Ikat Underfoot

The word “ikat” means “to bind.” It is a very ancient way of creating designs in fabric by resist-dyeing the threads before the fabric is woven. The resulting fabric has a soft zig-zag edge where colors change.

Our new Ikat Tiles reflect this popular look in a mix and match set of four patterns.

VLT Exclusive Ikat Cement Tile
VLT Exclusive Ikat Cement Tile

Create an exotic tropical look using our Ikat Tiles wall to wall or visualize a woven rug by combining central pattern tiles with border tiles.

Our In Stock Ikat Cement Tile is coming in black and white , a VERY popular combo, but you can order them in any colors you like.

We will put notice on the website when the in-stock tiles arrive… pre-orders are accepted. Remember that in-stock tile is convenient for quick delivery but costs more than custom orders…warehouse overhead baby !

Ikat tile design A
Ikat Tile A
ikat tile pattern in blue and aqua
Ikat Tile B
cement tile ikat design in chevron pattern ikak, ikat
Ikat Tile C

Great Day for Up !

Cement tile enthusiast Susanna, living in Sevilla has a nice blog about discovering old cement tiles. Her latest post is about looking up at the undersides of balconies in to see the cement tiles which probably cover the top sides of the balconies too. Susanne was in Cocentaina (Province of Alicante) in Spain and took some interesting photos of some very old cement tile while she looked upward.

How fun is this ? To put cement tiles facing outward UNDER your balcony. What a great decorative touch on a home’s exterior. When you think about it, all balconies are just plain fun anyway.

Villa Lagoon Tile for the most and best cement tile.

Creative Layout of Our Cement Tiles

Today one of our clients sent us this in progress cement tile installation going on at her home in Dallas. You know how big things are in Texas, well this home is no exception. The photo shows what we call “Jorge’s Sister’s Layout” named for Jorge’ sis and her Loggia. But actually this type of tile floor pattern is economical since the ratio of 1 color tiles to multiple color pattern tiles is 5 to 4. And single color tiles cost less.

Cement tile breezeway in Dallas, Texas using San Juan and solid color Pecan Pie

 

PaliHotel uses our Hexagonal Tile

pali-melrose-dining

A boutique hotel captures the essence of its iconic location while reflecting the sensibility of a chic urban European inn. The PaliGroup contacted us about custom hexagonal tiles for the new hotel venture, PaliHotel on Melrose in Los Angeles, a former 1960’s senior living residence-turned-hostel and includes  massages. We are happy to say that the whole project including our tiles has attracted a lot of publicity.

Solid hex ement tile at Pali Hotel, Los Angeles.

Solid hex ement tile at Pali Hotel, Los Angeles.

Cement Tile Designer’s Corner – Cool Tricks with Tile

Thoughtful Kitchen Floor Layout

Seattle kitchen tile floor

The kitchen above is in a vintage home in Seattle Washington. The designer was The Kitchen Witch. See how creatively they used our Foliage Border in “Antique” in all its forms. The designer used the corner tile as a field tile which surrounds a medallion made from the regular border tile. Working out a nice design on paper is worth the effort.

A small bathroom projects style with an interesting floor.

You can certainly take the emphasis off the smaller size of a bathroom with a jazzy floor. Look how this Cuban tile pattern becomes the focal point for this Miami condo bathroom.

Cuban tile supplier in Miami

An Art Deco Patio – Variations in Gray, Black and White

For an upcoming project we have been asked to help design a tile layout for a large outdoor patio at a California home that will soon be undergoing renovation. This is the property of an Oscar nominee actor. The kitchen will be our classic Cubes tile in Black, white and gray. The owner wants a complimentary design for the patio but something on a larger scale.

Cement tile in Hollywood home

Here are some of the designs we sent to the client:

Dekor pattern cement tile in 3 colors

Using our tile design tool we put together an assortment of possible patio tile layouts. Some are using 8 inch cement tile, others are 12 inch tile. They may opt to have one of our eight inch designs custom made in a 12 inch mold. This is an important project and this home will be featured on television in 2012. So ck back later for links to the TV show when it is announced. You better believe we will feature it on our home page !

Cuban tile in three colors cement


Same tile as above, just rotated differently.

Checkered colored tile floor


Checkered tile pattern in 3 colors, an eight inch tile.

Escher tyle floor tile


This pattern, Harlequin III is set in offset rows.

3 D looking floor tile


Harlequin Square 8″ cement tile…3 colors

midcentry modern tile design


Damsella cement tile in 8″

Geometric floor tile


Quadro Centro 12 inch cement tile in 3 colors

California cement tile source


Benedetta Art Deco cement tile design in 8 inch

Of course we will add some photos of the final tile design choice.


A Cement Tile Foyer in a California Home

Want the look of a narrow border and a cost savings at the same time ? One of our clients picked a standard border tile (Ritz) that could be cut in half to create two 2 4″ x 8″ matching border tiles. See Ritz Border before it is cut below.

Very thrifty and just the look he wanted. Not shown in the images is some monochrome black tile from the pattern border to the wall.

Mission Tile in black gray and white
Custom tile for a foyer in California.


Ritz Border tile and New Castle in custom colors for the field tile.

Custom cement tile

And now a photo of the finished floor.


Thank you Mark Goff for posting your blog photos. www.227northstreet.com


Make a small room a happy room

Our Patchwork tile was recently featured on Apartment Therapy Blog:

Patchwork tile bathroom floor

Take the emphasis off a small space’s tight dimensions by using a lively floor that gives the eye and mind some entertainment…it works !


