual.

Tiles allow you to play with shapes and mix materials and can add bold statements or sit quietly in a paired back scheme.

Here at Bert & May we’ve seen clients use tiles in creative ways in their kitchens and we wanted to share the love for some of our favourites and hopefully help inspire some ideas for your project.  

1. Kitchen Splashbacks

Interior Designer Janet Hanson used Pearl inverse low bar and high bar tiles to create a graphic motif for her kitchen splashback. Janet’s kitchen is contemporary but also warm and soft, which makes these tiles the perfect choice. Janet says “Style-wise I wanted a modern-rustic look and cement tiles really fit that aesthetic with their soft chalky texture. The tiles we chose felt patinated, warm and neutral; simple but anything but boring.”

Want to get more insights? Check out our full case study on Janet Hanson's calm and contemporary kitchen to get the specifics."

2. Kitchen floor tiles

Most of our tiles are suitable for kitchen floors, with the exception of some glazed tiles. Cement, Porcelain, Terracotta, Terrazzo and Marble are incredibly durable and hard wearing which makes them a perfect choice for high traffic areas such as a kitchen. We’ve seen some creative tile ideas in kitchens such as this use of herringbone marble by Design Team Studios.

Or a more paired back look is this use of brighton stone herringbone cement tiles.

3. Tile the unexpected - Kitchen Islands

A kitchen island is a focal point and natural gathering area. They can be as beautiful as functional and are another great opportunity to use as a design feature in your kitchen. Tiles are an obvious choice for a kitchen island and our patterned tiles lend ourselves beautifully. You could match with splashback tiles or go for a contrast.

To see the full kitchen transformation and use of tiles on this stunning kitchen island click here to read the case study on our owner Lee’s own interior project.

4. Colour Wash - Pair with Paint 

You can perfectly pair the tiles in our Little Greene collection with the matching paint colour. This is a great look for kitchens.  A colour wash can make a scheme feel very cohesive and even calm. You can also pair with matching glazed tiles; playing with different textures creates a layered and curated space.

5. Metro Tiles

The metro tile - a timeless classic that's found new life in modern kitchen designs. With its sleek and simple rectangular shape, it exudes a minimalist vibe that complements a contemporary kitchen aesthetic. The shape is inspired by the tiles used in subway stations in the early 20th century, hence the name. But what sets this tile apart from the rest? Its versatility is unmatched. You can create a bold statement by contrasting white wall metros against vibrant tones or play it safe with a monochromatic palette. And let's not forget about its practicality - easy to clean and maintain, it's perfect for a busy kitchen where spills and splatters are inevitable.

Image: Lisa Dawson

For more creative tile ideas in kitchens, see our Kitchen Gallery.