I’m up at my parents’ house, helping them start the planning process for a big renovation they’re hoping to take on soon. While I’m here we’re also starting a little bedroom refresh. Remember when I decorated their room five years ago? How has it been SO long already?! We’re keeping the beautiful Barbara Barry Poetical curtains, but most everything else is getting switched up.
We’re trying to find a good mix of high and low in here, like with a more affordable, but still really beautiful, headboard made up with special linen bedding. A foot of the bed bench from Overstock and a special antique wingback upholstered in a pretty pale blue silk.
We’re painting a pair of vintage chests a creamy white and thinking about splurging on these amazing leather and brass pulls. I bought a pair recently for the serpentine chest we keep on the landing and I love them an unreasonable amount! :)
We’ve been collecting art, lamps and accessories at thrift and antique stores. We’re still missing a few items, like a new rug and an oversized floor mirror, but Homegoods gave us a little inspiration on both fronts. Sadly the mirror was more than we wanted to pay and the rug was the wrong size. I think it’s sold out pretty much everywhere, but I know it’s made by Jaipur Rugs. I’m hoping we can find something in a similar pale blue and cream color way soon.
Speaking of flooring, we’ve been working hard to figure out the floors for my parents’ reno. Their floor plan is very open and we keep turning back to wood tile so we could use the same material in every space. Have you looked at this stuff lately? It’s come lightyears from the time it first came out, and it’s hard to beat it’s durability and price point, especially when considering installation and upkeep. It also really makes sense for homes built on concrete slab, like most of the homes in Arizona, and like my parents’ home. My mom and I fell in love with this image of a wood tile floor and we shopped around a few weeks ago, trying to find something similar.
We found this tile at a local showroom, made by the Italian tile-maker Supergres. It comes in four foot lengths and three different widths for less than $5 per square foot! We’re both excited about the size and color. Each box comes with six tiles with a subtly different wood grain pattern on each tile.
Have you used wood tile in your home? Any tips for installation? We’re going to make the grout lines as small as possible and I think that will really help trick the eye.
Momof2 – the floral fabric is by a company called Hazelton House. It's beautiful – I've been waiting for the right project to use it in! :)
Casey – Thanks for your input here! Good to know about the installation trickiness! We're doing a herringbone pattern in the bedroom – I think it's going to be gorgeous!
Sheila – The stairs have us scratching our heads a little too! This pattern comes in a really wide 12" plank too, so if we can figure out a good way to address the edge of the steps, we could try that. Though honestly I think we're leaning toward white painted treads and risers with sisal carpeting almost the full width of the stairs. I'll keep you posted!
xo
Would you please share the source/manufacturer of the floral fabric from today's post? Thank you!!
We have wood tiles in our apartment, and LOOOOOOVE THEM!!!! They add elegance and a gorgeous finish to our space. And they're SO easy to care for!
I'm a designer and have used wood tiles on a few jobs here in Louisiana where we have slab foundations also. I've use both ceramic and porcelain versions at very different price points, and love it all. I just wouldn't suggest DIY'ing the installation for this. The longer planks can be challenging to get completely level from end to end, so you really have to know what you're doing with the mudbed to get that smooth, sharp look. But you can get some fab patterns done with this stuff…mimic a traditional inlaid wood floor, for example, and it's so easy to care for. Can't wait to see the results!
I'll be interested to hear how the flooring project goes and appreciate Casey's comment above. I've got a condo that I want to prep for renting out and am debating between vinyl plank and wood tile flooring to replace an existing mix of ceramic tile, carpet and vinyl floors on two floors. The stairs are vexing me!
I have never used wood tiles but it seems like it could be a great alternative! You will have to report back on how it goes.
Momof2 – the floral fabric is by a company called Hazelton House. It's beautiful – I've been waiting for the right project to use it in! :)
Casey – Thanks for your input here! Good to know about the installation trickiness! We're doing a herringbone pattern in the bedroom – I think it's going to be gorgeous!
Sheila – The stairs have us scratching our heads a little too! This pattern comes in a really wide 12" plank too, so if we can figure out a good way to address the edge of the steps, we could try that. Though honestly I think we're leaning toward white painted treads and risers with sisal carpeting almost the full width of the stairs. I'll keep you posted!
xo
Cannot wait to see how it comes together! I'm sure it will be flawless as always!!
x Lily
http://whilemyboyfriendsaway.blogspot.com/
We have wood tile in our mudroom / laundry room and love it! For me its not a whole house kind of love though…but depending on the colors and where you live its a huge plus over traditional tile!
