As someone with some Persian ancestry, I am certainly partial to a decorative tile. Decorative clay and porcelain tiles have been used in both middle eastern and Mediterranean architecture and interior design for centuries (even millennia!) at this point. I recently went to the Louvre in Paris where they had some Persian art (previously part of the wall of a castle) made up of beautiful decorative tiles. The magical thing is – even after one thousand years, you could still see the gorgeous blue pigment on the tiles.

There are SO many beautiful designs online at the moment, and I’m at the point where I want every single one of them! I’m particularly in love with those which match the middle eastern mosaic patterns in the delightfully named ‘Persian blue’, or deep emerald shades. On the other side – and stylistically very different – are the florals, the mermaid style and the irregular pastel styles which are also SO stunning.

However, our bathrooms and kitchen cannot physically contain all the different styles of decorative tile, and some of them simply wouldn’t suit the existing style without going a full (and expensive) redo. But that doesn’t stop me from wanting them all!! I’ve also been wanting to introduce more interest into my minimalist/modern living spaces outside of the kitchen and bathroom. So I’ve been thinking of other ways I can integrate these gorgeous tile designs into my home without breaking the bank.

This is an opportunity to add intricate patterns to a room, own some cool expensive tiles without having to buy enough to cover a 2×3 space, and give dated furniture or spaces a nice uplift. Whether you’re keen to buy some clay decorative tiles for outside of the bathroom, or if you have an excess of tiles from your recent bathroom/kitchen renovation – here are some beautiful ideas you can easily do yourself in order to get the most out of your beautiful tiles!

1. Fireplace tiling

Decorative tiling around the fireplace was once a staple in Victorian times, with ornate, decorative tile placed on the castings. These tiles would normally depict a floral scene, or, for those in the upper echelons would consist of the famous ‘Delft’ tiling – at that point antique, originating in the 1600s.’ More recently homeowners took to surrounding their fireplaces in beige plasterboard for a more subdued look.

Whilst wooden, plasterboard, concrete and marble are all lovely, if you do have a tired looking fireplace, this is your opportunity to take it from drab to the focal point of your room by adding decorative tiling, either internally or on the surroundings of the fireplace. If you don’t want it to clash with your home, go for a light colour like grey or pastel blue. If you want to make a big impact in an otherwise muted room, then go for more contrast and take the tile all the way up to the ceiling.

2. In your garden

Depending on the material and size of your decorative tiles, there are multiple opportunities to use them in your garden. If they are able to bear weight – using them as a replacement flooring in your garden can make a huge impact. If you have an area of the garden with gravel or old slabs, this is your chance to take it down and add the decorative tiles instead, either as a patio area or as a beautiful garden path. Again, you want to ensure that your tiles are going to be able to handle the weight necessary, and that they will work in outdoor spaces so please diy-with-care!

Even using the tiles alongside your existing ones can help with designs that incorporate ‘zoning’. This style of decoration is becoming increasingly popular, with some taking to stencilling existing patio with intricate designs, in order to imitate decorative tiling. Alternatively add decorative tile to walls, where you can create a Portugese style ‘Azulejo’ mural to enhance a mediterranean themed garden. You can even add them to a pizza oven or clay fireplace for added interest.

3. Add tile to tables

Have you seen Anthropologie’s moroccan inspired tables? They are, in my opinion, to die for. Intricate tables like this, which make use of decorative tiling, add an incredible burst of energy and fascination to most interior styles, and are a great way to introduce a new accent colour to an existing colour theme. You also get to have a table that is completely unique, and personalised to you. Be prepared to impress your guests!

These anthropology versions cost an arm and a leg, but luckily you can quite easily imitate these designs from home – with decorative tiles of your own choice. If you are a novice when it comes to DIY, or if you’re just not a wizard, then you want to go for furniture with straight lines. If you are planning on tiling a curved piece of furniture, like the Anthropologie tables pictured above, you’ll need to go for a mosaic design where you smash the tile and create your own cool pattern – if you want a curved design but not with a mosaic then.. good luck with the headache!

I have also fallen in love with the decorative tile desks, such as the image below. These beautiful pastel patterns can bring a great sense of energy and creativity into your home office. Home office spaces can often be boring and monochrome, but this is a great opportunity to inject some colour in. Below we see a design in pastel blue but I think this would look great in a range of brighter colours, or even in darker colours for additional contrast.

For easy (read – square or rectangular) tables, the instructions are quite simple:

• Calculate the size of your tabletop, then divide by the size of one decorative tile – this will give you the number of tiles you’ll need for your project
• If you’re lucky, you’ll have the perfect tile to table ratio and will not need to do any cutting.
  • It’s pretty likely, unfortunately, that you will not be that lucky – in which case you will want to move them around to create space around the borders of each tile to get them to fit into the space.
  • Place the tiles on your table and adjust them until they fit – this will take some experimenting but will still look great.
• Put your tiles in place, and add E6000 glue to the backs of each tile one by one.
• Stick in place by applying a little pressure – then leave for 24 hours
• If you wish to add grouting, mix and apply as per your brand’s instructions

It’s really as simple as that!

4. Create tile coasters and placemats

Decorative tile coasters and placemats are a great way to use up those last few tiles from an existing project, which you can’t bare to throw away. It’s also a way to add pattern to your living room or dining room without having to go too wild, for those of us who are a little more shy when it comes to loud designs. Clay and porcelain tiles also benefit from being durable, heat resistant and waterproof – the makings of a perfect coaster or placemat!

The coasters have to be one of the simplest decorative tile DIY projects ever – all you have to do is glue a patch of velvet to the underside of the tile, using your trusty E6000 glue. This will ensure you avoid scratches to your table, whilst also helping the coaster to stay where it needs to! Decorative tile placemats are marginally more complicated – but still so simple! The only additional step is purchasing some cork. Once you have your cork you’ll need to cut it down to your desired placemat size. From there, simply glue the tiles to the top and wait a day before using.

5. Create a tile plant stand

Looking for a more inventive way to display your prized plant collection? How about using decorative tiles to make them more.. snazzy? This is another incredibly easy, and cheap, up cycling project that can make a huge impact on your living spaces. An added bonus is that it should have enough space to house multiple plants. Yes you heard me – keep those babies alive for the occasion! To create one yourself is also pretty straight forward – get a wooden step ladder, paint it in your preferred colour & glue your tiles to the top of each step! An easy and stunning way to show off your babies, with plenty of room for additional accessories.

For an added bonus, you can also create an indoor tiled plant pot – simply purchase a square pot (preferably wood or concrete for a better glueing experience) and glue the decorative tiles on to it in whatever pattern you prefer! Alternatively, for smaller versions you can simply solder the tiles together via each side, and then grout the adjoining lines. This looks great in intricate, antique style designs in light blues or jades, so would work well in a Victorian-modern home, french farmhouse, or would even work to perk up a minimalist / netural style living room.

Warning – if you are going for a larger floor pot – you will want to ensure this is kept in a low traffic area, to ensure no-one knocks over your beautiful creation – porcelain decorative tiles can be delicate so make sure to consider the material you’re using before trying this one.

If you enjoyed this article on decorative tile uses you should check out some of the other ones! ‘How to nail the gorgeous ‘Japandi’ style in 4 different rooms’ and ‘Top decor tips to make a more relaxing space‘