6 modern patterns for laying tiles

Chloe Hines Chloe Hines
Our Kitchens, Harvey Jones Kitchens Harvey Jones Kitchens Cuisine classique
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We've said it before and we'll say it again, tiles are one of the easiest ways to immediately change a space. Whether it's a bathroom floor, a great kitchen backsplash or a tile-covered spa room, tiles are a simple and effective way to rejuvenate almost any area of our homes.

With both the technology and design worlds changing at an ever-increasing pace, the materials, tools and styles of tiles available offer new options every week.  Modern tile design is a world where your options are just as endless as they ever were, yet you have more room for creative freedom and a sense of individuality in your home.

Below we have listed six ways you can create a modern pattern when laying your tiles – whether it's in your kitchen, bathroom, or spa room – we have it covered!

Fishbone

homify Murs & Sols scandinaves Carrelage

We all mostly recognize fishbone because of its prominence in classic, wooden flooring. You know, the picturesque altbau apartment in Berlin, or the beautiful, 200-year old apartment in Paris – these typically come with fabulous fishbone or herringbone flooring.

So, if this effect is so beautiful with wood, why not try it with tiles? This example combines both a fishbone pattern and an ombré shading technique using white and four shades of grey – an exquisite tile job! If you think fishbone tiling is a flash in the pan trend, think again; this pattern has existed for quite some time and, depending on the colour and type of tile you use, the effect can look great for decades to come. We suggest sticking with lighter shades of ceramic tiles, or just use plain white since the pattern itself will offer enough texture!

Bond

Bond-style tiling is the most typical type of tiling you can imagine. Bond tiling is where you lay the tiles in parallel rows, yet each row is slightly offset from the one below it so the edges will never quite match up. 

You can see Bond tiling in this example used on both the large-tile floor and smaller-tile backsplash behind the oven and stove. Here is a close-up example of Bond tiling to give you a better idea! As you can see, this pattern is modern, versatile and oh so chic!

For a really great effect, think about combining different patterns for a super-textured effect – like seen in this fabulous bathroom!

Parallel

Bond tiling, as mentioned above, is just a slight variation of parallel design.  Parallel design is seen in the square backsplash located in this this modern and eclectic kitchen.

The best part about parallel design? You can do it with any type of tile imaginable and you can do it yourself without any professional help! The most important part of laying parallel tiles is to make sure that allof your measurements are correct and especially that the spacing and grouting between each tile is nice and neat.

Edgewise

homify Cuisine moderne

Most commonly used on larger floor areas, an edge pattern combines small and large tiles, and these also usually differ in shape – for example, a small rectangular tile will be positioned against a larger square tile.  This combination looks great when used with solid tiles, and darker colours are especially good at showcasing the textured pattern.

This is a more difficult pattern to lay by yourself as it will require exact measuring. If your area is smaller, then go ahead and give it a try yourself. However, if the area is much bigger, like a kitchen or large lobby, then we suggest leaving it to the professionals!

Individual

Creating individual tile patterns is a more experimental and new technique that is steadily increasing in popularity. This technique can be used to highlight certain features in your home (as it does with the bathroom mirror in this example) and it can also be used as a decorative feature.

Typically, individual patterns aren't used on large flooring areas because a few unique, artisan tiles get lost among a group of larger, more solid tiles. However, if you have grey, natural stone tiles in your entry way and wish to use smaller mosaics or tiles that create a scene like a sun or other random design in the middle of the entry, that would be considered individual tiling.

Now, the best option for deciding to use individual tiles is to go to a tile shop and speak to the experts. They will keep you well-advised on the types of tiles to use and in which areas of your home, as well as giving you cost quotes and help with installing them! 

Sections

Wohnzimmer und Bad, FOORMA FOORMA Salle de bain moderne

Finally, consider using tiles to jazz up sections of a room. We use this more often than we think. Think about kitchen backsplashes – this is an example of sectioned tiles, used in a smaller area.  

Generally you use tiles in sections for two reasons; as a decorative technique to highlight a feature in your home (as seen here), or to cover a specific area in tiles for utilitarian reasons (a kitchen backsplash is typically used behind the main cooking areas, the stove and oven, as when food boils or splats anywhere, tiles make it easier to clean up!)

Sectioning tiles is easy because you're covering a smaller area, and cheaper because you need less materials. If you try any of these modern tile options, we suggest this one be your first try!

If you still can't decide what design solution to go for, why not check out Bathroom floors: the essential how-to guide?

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