Looking to enhance your backsplash but unsure how to do it? Fluted tile is the answer. This trend can be subtle or bold and is versatile across various styles. Fluted tile can seamlessly blend into modern, transitional, or classic homes, according to Vyanca Soto, owner of Market Studio Interiors. Designers share installation techniques, materials, and styling ideas for the fluted tile trend.
Expert Insights:
Vyanca Soto and Thea Bloch-Neal provide expert opinions on fluted tile, which features grooves adding texture and dimension. The ridges create a striped appearance for a 3D effect, enhancing any space. The material choices for fluted tile include veined marble, limestone, wood, porcelain, and ceramic, each highlighting the unique design of the tile.
Materials:
Veined marble and limestone accentuate the fluted detail, offering color, texture, and variation. Wood emphasizes warmth and depth, while porcelain and ceramic provide customization with glossy finishes that reflect light beautifully.
Design Ideas:
To make the most of the fluted tile trend, consider halting the tile at mid-height with a ledge or floating shelf for a clean look. Adding a line of contrasting tiles can draw out the reeded patterns and lines, enhancing the overall design.
Going Vertical: How Fluted Tiles Can Transform Your Space
According to Bloch-Neal, the trend of using vertically stacked fluted tiles has been gaining popularity as they can make a powerful design statement, especially when extended all the way up to the cabinets. To ensure a cohesive look, Bloch-Neal suggests incorporating a ledge to seamlessly blend the tiles with existing architectural features such as windows or cabinets.
The orientation of the fluted tiles should be carefully considered based on your design goals. Soto advises opting for vertical fluted tiles if you aim to draw the eye upward or create a sense of height in the room. On the other hand, horizontal fluting is ideal for adding visual width to the space.
Pairing fluted tiles with a neutral color palette can yield impressive results. While these tiles can make a bold statement in vibrant hues, their texture alone can have a striking impact when combined with neutral shades. Soto emphasizes the versatility of fluted tiles, noting that they can serve as a focal point or subtly enhance the overall aesthetic of the space.
Creating contrast is key when incorporating fluted tiles into your design scheme. Soto recommends mixing flat tiles with reeded styles to achieve a contemporary and visually captivating contrast. Even the choice of grout can influence the final look – matching the grout to the tile for a seamless appearance or selecting a contrasting grout to highlight the texture of the tiles in a more graphic manner.
When it comes to backsplash applications, fluted tiles offer numerous possibilities. Soto suggests maximizing the impact by extending the backsplash all the way to the ceiling, particularly in kitchens with open shelving or lacking upper cabinets. This approach can create a dramatic visual effect and elevate the overall design of the space.
Fluted tiles can also shine as a feature wall, serving as a versatile design element that can either take center stage or play a more subtle role in the decor. According to Soto, the textural quality of fluted tiles is so impactful that even a small section can completely transform the look and feel of a room.
In conclusion, the use of fluted tiles in interior design offers endless creative opportunities to enhance and elevate living spaces. Whether used vertically to add height, paired with neutral tones for a sophisticated look, or combined with contrasting materials for a modern twist, fluted tiles can truly transform a room into a visually captivating and unique environment.
For further inspiration and insights on incorporating fluted tiles into your design projects, the original article can be found on Better Homes & Gardens.
