Inspiration for Tiles!

We all need a little inspiration…even designers!  So, in anticipation of writing our blog on tiles, the Barclay Interiors team spent a Saturday afternoon researching them – starting at the Leighton House Museum in London Kensington.

What’s incredible about this Victorian building is not just that it is the beautifully preserved home and studio of Victorian artist, Frederic, Lord Leighton, but that it houses Leighton’s Arab Hall extension, which itself houses thousands of 15th and 16th century tiles.  Each tile was collected by Leighton on expeditions to Turkey, Egypt and, in particular, Syria.  He even roped in his friends, who brought him tiles back from their trips.

Arab Hall

Image: Arab Hall, Leighton House

With Leighton House in mind, it seems fitting that we should start with the geometric patterns of Islamic art, so on trend at the moment.  Fired Earth’s Andalucia collection is both decorative and Moorish inspired – perfect for adding a splash of colour and texture to walls.

Tile

Image: Fired Earth Anadalucia Collection – Medina

We have also seen tile manufacturers creating FAUX everything, especially faux wood, marble and travertine tile.  Porcelanosa has their fantastic Par-ker range of ceramic tiles in a variety of wood effect tiles, perfect for use in wet or high use areas.

Porcelanosa

Image: Porcelanosa

And there are many faux Carrara marble and travertine tiles available from retailers…much more economical than the real thing!

Image - Faux Travertine

Lastly, tile manufactures are becoming bolder with their designs, and texture on tiles is increasingly popular and easily available.

Image - Geometric    Image - Textured