It’s not often that the words “design trend” and “affordable” go together, but I’m happy to report that today’s post does just that. As a design writer, my eye has been trained to pick up on details in projects that have a common thread from home to home. When I start seeing it enough over several months (sometimes even years), I feel confident in my expertise to call a trend a trend. Now, if you know anything about me, you also know I really do not like that word, as it has connotations of something fleeting and wasteful, mainstream, and eventually kind of corny. If you love something in your home, you should be able to live with it happily for as long as you wish, regardless of what other people are doing. But I digress. Back to tile trends.
Of course, zellige tile has been the darling of designers for nearly a decade now—it dates back to the 10th century in Morocco!—but it can be pricy, anywhere from $20 to $30 a square foot, and needs an expert installer. Plus, while it’s wildly beautiful, it doesn’t always suit every style of interiors. Possibly because of these facts, there’s another tile contender that is everywhere now: solid color 4″ by 4″ tile.
For anyone thinking “You mean that cheap stuff I have in the old bathroom of my rental??”, the answer to that is “Yes!” I get it. I had white glossy ceramic 4×4 tiles in my previous rental kitchen. It made up the backsplash and countertops (which I absolutely hated because the grout never stayed clean). And now, in my current home, my powder bathroom sports mint 4×4 floor tiles and my primary bathroom has yellow and white checkerboard 4×4 tiles on the floor—both of which I’ve grown to love.
Small square tiles can feel both retro and contemporary, depending on how you use them. Not to mention, the most affordable ones can be easily found at your local hardware store and run you anywhere from $2 (!!!) to $6 a square foot. Like anything else in design, there are more expensive versions of a simple thing, so yes, I’ll be including pricier options, but in general, it can be as affordable as affordable gets for tile.
These days, you can get 4×4 tiles in a traditional glaze, a satin finish, matte finishes and even hand-glazed finishes (my favorite). Below, I laid out some layout options for what you can do with these little square babies, including some of the more graphic patterns that can also be created:
While all of these would be great, I personally love just the classic straight stack, the offset horizontal thick grout and the checkerboard pattern. But that’s the beauty of the 4×4 tile: it’s really versatile, especially when you get into the business of bringing in multiple colors to create graphic patterns.
Let’s explore some 4×4 tile in application, shall we?
Solid Color
I have such a love affair with the kitchen of Dan Pelosi (a.k.a. Grossy Pelosi). While the color story isn’t something I’d likely pick for myself, I just love the square tile enclosure of the range and hood nook. He worked with Fireclay, which sells SO many color options in both their new pressed tile finish (a bit more satin/matte), and their traditional glazed ceramic.
Molly Baz’s kitchen is no longer with us, sadly (it was lost in the fires earlier this year), but it will forever showcase my favorite way to level up a simple material like a $5 per square foot tile: color drenching. Taking that same cornsilk yellow across other surfaces makes the tile feel custom, rather than an affordable design choice.
The Fireclay account is actually a great place to dig around for inspiration. I love the application of a square tile on both floor and wall. It lends a really clean, modern look that’s not devoid of personality. And don’t forget, just like with any tile, grout choice can completely change the vibes. Here, they used a dark gray which brings down the contrast (but is also much easier to keep looking clean in a high-traffic room like the bathroom).
People either love vintage pink bathrooms or they hate them. As long as the materials are in good shape, I think they are glorious, and can be made to feel especially “now” if colorblocked with fixtures or wall paint in a similar shade, like in this bathroom I found on Cristina Poelk‘s feed (she’s the creative director for Hem).
Gosh I love this creamy 4×4 tile, with what looks to be a hand-glazed. Placing it not just on the backsplash of the kitchen by Alex March Studio but also on the wall leading into the space is inspired.
We’ve already seen a dark green version of the 4×4 tile (by Fireclay), but this time, it’s with a much higher contrast white grout, which changes the vibes for sure. I also love how they’re using the same green square as the baseboard mixed with a cream stacked brick tile for some variation.
Just a simple offset horizontal stack in a compact kitchen featured on Clever. I would have loved to see this all the way up the wall, but it’s a good reminder that even a three-tile high installation can be enough.
Another offset horizontal, in a lovely soft pink. (Didn’t I tell you that Fireclay had so much eye candy??) Note the larger tile as the baseboard to elevate it just slightly.
Instead of swapping the bottom row to a larger tile, you can also just change the color to create that delineation, like in this bathroom I spotted on Domino pulled from the book “Cheap Old Houses: An Unconventional Guide to Loving and Restoring a Forgotten Home.”