No End to the Variations…

This week we had an inquiry from a famous London dept. store for a classic tile pattern for a new part of their store. I requested some images from our Euro partner’s design dept to pass along. Of course they sent the basic layout suggestion in very pretty but subtle colors..but…

European cubes tile layout suggestion
Cubes classic cement tile layout

Zak, the graphic artist started to have some fun…look what can happen if this same tile pattern (#112 on European Patterns) is made in bright colors:

Cubes tile in multi colors
Multi color cement tile layout 1

  
Now check out these variations of floor tile patterns by alternating the colored areas and rotating the tile in different directions as you lay it.

Cubes tile in multi color variations 2
Cubes cement tile multi color
Cement tile cubes multi color variation
Cubes cement tile color variation 4

And this is only the beginning !!


Gettin’ Jazzy

Just look what you can do with one corner tile. We love this look and it reminds us of Art Deco designs. One corner tile is poured two ways, one half of the tiles are the reverse colors of the other.

Jazzy tile floor Original Mission Tile corner

Imagine a jazzy foyer that energizes you every time you come or go. Look at these patterns couple of feet from your monitor to get the real effect.

Original Mission Tile Art Deco Floor

We think this black and white version would look grand with a monochrome black border.


In a Pinch

Ever wonder what to do with you only have just so many pattern tiles and you need to cover a larger area ? You can create a great layout using the 5 to 4 lattice of five solid tiles to 4 pattern tiles as shown below.

Cost saving cement tile layout

You can get a fabulous look and really save money too as solid color (monochrome) tiles are less expensive than pattern tiles.

Here is another take on this method:

Curbn tropical tiles in a installation

In this photo of a hallway, (baseboards were not yet added) the pattern tile are surrounded by solid color tiles.

Painted Canvas Rugs

Lundy Wilder holding a Laurel Original painted canvas rug, of Villa Lagoon Tile’s “Pescado” pattern.

We recently entered a design contest sponsored by Laurel’s Originals in Costa Rica. We submitted a small run design that used our Pescado “Caribbean” Cement Tile and Shell Scroll “Azul” tiles and WON !

Laurel Anderson sent us a wonderful hand painted canvas floor cloth rug in our winning design.  We haver given Laurel permission to offer her colorful canvas rugs in some of our tile designs. Be sure to check out her website.

This is the way to get our great tile designs in a durable, yet lightweight, portable format.

Cement Tile Floor Design Ideas

You can do almost ANYTHING with cement tiles !

The traditional use of cement tiles is to create a tile rug design centered in a room. Of course it is not the only way mosaicos hidraulicos are laid, but making a tile rug in a room is one great way to lend a look of organization and visually group furniture arrangements. Making a tile floor rug layout also can add a feel of formality to a space. Add additoonal benefit is that you can use the patterned tile to create the mosaic tile rug and border and then use the much less expensive solid color tiles from the border out to the edges of the room.

Custom cement tile hallway floor

These tile floor designs below are constructed using actual photographs of tile in a graphics program.  Click the images to see the details. 
See coordinating bordered floor tile designs.
See photos of cement tile floor installations

Trapani cement tile in black and taupe neutrals


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This floor using Trapani Midnight tile with Ribbon Border in Taupe and solids in Black and Antique Ivory has sea shells, sea weed and interlocking trellis and is a great combo for formal setting in coastal locations.

Savona Beach Tile Floor Ideas

Here the Savona “Beach” has a double border and is surrounded by solid color tile. It is always a good idea to use solid color around a tile rug pattern so the less expensive solids can run up to irregular shapes along the walls or into closets. This example of a tile rug room design uses Savona “Beach’ filed tile with a border of Trellis Shell “Aqua” and Ribbon “Gold” borders. As shown, this would be a 16 tiles by 20 tiles which would be a floor that is 13.5 feet, x 16.5 feet.

Coral cement tile floor design


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The floors above are Pescado “Coral” cement tile combined with solids of Coral, Tibetan Gold, Salmon. Imagine the life you can give to an otherwise utilitarian hallway by paving it with a creative cement tile design. If you are using a center design and your room will require some cut tiles at the outside edges to the wall, it is best to use a solid tile around the outside and differences in width from one side to the other will not really be noticible.

cement tile floor design


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cement tile green flooring design


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green floor tile


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green flooring design


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Three of these floor designs show the Shell Scroll corner tile used as a field tile in the center part of the floor. The patterned tile is combined with solids in one example. Let us help you design the perfect floor for your space.

Nautical green floor tile


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Solids make a fine border around the patterned field tile. This is Sailboat “Sunnyday” and Solid Tile “Sky Blue”

Very modern, contemporary floor tile patterns are easy using cement tiles.

Modern tile floor designs


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contemporary floor tile design


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mosaic cement tiles floor design


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modern floor tile design


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Or for a modern use a combination of solids and border tiles laid as a stripe.

Cement tile rug with border

The traditional way to use mosaic cement tiles is to create a central area like a tile rug and use a border tile around it, and then coordinating solids out to the walls. Here are many tile floor designs using patterned borders.

Glory of the Sea Cement Tile Floor Design
Glory of the Sea Cement Tile Floor Design

This glorious cement tile floor design was recently created by request. For mall its grandeur, it is a relatively inexpensive floor design due to the use of so many less pricey solid colors. The few patterned tile that are used, as well chosen and give grand structure and a stately presence to this tile floor.

See the full size illustration & details here.

A printable .pdf file of this cement tile floor design (98 kb)