From floors, walls, backsplashes to everything in between, the easiest way to transform any space from blah to wow is? You guessed it – the ever-humble tile. But with endless varieties and combinations to choose from, where should you even start?
Well, a good place to begin is to check out what others are loving! We’ve rounded up 10 popular tile trends that are set to take homes (and homeowners) by storm in 2018 – and how you can nail these looks to a tee with Hafary’s wide variety of tile offerings. Consider your tile-shopping headache, solved!
1. Herringbone and Chevron Patterns
Great for: Floors, bathrooms, feature walls, backsplashes
Interior Designer: Team Interior
Herringbone and chevron patterns have enjoyed decent popularity in recent years, thanks to its bold, yet classic aesthetic. But these V-shaped motifs – one of Pinterest’s biggest home decor trends in 2018 – is about to get bigger, as its versatile look is adapted into not just wooden planks but tiles as well.
Interior Designer: Create
From glossy, ceramic Subway tiles to realistic wood-effect versions, herringbone and chevron layouts have been favoured on kitchen backsplashes and bathrooms for a lil’ visual oomph.
Note: They may look similar, but herringbone and chevron layouts differ!
Get the Look from Hafary:
Equipe Ceramicas ChevronWall Black and White | Argenta Ceramica Boxwood Summer
2. Terrazzo Effect
Great for: Floors, bathrooms
Interior Designer: Free Space Intent
As they say – something old, something new. Your grandma’s retro-looking terrazzo tiles from the 1960s are making a comeback as an achingly hip flooring alternative (with an old-school twist). For something that looks a little more timeless – go for classic, neutral shades like grey and creams.
Get the Look from Hafary:
14 Ora Italiana Ravv Ferro Micro | Terrazzo Bianco Perla
3. Terracotta Effect Tiles
Great for: Floors, bathrooms
Interior Designer: Asolidplan
There’s more to terracotta than being the tile-of-choice for outdoor spaces. For one, it isn’t only limited to its iconic, reddish hues. If you’re looking for something more modern than rustic, today’s terracotta effect tiles come in a variety of muted colours, such as grey.
Get the Look from Hafary:
Marazzi Bisque Cotto | Ceramica Euro Cotto Bruno
4. 1950s Square Ceramic Tiles
Great for: Bathrooms, backsplashes
Interior Designer: Fifth Avenue Interior
First terrazzo, now this. Further proof that trends always come full circle, plain, outdated square ceramic tiles are favoured once again for their clean, 1950s modernist aesthetic. But unlike conventional 4x4 tiles of the past, today’s version focuses on creating a sleek yet graphic impact through high-gloss finishes and complementing grout colours to show off its grid-like look.
Get the Look from Hafary:
Mosaic Tile VWB20075 | Equipe Ceramicas Coralstone Grey
5. Odd-Edged Tiling
Great for: Feature walls, floors
Interior Designer: Fifth Avenue Interior
Perfection’s great and all, but nothing beats a hint of spontaneity! In line with the wabi-sabi movement (another huge trend in 2018) that’s all about embracing imperfection, unfinished, odd-edged tiling have become increasingly popular in spaces for an unexpected, visual punch. Pair odd-shaped tiles (like honeycomb or diamond tiles) on smooth, linear backdrops to create a ‘creeping up’ effect.
Get the Look from Hafary:
APE Ceramic Hexagon Verona White | Gamma Due Melograno | STN Ceramica Torvik Blanco
6. Odd-Shaped Tiles
Great for: Bathrooms, backsplashes, flooring, feature walls
Interior Designer: The Scientist
While we’re on the subject of odd-shaped tiles – we mean tiles that aren’t in your usual square or rectangular, boxy shapes. Think hex/honeycombs, fishscale, rhombic or even Provencal-shaped pieces that bring something different to the table. A word of advice? Use one type at a time in a designated area – so it wouldn’t look like tile overkill.
Get the Look from Hafary:
Ceramiche Settecento Valtresinaro Crayons Matt White | Realonda Eternity Cemento | Equipe Ceramicas Rhombus Light Grey
7. Half Tiled Walls
Great for: Bathrooms, feature walls
Interior Designer: Chapter One Interior Design
Meanwhile, if unfinished tile edges have got the inner OCD in you screaming, you can still opt for a cleaner alternative – the half-wall. Well suited for linear tile shapes like subway tiles, the half wall allows one to neatly play around with an alternative colour or finish for variety. But if you’re not so good at matching hues, the ever-classic white, painted wall never fails!
Get the Look from Hafary:
Interior Designer: Crescendo Interior & Lifestyle
Step aside, matte and glossy – the new ‘it’ finish is a perfect balance in between. Textured tiles are gaining popularity in spaces for a subtle, artisanal touch. With an irregular finish that makes it look handmade, textured tiles are great if you’re looking add dimension whilst sticking to a neutral or single colour palette in a space.
Get the Look from Hafary:
Carmen Ceramic Art Grunge Iron | Ceramica Sant Agostino Blendart Grey | Tendencias Ceramicas Handmade Snow
9. Graphic Patterned Tiles
Great for: Backsplashes, bathrooms, feature walls, flooring
Interior Designer: The Scientist
That’s right, show-stopping graphic tiles are still a popular pick in households for an instant, statement-making look. However, today’s patterns are more than just the usual Peranakan or Morroccan styles, which still look great (but can come off a tad ethnic/eclectic). Simpler, modern geometric shapes are now equally favoured, thanks to its abstract look which works well with most spaces.
Get the Look from Hafary:
Vives Vodevil Octogono Musichalls Multicolour | Marca Coronoa For Gioco F | Carmen Ceramic Art Martia | Realonda Orly
10. Penny Tiles
Great for: Backsplashes, bathrooms
Interior Designer: Voila
With individual tiles that are sized as small as a coin, the aptly named penny tiles (another way to describe mosaic tiles, really) is witnessing a revival – especially in kitchen and bathroom spaces. What’s the allure, you may ask? When laid out onto larger area, each individual piece combines to form a magical, overarching texture that actually ‘shimmers’ when light reflects on its surface.
Get the Look from Hafary:
Mosaic Tile MDS DASB71 | Mosaic Tile HU2010004 | Mosaic Tile Volakas Hexagon
Your tile shopping, solved.
With over 3,000 products from all over the world, Hafary is the leading building materials supplier serving homeowners, interior designers, architects, contractors and developers for more than 35 years. Offering cutting edge designs, quality service and favourable pricing, Hafary provides its clients high quality tiles (and more) - at affordable prices. See and feel its wide range of material offerings and find your perfect match in any of Hafary's three showrooms, located island wide.
For more information and tile inspiration, visit www.hafary.com.sg.