Decorating & Design
15 Ways To Energize Your Home With Black And White Tile
Published on January 5, 2017
Graphic and eye-catching, black and white tile is a designer favorite for a reason. These high-contrast patterns are foolproof ways to energize a room, whether you go for a statement backsplash or bold floor. Plus, they’re neutral enough to suit any existing color scheme. So if all-white and natural stone tile are feeling a little too safe for your taste, why not take the plunge? Here are 15 spaces that prove you won’t regret embracing the drama of black and white.
Designer Andrea Armstrong clad this kitchen’s walls in a small-scale, exotic tile for a dose of wow-factor. “The tiles are the showstoppers in here for sure,” she says.
“I’m not afraid to push the envelope with design,” says H&H design editor Kai Ethier. In this family bathroom, she selected a hip 3-D effect floor tile, offsetting it with a clean marble vanity and white millwork.
Small spaces don’t have to be afterthoughts. “We gave this tiny utility space its own graphic hit,” says designer Nam Dang-Mitchell of this walk-in pantry, where cool diamond-patterned cement tiles up the style quotient.
A geometric backsplash turns retailer Carlo Colacci’s kitchen into a destination, echoing the high-contrast pairing of a black stove and white quartzite counters.
A black and white patterned floor adds just the right amount of energy to H&H alum Cameron MacNeil’s otherwise subdued principal bath.
Chevron-patterned ceramic floors are an undeniably daring choice, but look right at home in Linda Segal and Irwin Zelniker’s lavish dining room.
A handsome black and white backsplash marries well with the rich architectural detail of TV exec Alix Jaffe’s California kitchen.
Glossy checkerboard floors get a contemporary update in this kitchen by designers Richard Ouellette and Maxime Vandal thanks to on-trend gold hardware and lighting.
A subtle border of black tile adds pretty detail to this high-contrast bathroom by Toronto designer Connie Braemer.
If drama is your aim, consider crossing over to the dark side. This Montreal kitchen’s dark floors are a gorgeous choice.
Designer James Davie enlivened this traditional, grey-based bathroom with a rich burgundy door and statement floor.
This slightly muddier pattern adds visual interest to this busy family kitchen, and will stand up to wear from kids, dogs and party guests.
The team at Sarah Richardson Design updated this foyer by laying out a striking diamond pattern underfoot. Marble 12″-square tiles were cut into triangles to create this effect (note that a good tile-setter is needed to install custom patterns like this).
For a simpler take on the high-contrast look, follow artist Michael Soltis’s lead and install black tile with clean white grout.
A fun patterned floor is perfectly suited to this laid-back dining area designed by Tommy Smythe. Have we convinced you yet?