We just came across these commissioned tile murals all themed “Tree of Life.”  Pretty sweet, and the variations in installation are awesome.  Here are a few of our favorite tile murals from the Unalun Tile blog.

The Tree of Life piece below was commissioned by Skyline Art Services in Houston, Texas for an Army hospital outside of Washington, DC.  This Tree of Life tile mural measures 53″ x 80″ and the tile is glazed in adobe, honey, persimmon, blue, jade and turquoise.

Unalun Tile - Tree of Life Commission

This tile wave was installed outside an elevator at Methodist Hospital of Southern California in Arcadia, CA.

Tree of Life - Wave - Commissioned Tile Mural - Unalun Tile

This last installation was a commission that was completed for the Radiology and Oncology center at Fletcher Allen Health Care facility in Burlington, VT.

Unalun Tile Tree of Life Tile Commission

Unalun Tile has some other pretty incredible tile art, which we will most certainly feature again down the road, but in the mean time go check them out!  They do some wild commercial tile murals and really think outside the box!

We usually scan the internet for photos of really cool tile installations, designs and creations. Today, however, we decided to toot our own horn a bit. You can create great visual drama by combining colors and mixing tile textures in the same room.

The bath below was installed at a local establishment.  A small space, so color and texture played a large role in the design of this room.  Using just the right shades of green and grey, with the mixture of textured tiles, we were able to make this tiny room feel a bit bigger.

We’ve shown similar images to this one below in the past.  We love the mixture of straight and free form lines in tile design.  This bath we designed and installed, and added this one element of free flowing tile to give this bathroom an extra bit of flair.

And finally, below, this bathroom we designed and installed here in Rochester.  The lighter tile shade of the wall, mixed with the dark stone mosaic tile really gives this bathroom and edgy feel.  We carried the stone mosaic tile through to the floor to create contrast, and draw your eye to the stone wall.

There are infinite ways to combine tile texture and color to give a room some drama.  These are just a few that we’ve done.

This week we’ve been looking at different ideas for kitchen tile backsplash inspiration.  We looked at primary colors, and painted tile murals, but this one is our favorite so far.  This ultra-modern kitchen with metal tiles used in the backsplash looks pretty darn slick!  So slick, in fact, we decided not to include any other photos with it.

Modern flair and metal tile is not for everyone, and in this example, they took the tile beyond just the backsplash and did that entire kitchen wall – but we love it!  Just another example of how to get creative with tile on your walls that can transform the look and feel of any room.

We understand that interior design is completely subjective and what one person may fall in love with, another might look at and think – uh… not in my house!  But that’s why we try to bring you all kinds of different examples of tiling and interior design projects to get you thinking about the different things you can be doing.

Have a design project you’d like featured?  Contact us today to get your goods on our blog!

A stark white kitchen or bath can be completely transformed with a little bit of color.  We found a few examples, one with just a small installation of a tile backsplash using primary colors that gives the room a vibrant feel.  Note that an extra bit of flair was added with the cabinet pulls and colorful vases atop the cabinets.

This next one is a bit more extreme.  The tile installation on the kitchen backsplash is carried to the island counter top to really bring this kitchen to life.  Where the above kitchen plays on just the mosaic feel of broken and odd-sized mosaic tile pieces, the kitchen below uses different shapes, and patterns in the tile to give the room a unique feel.

Check out even the lighting at the top of the photo – they carried the colors through into the kitchen chandelier.  Is this tile almost too crazy?  Or do you love it?

Send us a photo and write up of your kitchen backsplash and what inspired you… We’d love to feature it on our blog!

This week we’ll feature some fun kitchen backsplash tile.  Often times you might see a kitchen backsplash tiled with the same tile used on the floor, or perhaps the same colors scheme, just smaller mosaic tiles.  Looks nice, traditional, safe. What if you were an “outside-the-box” thinker (like us over at ArtWalk Tile) and did something fun with your kitchen backsplash to give the room a whole different feel!

This tile backsplash gives you the feeling of cruisidng down the road with the top down in a classic convertable. I don’t know about you, but I would love to spend time in this modern kitchen with a country road feel to it!

Here’s another tile mural, a bit more feminine than the above, but a beautiful use of tile in this kitchen backsplash, gives the feel of being on a plantation in the deep south.  Again, notice the kitchen design is rather modern, right down to the seating, but the mural tile backsplash gives the room an entirely different feel and softens it us a bit.

Using a mural in your kitchen as the tile backsplash can transform a room entirely. You may choose stark, straight lines and a modern look to your cabinets, seating and countertop, which can give the room a really hard feeling. We love modern design as much as the next person, but add to it a visual element that perhaps reminds of something you love, and you might transport yourself to another place and time.

We spend much of our lives in the kitchen, whether entertaining, or sitting with a cup of coffee and the newspaper. How does your kitchen make you feel?

70s Vinyl Tile

When you think of vinyl tile, you probably have some flash back to your youth – and it may not be a good flashback. You think of that floor that your parents or grandparents had in their bathroom when you were growing up. Lime green or bright gold perhaps?

Linoleum or vinyl tile were a popular choice because of the wide variety of color choices, as well as it’s durability and resilience for use in rooms where moisture can be an issue.

Vinyl tile is easy to clean with a damp mop and broom to keep your floor looking brand new.

At ArtWalk we carry Mannington Vinyl Tile which features an inner core designed for more comfort for standing. This inner core also serves as an insulation to keep the floor quieter, as well as holding the heat during the winter, and maintaining that coolness during the summer months.

