12 Monochrome Hallway Floor Tiles Edit
With the bedroom complete (for now) we're turning our attention to the hallway next, kicking off the proceedings with my edit of 12 monochrome hallway floor tiles. They're hard wearing, easy to clean (particularly with kids and pets at home) and the varieties are virtually endless. While it's definitely not the Scandinavian thing to do, here in the UK, historically, Edwardian hallways like ours were tiled and I want to continue that tradition with a timeless, contemporary feel.Recently, our hallway has been leaving me with a touch of decorator's stalemate, completely overwhelmed by the size of the task. I'll go into the finer points of the project in the coming weeks, but with so much to complete, I'd not had a clear idea of the finished look in my mind as I had with the previous rooms. So I decided to use the floor tiles as my jumping off point and build up the scheme around those.I'm very mindful that our hallway is pretty narrow, dark and I'm keen not to overpower the space with a busy pattern. I love to see a full-on patterned design in larger spaces that can handle scale, but as the hallway should set a precedent for the rest of the house, I want it to suggest a calm and inviting home, picking up on the restrained colour palette we've used thus far.
If you're in the same boat and are on the hunt for something with subtlety, I think you might just find something here. I've gone with a simple selection, focusing on a mix of pale white, cream and soft black tiles. The range of shapes and materials are what sets an eye-catching tile apart from a boring one with my pick of herringbone and penny mosaic sheets in marble and glossy porcelain. A subtle crackle glaze or sign of a brush mark suggests a handmade, crafted approach. Of course, there's just a hint of pattern with contemporary shapes to break the blank space. The beauty of using individual tiles is the freedom it gives you to add in some interest to a blank canvas, providing, of course, you choose the same size and shape to avoid installation issues.
How To Choose Your Hallway Tiles - A Potted Guide.
Right tile, right place - Entrances and hallways are high traffic areas, so before you get too into the design of things check the suitability of the tiles first.Materials - Porcelain, ceramic, encaustic, concrete. What to choose? Thankfully, these are all pretty solid choices for hallways with porcelain and concrete being the strongest. Encaustic and concrete tiles will need sealing once down to protect them over time and may need repeating every few years to keep them topped up.Consider scale - Depending on the size of your floor, certain designs can get lost, particularly if you're using a mosaic design. Think about whether you're happy to have smaller shapes or patterns or if you'd prefer to scale up for something larger. Similarly, you might prefer to use larger sheets for less interruption of grout in between which gives the illusion of more space.Pattern play - Is there a repeat pattern that you need to stick to or does the collection come with variations you can play with? Decide whether you'd prefer a uniform look or a more freeform style.Over order - Most tile sites already work in an additional 10% extra on top of your order to account for cuts and the odd breakage but if not, remember to add this in yourself. As tiles are produced in batches, it makes sense to have more than enough to ensure each tile looks uniform as separate batches can vary.Installation - Who will be laying the tiles? If you're not feeling confident, definitely look for an experienced floor layer. Check your subfloor first and make sure you have a solid base on which to tile. If you're tiling onto a wood floor, you'll need to board it out with plywood, whereas a concrete base will need to be completely level to avoid the tiles cracking afterwards.I feel like a kid in a sweetshop with a clearer vision ahead...now comes the hard part. Choosing!
