Elevate your Space: Mosaic Tile Ideas for Walls & Floors
Mosaic tiles offer an incredibly versatile design solution for walls, floors and many other types of applications. A flexible tiling solution, mosaic tiles can be used to coat swimming pools, stair risers, spas and more, creating a rich and tactile design feature. In this guide, we share some of our top tips for choosing the perfect tiles while looking at some fabulous mosaic tile ideas that will elevate your space!
What are Mosaic Tiles?
Mosaic tiles have long been a staple in interior design and architecture, showing up in ancient civilisations such as Rome, Greece and Egypt. Traditionally used to adorn ancient temples and other places of worship, mosaic tile art continues to be a part of modern design with options available in a wide assortment of materials such as glass, porcelain and natural stone. Ancient mosaic tile art would use very small tile pieces in an assortment of shapes and colours. Each tile would be laid individually to form a pattern or mural creating a stunning work of art. Modern mosaic tiles are (thankfully!) much easier to lay! These modern tiles come to you attached to a mesh sheet (with these sheets often measuring approximately 300 x 300mm) for better ease of installation. Each tile is already placed in the correct formation with more intricate designs and murals also being labelled on the back of the sheet with instruction on which tile sheet comes next in the series to form the pattern or mural you have chosen.
Mosaic tiles will create a wonderfully decadent design feature in the home, adding a sense of pattern, texture and colour to your interior design scheme. Our fabulous Pez collection features in this transitional bathroom design, adding a vibrant burst of colour that effortlessly compliments the architectural features of the home.
Modern mosaic tiles continue to be used throughout the home and in commercial spaces, being a popular choice for adding layers of texture and colour in a design scheme. Certain varieties can be used as a flooring solution while others are perfect for coating swimming pools or for creating elaborate feature walls in indoor or outdoor spaces.
Mosaic Tile Ideas: Using Mosaic Tiles in the Home
A flexible design solution, mosaic tiles offer an impressive array of uses throughout the home. Many varieties of glass or porcelain mosaic tiles can be used to coat indoor or outdoor pools, adding a rich and tactile finish while also ensuring a durable and long lasting solution. As mosaic tiles can be sourced in such a wide selection of rich and lavish colours, patterns and even murals, they are an incredibly popular choice for creating stylish features throughout the home and in commercial designs. From adding a decadent finish to a kitchen or laundry splashbacks to creating a stylish feature element in the bathroom, mosaic tiles are the perfect choice for adding a focal point in your interior design scheme. Many collections of mosaic tiles can even be used to create feature floors in your home, once again adding a rich and tactile finish to your design scheme. Due to their flexibility and smaller size, mosaic tiles are also a popular choice for tiling over curved surfaces as well as smaller nooks (such as shower niches for example), ensuring a durable and hard wearing finish for these often difficult to tile areas. From rich natural stone mosaic tiles to sleek glass tiles and more, mosaic tiles offer an impressive array of uses for the home.
Mosaic tiles are the perfect choice for creating a tactile element in your home. In this classic white kitchen design, our Fracture white mosaic tiles are paired with an earthy marble to create a varied and layered look in the space. Mixing tiles in the kitchen is the perfect way to create interest and depth in your design scheme, a technique that is especially handy in spaces that use a limited colour palette.
Mosaic Tile Ideas: Creative Tiling Ideas for Commercial Design
Mosaic tiles offer a wonderfully diverse range of options that will be a huge benefit in commercial and retail design. Aside from creating stunning feature walls and tile art in your design, certain types of projects can even incorporate mosaic tiles to create stunning feature floors (where local regulations allow). These types of tiles will certainly add a high-end finish in your next commercial project! Custom design tiles are another unique feature specific to mosaic tiles for example, providing the perfect solution for projects where unique brand colours and tile designs are needed. Brand colours and logos can be incorporated in your design using glass mosaic tiles for example, ensuring a consistent aesthetic for your project using a unique and creative method that is sure to impress. It is important to note that custom designed tile features will normally have a longer lead time than other options, requiring careful planning in order to tie in with your project’s timeline.