I have just installed wood tile in an upstairs powder room. I love it and wish it was all over my house. Preferred over my real hardwoods downstairs. I used a very dark walnut and black grout with thin lines. You hardly notice the grout. Amazing look and lasts forever!
We recently had wood tile installed in almost our entire home, including the bedrooms. I love it so hard. It will be our flooring of choice in every home we ever have from now until eternity, period, the end.
Some things we learned:
Installation is hard and tricky. Professionals installed ours, and it was money well-spent.
Thin grout lines. Sounds like you know this already.
Pay attention to grout color. If the tile is lighter (like the sample you show above), light grout seems to be fine. But if the tone is medium brown or darker, go with dark grout. Dark. Find the darkest tone in the tile, and go at least one shade darker.
Because grout color does funny things when it dries, do one room, let it dry all the way, and see how you like it. We didn't go dark enough on our first pick and hated it. Thank goodness we caught it in time: our installers had to dig all that grout out, but it was only one room.
Good luck. You'll love it!
I love it – but it makes me a little nervous because tile is such a commitment and I wonder if it will look dated sooner than a traditional option. I feel like permanent fixtures in a home (counters, flooring) should be as timeless as possible. Things we can easily change can be trendy. Am I being too cautious? I'd love your thoughts!!!
We used it in the basement and love it! Our experience is that the grout dried a shade lighter than the sample color. If we were to do it over again, I would go a shade darker. Also, as you mentioned, using the smallest spacer possible between the tiles. If it's done correctly, people may not even notice it's tile. :)
I love that you posted about this now, as we're getting ready to re-do our basement floor after a burst pipe problem (the third water-related issue we've had in the space), and though my heart wants hardwoods, we think from a practicality stand point, wood-look tile will be the way to go for us.
SO I just wanted to share that I have found some really fantastic deals via a Canadian company that ships to the US, Build Direct – they send five samples at a time for free, and all the samples we've gotten have been very nice, seriously substantial tile, and they have a bunch of options at under $3/sq ft. They've been really good and patient with us via email thus far, so just wanted to add them to potential sources, in case you needed.
I would go with a medium brown hardwood if I could do it all again. I love the classic and easy cleaning of real wood, installed well.
Having said that, I have a beautiful wood tile floor. We installed it just over a year ago. It looks a lot like the tile in your picture, except it came in two widths.
We used a pro installer and I'm so glad I did. The grout they used didn't have enough cement so 8 months after install they came back ripped the grout out and used an epoxy grout to repair it. I can't imagine how much that would have cost if we had done it ourselves. And, epoxy grout is really tricky, costs 5-10 times more, and we didn't have to pay for it. Some think it looks like plastic, but ours doesn't look plastic-y at all.
I feel like the amount of variation is a little bossy for me. I like a more timeless look, and I am worried that in another five years I won't like it. But, for now, I do love my epoxy grouted, wood-look, tile floors.
I'm sure whatever you do will be perfect! You're house is coming together beautifully.
I really like the wood tile look! I've seen it done in a kitchen in a herringbone pattern. It looked amazing. It wasn't trying to pass for wood in the kitchen, instead it came off as an interesting neutral.
The rug looks a lot like this Dash and Albert which I bet you're already familiar with: http://dashandalbert.annieselke.com/Rugs/Diamond-Light-Blue-Ivory-Indoor-Outdoor-Rug/p/RDB163
Fairly affordable up to a certain size ;)
Hi Jenny,
I carry Jaipur and, while I didn't see that exact style, there are several rugs that would probably work well in the room. I'd love to send you links to similar rugs and see if they'll work for you.
I offer great prices and free shipping! I've used Jaipur rugs for years and love, love them :)
Jessica
Lemongrass-home.com
I'm in Australia so have different products and processes but have found that tiles too close together means the grout can pop out easily; leave a small gap so grout can get in between properly. The trick with having them look really good is using a colour matched grout. Good luck, am envious of the amazing price things are available for in the states!
I just think tile is so hard and would hurt your feet if it was all over your house. I love my real hardwoods. I know my parents are older and my mom hates tile because it is uncomfortable to them. I am not a big fan of tile all over the house.