I’m not usually one to be drawn to grays, but this one, in a kitchen by Storey Design, is like a soft morning mist. It’s so satisfying and easy on the eyes in a clean classic grid pattern.
Though I’m fairly certain this is likely a zellige tile, I still wanted to show it because of the application ideas (slide 1 and 2). Claire Thomas created a “speakeasy” in a historic home, and I love the use of tile along the wall of the banquette area, as well as on the countertop and front on that second slide.
For anyone considering using 4×4 tiles on a countertop, you can choose to use tile nosing like in this space by Rae Rockwell Studio or not (like in the project right before this).
Stripes, Checks & Plaids
Now, moving on to further creative uses for these fairly simple tiles. There is a lot to study in the image above, by Yana Molodykh, but particularly the grouting. Mixing two colors of tile can be done in many ways, and here, she swapped the grout color for each, which is so clever. Red grout for red tile, mint grout for mint tile. The resulting look is decidedly modern.
There is almost nothing cheaper than white glazed 4×4 tile (I’m not saying the one here is cheap, but it can certainly be found for very little money if you wanted). These here are from Zia Tile, a brand I love. The double horizontal stripe just north of the centerline—likely so that the sink basin didn’t cut into the top green stripe—feels so timeless but adds a little sumptin sumptin to a clean, classic room.
Yes these are zellige tiles (from Mosaic Factory), but I wanted to show the pattern application, which could be recreated in a more cleanlined look with a simple ceramic 4×4.
How fun, right? What an absolutely darling look for a young person (heck, I’d take it for myself). Gray Benko worked with Fireclay here, and used 5-6 colors to create this alternative “checkerboard” look that’s playful and fresh.
Another way to go if you like checkerboard but want something a little different is a plaid pattern, which can be made with a dark center tile, a lighter shade for the tiles touching the center tile, and an even lighter or white tile everywhere else, like in this bathroom from Domino.
Natalie Myers toned down the contrast that normally comes along with a checkerboard pattern by using a soft gray and not super bright white 4×4 tile in this bathroom.
Go crazy, if you want, and just make your own designs with two or three different colors a la the image above yet again from Fireclay.
This is also a great technique for making a special detail (like a dog bath!) stand out. The taupe and white check here uses tiles from Bedrosians, which I love for their selection of fairly affordable materials like these glazed tiles.
And finally, another checkerboard, but I loved the juxtaposition of the more modern gray and white check with the antique fireplace box. It’s such a great way to create tension (every room needs a little tension, after all).
Now that we’re all inspired, it’s time to take a look at some beautiful tile you can actually buy for your own home.
1. Khaki 4×4 Ceramic Tile | Matte | 2. Karma 4×4 Glazed Ceramic Wall Tile by Bond Tile | 3. Cement Solid Chestnut Petite by Cle Tile | 4. Celine 4×4 Matte Porcelain Floor & Wall Tile in White by Bedrosians | 5. Color Ways Shadow 4×4 Glossy Ceramic Subway Wall Tile by American Olean | 6. Color Wheel Classic – 4×4 Wall Tile – Glossy Visual in Cornsilk by Daltile | 7. Sap Green Gloss 4×4 by Fireclay Tile | 8. Sahara 4×4 Porcelain Wall & Floor Tile by Bedrosians | 9. Terre Verte Satin 4×4 by Fireclay Tile
As I mentioned, 4×4 solid tiles can be super affordable (like this dark slatey blue-gray from Lowe’s that’s $4 per square foot) or just as pricey as something like a zellige. There’s a high-gloss finish like the gorgeous olive green from Fireclay, a soft matte finish like the khaki tile from Riad Tile, and everything in between. I love the glazing on the light blue option from Bond Tile (#2) for something that feels more organic and visually moving. The cornsilk yellow tile from Daltile is affordable at just $5 per square foot, and just so happens to be the exact tile Molly Baz used in her gorgeous kitchen I shared at the start of this post.
So…what say you? Honestly, if I were renovating a home right now, I’d seriously consider finding a color I love and going the affordable 4×4 tile route because it’s such a classic material. Depending on how you use it and color mix it, it’ll likely feel relevant for decades. Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you around these parts next time.
Opening Image Credits: Design and Styling by Emily Henderson and Kaitlin Green | Photo by Kaitlin Green | From: Kaitlin’s 70s Inspired, Colorful And Cool Living Room Revealed (Y’all, I’m So Jealous)