And the best part!?  Vinyl tile no longer has to be ugly! Check out a few of these samples that we carry of vinyl tile.  Give your room a hardwood floor appeal with all the comfort ans strength of vinyl tile.

Vinyl Tile - No Longer Has To Be Ugly!

And to make life even easier – the vinyl tile we carry does not require adhesive for installation. The Mannington Floor Tiles lock together to make installation a snap!

Yes, we love tile!  Simple tile, modern tile, crazy tile – doesn’t matter, we love it!  If you traveled globe and made your way to South America, or Rio de Janeiro – to be more specific, you may have come across these well-known steps called Escadaria Selarón.  Chilean-born artist Jorge Selaron set out one day to clean up the tiles, that had gone neglected outside his home to the chagrin of the neighbors who mocked him for a time.

Escadaria Selarón

As he began in 1990, he filled the steps with colored tiles reminiscent of the Brazilian flag – blues, greens and yellows. Ironically, as an artist, his primary medium was paint, but through the course of this project, he fell in love with tile art. He would, however, sell paintings to fund his Brazilian tile project that would later become world famous.  The 250 steps and surrounding walls are covered with more than 2,000 tiles originating from 60 countries, and also include over 300 hand painted tiles by Selarón himself.

The project continues to evolve as Selarón has made this his life’s work.  He finishes one section of tile, only to begin another, making changes, and keeping the steps a living-breathing work of art.  He was quoted as saying, “This crazy and unique dream will only end on the day of my death.”

Jorges Selarón hard at work.

We could go on and on about this interesting character who took his love for tile art to a whole new dimension.  You can learn more about this project and some of his inspirations and painting subjects (something about a pregnant African woman?) on Wikipedia.

We hope you’ll enjoy learning about this tile art project as much as we did!  If you ever get to Rio, go check it out!

The term “bullnose” as used in the tile and flooring industry refers to tile that has a rounded corner on one edge.  This tile is typically used for edging and borders, where that tile will be visually exposed, so as not leave raw edges of tile showing.  Often times, you will see it used in showers and bath tile installations, but here are a few examples of where you might see them.

Below is the typical shower/tub install of bullnose ceramic tile.  The top edge of this tub uses bullnose tile to give it a polished, smooth-edged look.

Next week look at bullnose ceramic tile might be used to finish of a room.  If you have a tile-floor, you might class it up a bit with a ceramic tile edge using bullnose tile.  This gives the room a more finished look than using painted baseboard.

This last one is a great example of outdoor use of bullnose tile.  You may be creating a dramatic staircase made from tile, and using bullnose tile to create those rounded corners will give it the smooth edges and dramatic appeal.

You may not even consider this when designing a room and picking out your floor tile or covering, but light sources can have a huge impact on the overall feel of the room, right down to the floor.

The size of your windows, the direction they face, and whether the rooms have incandescent light all contribute to the appearance of your floor.  We’ve pulled together a few examples to make you think about the lighting in your room, and how the floor tile color, size and texture can impact the over all feel of the room.

In the photo below, the area off this kitchen is filled with natural light from a sky-light, however, the actual kitchen itself boasts very low natural lighting.  The designer chose contrasting floor tile color and texture to suit each area, and giving that well-lit area a vibrant feel, even with the slate-shade floor tiles.

Below is a room with virtually no natural light, but very dramatic lighting effects.  The light colored wall and dark contrasting floor almost give it a cavernous feel.  Selecting a light color floor tile in this design would have entirely changed the feel of this room, and probably not for the better.

This third example is really interesting.  The room has lots of natural light, but it’s also deceiving because of the art panel hanging from the ceiling.  If you glance quickly it give the appearance of a skylight, however, the natural lighting here comes from the windows placed in various locations along that far wall.  The room is bright and modern.  The brown floor texture draws out the light in the ceiling panel and gives this room a unique feel.

These are just a few examples to show rooms with no natural light, or lots of sunlight.  The type of lighting and where it shines into the room can drastically effect the way your floor tile will appear.

We recommend… Always view your flooring selection in the same lighting as what will be used in your home.

Getting ready to make-over a room in your house?  Or are you building a new house? Choosing flooring can be a challenging task. There are several factors to consider when selecting the right flooring, color, material, etc. Your floor should complement rather than dominate other design elements in the room.  We will be publishing a series on the different elements to consider when selecting your room floor tile. Hopefully we will get you thinking the right way so you way all the important factors that go into room design, and don’t just simply pick out tile because you like the way it looks on the website, someone else’s kitchen, or some photograph in a magazine. Floor tile should be given careful consideration.

If your room is simple, consider a floor with a stronger pattern. Shown below, this kitchen and laundry area is primarily white and cream tones. While the designer did not go crazy with tile, the flooring colors used here draw nice contrast to the simplicity of the design.

Adding color contrast to your room doesn’t always mean floor tile. In this image, the bath was designed with modern flare in limited use of colors, but high contrast tile was added to the wall to draw out color and add flair to this room.

If your room has a more distinct style, the floor should pick up on existing colors and patterns. Shown here, the room is rich with color in green tones. The flooring selection in this room needed to be simplistic and not draw the eye away from the color of the room. Though they chose throw rugs that compliment the color scheme, the floor tile is white to give the room a dramatic effect.

The floor should serve as the backdrop to the overall design scheme, whether your room is designed with lots of color, or minimal color. Consider the overall design of the room before considering what the floor coloring and texture will be.

In this series we will continue to explore other things to consider such as room lighting, room size, drama and other factors that are important to consider when choosing the perfect flooring tile or other materials for your room.