I like the style of interior design that is contained in your writing..
thank you Car Guide
I absolutely love that Hazelton House fabric! You can find all of their amazing hand blocked fabrics at
http://www.hazeltonhouse.com/handblocks/
Have you seen this bedframe in person? I'm in the market for one similar but a little nervous to order online…
My husband and I (he worked the saw and mixed the mortar/grout, and I did everything else) just DIY'd around 1600 sq ft of wood tile in the townhome we just bought. We did a herringbone pattern downstairs (never tiled before, btw – go big or go home, right?!) and a traditional layout on the second floor. Installation wasn't fun, but we did it and saved a ton of money. We went with a darker, 6"x24" tile from Home Depot ($2.59/sq ft!), Montagna saddle, I think… I love it in this home, but it also comes in a light grey ash that would have been pretty, too. We did 1/8" grout lines, but by the time the mortar cured, it looked much wider than that. I would go smaller next time. We used a charcoal grout to help cut down on contrast. Good luck!
I'm still surprised that it's been 5 years since you did the remodel of your parents bedroom because I thought it was only just a couple of years ago. Time sure flew by and I'm looking forward to seeing what plans you have in store for the redo.
Hi Jenny!
I also have a concrete slab foundation and installed wood tiles in my downstairs bathroom and laundry room area. I've had them for a couple of years and they still look great. I love how low maintenance they are and that I'm not constantly worried about scratching it, like I would be if it were true hardwood.
Also, I have that exact bed frame in the linen blue color. It is GORGEOUS and I'm so happy with it. I got mine on Wayfair, but looks like it's a lot cheaper (~$200) on Amazon!
Can't wait to see the finished room!
We used wood tile in our home and laid it in a chevron pattern. I wanted wood chevron but couldn't afford the price point so this was a perfect solution for us. It is now my favorite room in our home!
We are planning to replace our living room and bedroom flooring after the holidays. We have pretty much decided on Shaw engineered flooring Yardley in the color Ivy League. Your Italian tile looks like a good alternative. We are in Phoenix. Where did you find the tile, please?
Thanks.
Oh my! I'm loving your bedroom refresh inspirations, especially the headboard with linen bedding idea. I really think that the refresh will make your bedroom a very lovely space to rest in. Anyway, I used wood tiles for flooring in our family room and upstairs hallway and minimized the grout to a point that it’s barely there. I think you'll do wonderfully and I'm excited to see the before and after updates. Thank you so much for sharing! Good luck with all your projects!
Fred Richards @ SGK Home Solutions
We are an AZ house on a slab and have glue down commercial grade stranded bamboo flooring (looks like walnut) in the main part of the house. However, last year we added a bathroom ans used the wood plank tiles to make our walk in shower look like it has a teak floor, but without the maintenance. We have very tight grout lines. I love it. Although I still like the warmth of the wood floor, the practicality of the wood tile can't be beat. I wish that we had used it throughout the house.
Hi Jenny! We live in the white mountains in AZ, and would love to have you help with the finishing details in our home. I emailed you a couple of months ago, but I am assuming it got lost in the millions of emails you get a day. Please let me know if you are still taking on design clients.
We used wood tile in our master bath and have received so many compliments. It is a little more stylized than the "real" look wood–we found it at AZ tile, and are very happy.
Please, please share information about the floral fabric. I need that in a dark grey and white bedroom.
Many thanks!
Angela
Girls Bedroom Design Minimalist Trend 2014
Things to Consider Buying a Used Home
We used wood tile as a backsplash in the kitchen. We love it. We have cream glazed traditional cabinets. Behind the stove we laid it in a herringbone pattern and its given it a more modern feel.
Do you know the color of these Ceramiche Supergres tiles?
I think it was the Nordic line! I’m sorry that I don’t have the exact information anymore!
I’d also like to know the color of these supergres tiles
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Wood Flooring | Hardwood Floors NYC, New York
Hi Jenny, any chance you can share the showroom that you found these tiles at? I’m in New Mexico but cannot find a source there. Thank you so much
Hi Gracie,
I’m also looking for this tile. I have found it at floorbros.com. The color is north white or eastgrey. Google supergres to see all the colors. Floorbros.com is out of Florida, I spoke with them today they have great customer service.
Hi, I’m trying to install new floors as well over a concrete slab. Is the picture of the bathroom the actual floor? Who makes it and where can I buy it. My only other option is LVT.