One of the best things about tile is its sheer variety: You can find an option to suit any taste, including the taste that doesn’t like tile much at all (in that case, go for those ceramic planks that look like wood, complete with graining). And in the past few years, tile companies have been seriously upping their game, expanding beyond the rectangles we know and love to unexpected shapes, colors, and finishes. If the patterned-cement-tile trend has taught us anything, it’s that tile can do wondrous things for a room. Here are some equally stylish tiles, which are well on their way to becoming the next big thing.
Fishscale
Hexagon and other angular tiles were big last year, but 2019 seems to be the year of the fishscale. These curved tiles are a happy medium between round penny tiles and standard rectangles; on a wall, they create a scalloped pattern that’s softer and more playful than straight-lined geometric shapes.
Dark Marble
If you’ve had enough of the white marble with gray veining that seems to show up everywhere, we’ve got some good news: Dark, earthy colors will be trending this year, and they’re going to show up in tile in the form of black and dark brown marble. These unexpected shades offer lots of luxury and drama, but save you the maintenance issues associated with white and light-colored marbles.
Large Formats
Big tile is going to be, well, big this year. I’m talking tile measured in feet, not inches, with 2-foot-by-4-tiles as just the starting point. Bigger tiles mean less grout lines (always a good thing in my book), and it also opens up the design possibilities—the pros at the Tile Council of North America are expecting large-format tile to start being used, say, on countertops and furniture.
…but also Ultra Thin
Designers also expect tile to shrink this year: Think subway tile but about half the width. These narrow tiles lend themselves to unexpected patterns and arrangements, such as herringbone or vertical stacks.
