The history of coloured, patterned and textured tiles.

The Victorians were to really kick-start the use of pattern for the masses in Britain with the construction of millions of Victorian terraced houses that had quite complex geometric tiled patterns used on pathways, porches, hallways and floors and picture tiles for fire surrounds and walls.

There has been an ‘on/off’ affair with patterned and textured tiles ever since. Different generations and trends have been responsible for covering them up- and worse, ripping them up- and going ‘plain, plain, plain’, but the value of having original features and character in a property is reflected in property prices.

Fear not – pattern, texture and colour are back in vogue.

The theory of coloured, patterned and textured tiles.

With the introduction of patterned or textured tiles a scheme can be lifted from ordinary to extraordinary. The most common are stripes, geometric, motifs and floral, waves and with the latest technology, pictures. Tiles can be effective in any room in a house, not just your bathroom and kitchen. Choose from scratchproof, clean, low maintenance, durable, waterproof. What’s not to love? Yes! You can tile your bedroom floors and walls. Yes! You can tile your lounge feature wall. So think outside the box!!

There are some basic rules to consider when selecting your tiles to make the scheme successful.

• Vertical Lines; these will add height to a low room and accentuate the height in a tall room.
• Horizontal Lines; these will add width to an area and visually lower the height of a room.
• Florals; the rule of thumb is the larger the space the larger the pattern and the smaller the space the smaller the pattern.
• Motifs; randomly recurring patterns can draw spaces together creating continuity and flow.
• Complex Patterns; will liven up a large area but could be overwhelming in a small area.
• Pictures; create a stunning impact for a feature in any room.

Texture; adds a subtle extra dimension to any room and can be coarse, rough, smooth, gloss and matt. Smooth and shiny will reflect and bounce light and feel cooler and contemporary.  Coarse and rough will seem more rustic and warmer.

How and where to use coloured, patterned and textured tiles.

• Consider all the walls and floor and decide where you would like your patterned or textured feature to be.
• Use toning colours on the plain wall or floor to bring the scheme together.
• Consider dragging a patterned floor tile up the walls to create real impact and cohesiveness.
• A vertical panel of pattern or texture is a more contemporary modern look.
• A little can go a long way.
• Be bold and confident and don’t be afraid to show your true colours.