Due to their smaller size and flexible nature, mosaic tiles are also a great choice for coating curved surfaces in commercial spaces such as columns for example, allowing for a decadent finish in your next project.
Many mosaic tile collections can be customised to suit your design, allowing you to choose your preferred colours, patterns and even murals to create a unique look. Our Bisazza Pools collection includes a stunning array of designer tile options, allowing you the opportunity to create stunning mosaic tile ideas for your next project!
How to Choose the Right Mosaic Tiles for your Space
As with any tile selection, it is important to take the time to carefully consider specific tile materials when choosing your mosaic style tiles as not every material will be the best fit for every application. It is always recommended that you confirm that your tile selections are suitable for your intended application prior to ordering in order to ensure the very best results. Glass tiles as well as some varieties of porcelain mosaic tiles for example, will make for an excellent pool tile solution with each option being impervious to water. Both of these tiling solutions can be used in the bathroom and kitchen as well, allowing you to create stunning feature elements in your interior design scheme.
Aside from ensuring the right material for your project, it is also important to consider the colour of your grout as well. Your choice of grout colour will play an important role in how your tile design will appear. If you want to enhance the shape of your mosaic tiles for example, choosing a contrasting coloured grout will emphasise their design. It is important to note that this can create a visually overwhelming look in smaller spaces however, making your choice all that much more important in tighter areas! If you are looking to create more of a seamless, subdued finish, opt for a tile grout colour that will compliment or match your tile’s colour. This technique is especially popular in smaller spaces as it will create more of a uniform finish.
Mosaic Tile Installation Tips
In order to ensure better ease of installation and correct pattern and design placement, mosaic tiles are sold in sheets rather than as individual pieces. Each individual tile is attached to a mesh backing (with the mesh sheet normally measuring around 300 x 300mm) and in designs where a very specific custom pattern or mural is being created, each sheet will also be labelled on the back, once again ensuring a simple installation process. Prior to laying your tiles, it is of course recommended that you take the time to carefully plan your design and tile layout to ensure the design suits the scale of the area being tiled. As a general rule of thumb, your chosen tile pattern should start at the central most point of the space and work its way outwards towards the boundaries (or walls) of the space for a perfectly symmetrical look.
Our luxurious Grande collection is a stunning enamelled glass penny round tile that is suitable for use on vertical applications throughout interior spaces, adding a rich and tactile look with a crisp white finish. These types of tiles come to you pre-attached to a mesh backing sheet which ensures the perfect space in between each individual tile.
Maintenance and Care
Your maintenance and care routine for your new mosaic tiles will be strongly dependant on the type of material your tiles and grout are made of. In most cases, cleaning your mosaic tile surfaces with a solution of warm, soapy water is recommended while avoiding the use of harsh and abrasive cleaning products. If your tiles are made of a porous material such as natural stone for example, then you will also have to factor in sealing your tiles in order to keep them protected against staining. A common concern when it comes to keeping mosaic tile designs clean is tidying up grout. Due to their smaller size, mosaic tiles do require more grout than other standard tile sizes which will also need to be cared for and maintained. If you choose a standard cement based grout, it is recommended that this be sealed once a year or so in order to help keep your grout protected against moisture absorption. If this is of concern to you, you may instead opt for an epoxy grout which provides a water and stain resistant finish that will not require sealing, ensuring the ultimate low maintenance finish.
From mosaic tile ideas for pools and outdoor spaces to stunning mosaic tiles for living rooms walls, kitchens and more, you are sure to find your ideal match! Choosing from a never-ending range of colours designs and patterns, mosaic tiles are the perfect choice for those seeking a unique and customisable design solution. Our Richmond tile showroom houses an incredible selection of design tiles, including one of the most fabulous ranges of mosaic tiles in Melbourne! Visit us to browse our options or start your design journey shopping for tiles online here!
