How’s this for a new way to elevate your decor: Try adding tile—already a proven star in kitchen backsplashes, and bathroom floors—to your stairs. Just so bold it might work, right?
In fact, it does, as proven by the pros at Emily Seeds Interior Design; they covered the risers of a set of wooden stairs in Calacatta Zebrino tile from Ann Sacks, the Portland, OR, company known for its meticulously crafted tile collections. It's a small change that makes a huge statement (impressing your guests from the minute they step inside your home).
And tiling your stair risers is just one of the ways you can transform your space with color or a pattern. Designers are also reimagining tile as an accent for other areas beyond the usual spots, like the kitchen and bathroom. It's an easy and eye-catching decorative element that works beautifully in lots of other areas throughout the whole home too.
Read on for more ways to enhance your home with tile.
Entryway
It's the first spot you see when you walk in, so an entryway is the perfect place to make a big impact with design. And as much as we love hardwood, few things are more welcoming—or striking—than a foyer floor decked out with a statement tile. Cover a few square feet with a colorful pick or use black and white en masse for a graphic twist on the classic palette.
Laundry Room
Sure, the laundry room is the workhorse of your house, but that doesn’t mean you can't have a little fun in there too—it's actually an ideal spot to experiment and take design risks. Whether your go-to shades are chic neutrals or you’re more of a bold, saturated-color type, a tiled backsplash will make you smile even when you’re folding that eighth load of clothes. (Bonus: A tile surface is durable and easy to wipe clean.)
Fireplace
Often the focal point of any living area or great room, your hearth really becomes an attention-getter when it's covered in tile. Try a monochromatic look or a poppy pattern. Pro tip: Keep the furniture around it low-key so this tiled spot can be the star.
Office
Now that we're all working from home more than ever before, it's a good time to up-level your workspace. Why not make it extra-inspiring with a fun tile floor? It's just as energizing and creativity-sparking as artwork on a wall.
Bar
Whether you’re serving up coffee or cocktails, bar none, this is potentially one of the most interesting features in a house, and tiling can help it look the part. This is the spot to go truly go big—a bold design, a striking metallic—and then stay home and indulge in that stylish space.
Powder Room
Turn this space into a spa-like sanctuary with a tiled accent wall that's as soothing as it is stylish. Gold hardware with a modern penny mosaic tile is a winning combination in this bathroom styled by Wendy Word (above, left), and running it from floor to ceiling turns this spot into a true showpiece.
