Kelly Wearstler Does Ombré, and More Eye-Catching Tile Launches You Might Have Missed
Here’s where the trends are heading.
Published Jun 28, 2023 2:04 PM
We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs.
When you tour as many homes as we do, you see a lot of tile. More specifically, you see a lot of the same tile. Vertical stacks, checkerboard arrangements, and zellige are all the rage right now. And while designers and homeowners are getting creative when it comes to their color choices and placement (yes, you can totally cover the ceiling in your shower), it’s clear what’s currently “in.” So inevitably, we’re asking: What comes next? To answer that question, we took a look at all the collections our favorite brands have launched in the past three months. Take note of these up-and-coming tile styles.
A Return to Delft
Clé is taking things back a few hundred years with its 17th Century: Maiolica de Delft launch. The line features terracotta tiles that are hand-painted and hand-glazed by Italian artisans in the blue and white tradition. The $45-per-piece price tag is a lot easier to digest once you realize an authentic one will run you upwards of $150 on sites like Chairish and 1stDibs.
Piccola Corner, Clé Tile ($45 per piece)
Large-Scale Botanicals
Interior designer Ghislaine Viñas teamed up with Imagine Tile to create this tropical motif dubbed Jungle, and it’s available in two shades: emerald green and concrete. The porcelain pieces measure 12-by-24 inches, which makes the leafy scene that much more impactful and, dare we say, realistic.
Jungle Emerald, Imagine Tile
Optical Illusions
MADE by Ann Sacks recently called on interior designers Kelly Wearstler and Martyn Lawrence Bullard along with visual artist Lisa Hunt as partners for its spring launches. While Hunt went for a 3D effect with raised relief tiles (some of which depict coded messages), Wearstler committed to ombré by combining two of the brand’s exclusive stoneware glazes in specific “recipes” to achieve the result.
Kelly Relief Tile, Popham Design
Popham Design has also made its first foray into dimensional concrete wall tile with its Kelly Relief. Because the unicolored pieces measure a quarter-inch deep, they capture tons of light across their surface, making them ideal for dim rooms that could benefit from some glimmer and reflection.
Fluted Brick
Trestles Fluted Brick Tile, Concrete Collaborative
Sarah Sherman Samuel and Concrete Collaborative are out to up your curb appeal. Trestles, which debuted in March, is a collection of modern breeze blocks, including fluted bricks that are inspired by the scalloped columns from ancient architecture. Talk about timeless.
Wavy, Baby
Australian brand Teranova is delivering groovy ’70s Italian vibes with its fresh Borsani marble tile range. When laid with an alternative color, the shapes create a dynamic squiggle pattern. Meanwhile, Artistic Tile drew inspiration from Art Deco design for its Ali Budd Opia tile. The mosaic features five marbles with a hint of metal in between the sections. If a more organic arc is what you’re after, consider Ali Budd Kata, an option composed of one or two jagged-edge layers atop a square-honed base.
Tapestry-Like Zellige
Both Popham and Riad are entering the zellige tile game with loads of new saturated colors to pick from. Popham is offering its full palette in zellige, while Riad is serving its hues in a 2-by-6-inch format with a ½-inch thickness instead of the traditional ⅞ inch, amping up the texture that much more.
More Shades, Please
Natural Press by Fireclay is a new ceramic line that is American made and only fired once in an effort to reduce cost and carbon emissions. The assortment is meant for larger projects (there is a 100-square-foot minimum required for orders) and available in 15 sizes, four mosaic patterns, and 24 colors in both opaque gloss or satin sheens.
Plus there are 91 reasons to love Heath’s new drop. The company has completely redesigned its spectrum by transitioning to a manganese clay body instead of its typical white clay body, lending itself to a wider range of color depth and variation.
Amethyst Gloss, Fireclay Tile (from $16 per square foot)
